Growth Company Declares Climate Emergency as COP27 takes place

The Growth Company is committed to playing its part to mitigate the climate change impacts associated with our operation.

Our business accepts the challenge to mitigate impacts associated with our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions:

• Scope 1: gas and liquid fuel consumption, refrigerant gases and company vehicle fuel
• Scope 2: purchased electricity
• Scope 3: purchased goods and services, capital goods, up and downstream transportation and distribution, business travel and agile working, employee commuting, leased assets, waste, and investments

We recognise the need to prioritise effort on the impacts associated with the activities under our direct control (scope 1 and 2) swiftly and in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to an upper threshold of 1.5 degrees centigrade. We also appreciate the pressing need to mitigate the impacts associated with our value chain (scope 3).

In 2019 The Growth Company announced its intention to be Carbon Neutral by 2023. In February 2022 we updated our commitment to becoming Net Zero across scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2035. This new commitment reflects our heightened commitment to reduce our carbon emissions across the organisation and provides a clear pathway for action.

We’re proud to pledge our support for the UN’s Race to Net Zero through Business Declares, a fast-growing network of businesses who acknowledge the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Our aim is to continue to reduce our emissions and impact on biodiversity year-on-year, off-setting the remaining carbon through a recognised carbon off-setting scheme, to the point of becoming Net Zero by 2035.

Concern for both people and the planet are not new to us. We’re an award-winning provider of environmental services, having helped Greater Manchester small-medium enterprises save 2 million tonnes of carbon. In addition, we’ve helped 17,000 unemployed people find work, 8,000 people obtain new skills or qualifications, 11,500 new businesses to start trading, and created 11,000 new jobs (contributing £678m of additional Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy).

We look forward to continuing to share our journey and ensuring our voice is part of the collective, resounding call for change. We are certainly not claiming to be perfect, neither are we judging others - instead we’re part of a coalition of the willing, looking to collaborate and accelerate action while continuing to highlight the challenges and uncomfortable truths.