The global toy supplier and Products of Change member, Sambro has reported a 10% reduction in its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions across both its UK and EMEA offices, taking it closer to meeting its ambitious 2023 sustainable development targets.
Sambro has taken a deep dive into its carbon footprint this year, updating previous metrics to ensure all aspects of scope 1 and 2 (direct emissions) are covered. Using 2019 as its base year, the team is pleased to announce a 64% reduction in emissions from road business and a 45% reduction in emissions from electricity.
While emissions from other aspects of scope 1 (fuel, refrigerant gases etc) have increased slightly, a 10% reduction in combined scope 1 and 2 emissions builds on a general downward trajectory that the business continues to drive.
Sambro’s annual carbon footprint report for 2022 shows the company produced 765.52 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in 2022, compared to 772.78 in 2021 and 804.21 in their baseline year of 2019.
To bring those emissions down, Sambro has made concerted efforts to reduce energy consumption across its UK and EMEA sites. This operations-led project has included initiatives such as mass changes to warehouse lighting and outdoor spotlights at their UK HQ, the addition of timer switches where appropriate and sweeps of all facilities to identify unused equipment and machinery.
Education and engagement with all employees concerning equipment usage, energy consumption, and contributions to the company’s ESG strategy are also top of the agenda.
In addition, Sambro’s Bury-based UK headquarters has switched to renewable energy, with 100% of their electricity supply now coming from renewable sources.
The team is now looking to reduce emissions by an additional 5% this year by reviewing its heating systems with plans to review its waste and water consumption, working with current providers to identify improvements.
Lisa Longley, Sambro’s ethical and sustainability manager, said: “Our ESG strategy is now firmly cemented in the way we operate, and with this year’s targets, which have seen us commit to 16 sustainable development goals, we see a genuine shift change in the way we manage our business.
“These goals cover all aspects of the environmental, social, and governance pillars of ESG and include tarhets like ensuring all the materials we use in our warehouse are recycled or recyclable, setting up an internal system for charity donations, and introducing a programme for Menopause awareness.
“We are committed to calculating our carbon footprint each year to understand our emissions and how best to reduce them. This most recent data set puts us in a strong place to reach our 2023 targets.”
Sambro has, for the first time, started tackling the wider-reaching aspects of scope 3 emissions this year. Scope 3 covers all indirect emissions that feed into a company’s operations, such as business travel, transport of products, and waste. It is a notoriously challenging field of emissions to tackle.
However, Sambro has identified the key areas of scope 3 it is responsible for and worked to ensure they submit accurate information. This has included metrics on water consumption, air and rail business, hotel stays, and waste. Other aspects of scope 3 can be included under the operational control approach and Sambro aims to build on the range of reported information each year.
“Despite this increased data coverage, in 2022, we still achieved an overall emission reduction of 4.8% compared to our 2019 baseline, where scope 3 was not considered, so that’s a huge accomplishment.
“We continue to move forward on this journey, liaising with both licensors and investors where appropriate, aiming to be fully transparent in our reporting and its outcome for the business.”
