Sustainability
Road to net-zero
100%of our electricity comes from renewable sources
90%of our waste is recycled
80%of our company cars are either electric or hybrid
100%Carbon neutral
Independently assessed as carbon neutral since 2012
Solite, as part of the FW Thorpe Group of companies, is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its activities across all operations.
The FW Thorpe Group of companies has been officially recognised as being carbon neutral*, with systems of reduction, measurement and certified offsetting in place, since 2012. Third party assessment provides independent assurance of the Group’s long-standing commitment to sustainability across all of its operations worldwide. Being carbon neutral means that FW Thorpe Plc offsets the carbon dioxide emissions it generates (scopes 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol) by its business activities.
*Group companies acquired since 2012 have been assessed only since their date of acquisition.
What does ‘carbon neutral’ mean?
Being carbon neutral means that Solite offsets the carbon dioxide emissions it generates (scopes 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol) by its business activities.
Scope 1
All direct emissions from the activities of an organisation, including fuel combustion on site, such as in gas boilers and in its fleet of delivery and other company-owned vehicles.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions from electricity purchased and used by the organisation. These emissions are caused during the production of the electricity that is ultimately used by the organisation.
FW Thorpe Plc is a carbon neutral company through a combination of measures. Company-wide initiatives such as energy use minimisation, self-generation of renewable energy through solar photovoltaic (PV) units, and procurement of renewable energy have reduced the Group’s carbon footprint, whilst trees in the Group’s award-winning carbon offsetting afforestation project absorb the remaining carbon dioxide produced.
The goal is ultimately to reach net-zero in 2040, ten years before the UK’s target for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
Sustainability at Solite
Our commitment to sustainability and the environment.
In 2022, FW Thorpe initiated a robust data collection process to calculate its full carbon footprint, extended to include upstream and downstream activities – for example those throughout its supplier and customer relationships. The Group’s carbon emission reduction plan is aligned with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C scenario (reactive) and its full Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the 2021 base year, 2022, and the current financial year 2023 have been calculated.
Emission reduction targets
FW Thorpe has set and submitted the following Science aligned targets for validation by the Science Based Targets Initiative:
• Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% by 2030, from a 2021 base year on a market-based approach.
• Reduce Scope 3 emissions per £m revenue by 51.6% by 2030, from a 2021 base year.
• Reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 90% by 2040 from a 2021 base year, in line with reaching net-zero with a maximum of 10% of emissions being offset.
Chairman’s Comment
FW Thorpe Plc has a longstanding commitment to helping tackle global environmental challenges, principally through its core business of manufacturing energy efficient lighting equipment. The company has a genuine desire to become a more sustainable business.
The carbon capture tree-planting scheme (quality-assured by the government-backed Woodland Carbon Code) is independently certified to ISO 14064-3 and ISO 14065 standards. The Woodland Carbon Code is an independent standard, devised by a group led by the UK Forestry Commission, to certify that woodland creation projects can accurately measure how much carbon is captured and stored.
But our work doesn’t stop here. By assessing our carbon impact right across our value chain, and then setting science-based targets in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, our goal is to further and significantly reduce our impact by the near term target of 2030 followed by ultimately reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) status by 2040, well before the UK’s target for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Mike Allcock
FW Thorpe Group Chairman
