Notes on our Carbon Footprint Report

As a business it is important we are authentic, and we critically examine our own sustainability journey. In calculating our carbon footprint, we saw how we needed to critically examine our decision making in order to ensure our carbon accounting is accurately representative of our business model. 

 We calculated our footprint using the Compare Your Footprint software calculator. In 2022 we calculated our footprint looking at all 3 scopes of our business and focusing on the following categories: 

 Business Travel air and rail 

Business services 

Gas 

Food and Drink 

Waste 

Electricity 

Employee commuting by road 

Hotel stays 

Advertising 

For 2023 we set up systems so that we could add new categories and report on the delivery, events and freight haulage by sub-contracted companies.  As a result the report for 2023 shows an increase in our TCO2 consumption from nearly 8 tonnes to over 15 tonnes (using the methodology of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard: Market -based)

It is hard to tell how we compare with another business of our size or what 15 tonnes actually looks like. We do know that 1 tonne of CO2 is the equivalent in weight of a walrus, and looks like 500 CO2 fire extinguishers or 500 m3 hot air balloon. In order to capture 1 tonne of CO2 emissions 50 trees must grow for one year to absorb the carbon from the air (sequestration). (Source: What exactly is 1 tonne of CO2? We make it tangible. - Climate Neutral Group

Once  again we have omitted many of the other categories on the calculator as they are not relevant to our business.  For example, we do not use liquid fuels in our production process or purchase online advertising.

In calculating our footprint we also came across some areas that we found could misrepresent us as a low carbon business. In attempting to calculate our material (wood) we found that the conversion figure in the calculator used a UK average for a wood merchant (sourcing timber internationally). It made us realise how very detailed and nuanced carbon footprinting is, and as a science how very young and in development, it still is. With climate change outpacing meteorologists understanding, we can see that reporting and reduction needs may also outpace software development. 

We buy some wood from local estates and some of the costs for wood will be charges for milling timber from trees that have come down in storms and that is clearly a very different ecological impact than “timber: UK average” .  In 2023 47% of our timber costs were for timber sourced within Perthshire, and a further 23% were for timber bought from Scottish Woods, a social enterprise who process sustainable Scottish timber. The remainder of our timber is from Scottish or English timber yards. Most is Scottish native timber but may it may be European. We buy no tropical or non-European timber. 

 As a result, we took out our tonnage of wood from our footprint as we felt it would not be accurate and would misrepresent us as a more carbon heavy business than we actually are. 

As our wood is local timber it has required minimal energy to extract and get to our workshop. It is also renewable. We source oak from our collectively owned, local bluebell wood where we fell and mill as part of a sustainable woodland management plan, designed to increase bio-diversity and the overall health of the woodland.  

 Carefully managing our woodland and felling a few carefully selected trees improves the health and resilience of the remaining trees and wider woodland. This timber would normally be considered firewood grade but we have elevated this humble material through our innovative design and craftsmanship. The process is skilled and time-consuming but is part of good custody of our precious native woodland resource. Having a continuous local supply of timber underpins our business.  

inally, the report shows our total tCO2e emissions from electricity use as being zero. This is not because we do not use any electricity, as obviously we do use it to power our machinery and light our workshop. In 2022 we used 13,633 kWh of electricity. However, we purchase electricity from Octopus Energy who use 100% renewable sources.