Aiming to be a Net Zero digital agency

Vu is an Independently Verified CO₂e Assessed Organisation

Vu is a small business which does not have a legal requirement to report annual Carbon Emissions under Streamline Energy and Carbon Reporting Regulations (SECR).

We have however taken the decision to become a Net Zero Digital Agency because we believe it’s important to understand our behaviour and commit to reduce our carbon use. Our Independently Verified CO₂e Assessed Organisation status has been achieved by working with Gill Alker PhD of Decarbonisation Consultants.

Vu aims to be Net Zero by 2025.

Scope 1 Emissions

Definition

Scope 1 emissions are defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as direct greenhouse gas emissions that are from sources owned or controlled by the reporting entity.

Vu rent their period offices in Totnes and have no direct control to influence Scope 1.

Reported total

0 kg CO₂e

Scope 2 Emissions

Definition

Scope 2 emissions are defined as indirect GHG emissions associated with the production of electricity, heat, or steam purchased by the reporting entity.

Our total is estimated because our period offices do not have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the rental arrangement provides no direct evidence of costs for electricity and heating. The estimate is achieved using the EPC of a neighbouring property with a known Primary Energy value of 305 kWh/m3.

Our Totnes Office is calculated to be 107.7 m3. Therefore, the Primary Energy for 16 High Street is estimated to be 32,635 kWh per year.

Reported totals

• Gas heating: 2,360 kg CO₂e
• Electric heating and lighting: 5,839 kg CO₂e
• Electric office equipment: 2,723 kg CO₂e

Scope 3 Emissions

Definition

Scope 3 emissions includes all other indirect emissions, i.e., emissions associated with the extraction and production of purchased materials, fuels, and services, including transport in vehicles not owned or controlled by the reporting entity.

We identified our suppliers and ascertained, estimated or in the event of full non-disclosure, disregarded their Carbon Intensity (CI) to produce an estimate of Scope 3.

Reported total

4,928 kg CO₂e

Total Carbon Emissions FY 2019/20

Carbon Intensity

3,963 kgCO₂/employee

Recommendations

“Overall, in comparison to the limited number of similar companies that have reported their GHG emissions, VU Online have comparable, if slightly higher emissions per employee and unit turnover, but this is due primarily to the nature of the office in which they operate and can be easily reduced over time. Finally we recommend setting a target and tracking against that target. A sensible target might be to work towards reaching net zero by 2025, which would bring VU Online 25 years ahead of the UK target to reach net zero by 2050.”

Gill Alker PhD, Decarbonisation Consultants

Last updated 07/06/2021