Arco, the UK's leading safety company, is now verified carbon neutral for its direct and indirect emissions from energy use in its UK operations, marking a key milestone in its journey and commitment to becoming net zero by 2045.
As a family-run business, built on integrity and driven by its purpose to keep people safe, achieving carbon neutrality represents a key moment in Arco's wider environmental ambitions and its determination to protect both people and the planet.
Arco has achieved carbon neutrality for energy by working with environmental and energy management experts Environmental Strategies Limited as well as with iOffset, an organisation dedicated to helping organisations reduce and offset their unavoidable emissions by funding an equivalent CO2 saving elsewhere. All iOffset projects are verified and accredited by the world's leading carbon registries, such as The Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and The United Nations (UN).
To offset its emissions, Arco has selected two projects that give back to the countries and communities that support its supply chain and which both prevent and capture carbon. The safety expert is funding the Verra accredited CAZ Project in Madagascar, one of the first REDD initiatives in Africa aiming to reduce deforestation and degradation, and the Gold Standard CDQ Project in China, which helps cut greenhouse gas emissions annually.
With Arco now being verified carbon neutral for energy, the next step for the business is achieving a 50% reduction in its 'absolute' Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 2030. To achieve this, Arco will measure against a baseline taken in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To achieve this 'absolute' reduction and to continue making good progress towards net zero, Arco is embedding sustainability into its day-to-day operational activity across the business, including at its National Distribution Centre (NDC), retail stores, offices and vehicle fleet.
Arco purchases all its electricity for buildings from renewable sources and the company is investing to replace legacy lighting systems at its NDC and other selected sites with high-efficiency, modern fitments that will save 172 tonnes of carbon. The company is also progressing with its plans for 50% of its fleet to be comprised of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2025.
Environmental Strategies Limited audited Arco in accordance with ISO 14064 and verified the business as carbon neutral in terms of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for energy use. Arco will continue to work closely with Environmental Strategies in relation to Scope 3, which looks at carbon emissions from other areas including purchased goods and services, transportation and distribution in the supply chain as well as business travel and employee commuting and will then develop plans to address carbon emissions in these areas, which will support Arco in achieving its commitment of carbon net zero by 2045.
Danny Hobson, Head of Ethics and Sustainability at Arco, said:
"As a responsible company, achieving carbon neutrality for energy was the right thing for us to do. We are determined to make a meaningful difference as we strive towards our goal of carbon net zero. This means continuing to explore and action all the ways we can make a positive impact, from cutting emissions to investing in fleet and waste management and ensuring best practice in circularity through sustainable product development, packaging solutions and product recycling capabilities."
Arco's Managing Director, David Evison, added:
"As a family-run company, Arco has always put corporate and social responsibility at the heart of the organisation. Achieving carbon neutrality for energy marks our care towards the environment and the people and communities within it. We are committed to achieving net zero by 2045. Over the coming years, we will continue with further projects, investments, partnerships and initiatives that reduce our carbon footprint and continue to lead by example, both in our communities and in our industry."