Oh Yes! Net Zero workshop helps tech-based training firm create carbon reduction plan
Oh Yes! Net Zero member Vertual Ltd has been providing virtual reality solutions for healthcare training since 2007. Its state-of-the-art VERT system is used to train radiographers and physicists in universities and teaching hospitals around the world, helping to enhance patient care and safety.
We caught up with the team at Vertual to find out why improving sustainability is important to its future success – and how taking part in an Oh Yes! Net Zero Carbon Clinic workshop has helped it develop a plan to reduce emissions.
“We’re always striving to make our business better, and the decision to take action to cut our carbon footprint is a natural part of that,” says Vertual’s chief executive, Debra Leeves.
“As well as being the right thing to do for the environment, our public sector customers are increasingly asking us to complete questionnaires about the sustainability measures we have in place, so one of the business objectives our board of directors set this year was to calculate our emissions and create a plan to reduce them.”
Responsibility for leading the firm’s carbon reduction activities lies with Vertual’s business development manager, Jan Antons.
While a one-day course at the University of Hull gave her an understanding of basic terms and concepts in carbon management, it was an Oh Yes! Net Zero Carbon Clinic workshop that provided the advice and tools Jan needed to calculate Vertual’s emissions.
Funded by Oh Yes! Net Zero founding member Reckitt and facilitated by local sustainability consultancy BACB Renewables, the three-hour workshops are aimed at small and medium-sized organisations – including microbusinesses – who are serious about reducing their carbon footprint but need expert support to get started or to take their next step.
“The workshop made it very clear what Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are and, because attendees knew in advance what information they needed to bring about their energy usage and other business activities, we were all able to use the tools provided to calculate our Scope 1 and 2 emissions very easily,” Jan says.
“There was plenty of one-to-one support, and taking part alongside other businesses with different challenges gave us insights we wouldn’t have gained otherwise.”
Having made a start on Vertual’s carbon reduction plan during the workshop, Jan has now completed it but is continuing the drive to find additional ways to cut emissions over the short, medium and long-term across all areas of Vertual’s operations.
With its VERT system installed in 36 countries as far afield as Africa, the USA and Asia, one of Vertual’s biggest sources of emissions is business travel.
“Being at the workshop really brought the impact of our business travel into focus and we’re now looking at more ways to minimise it, through measures like flying via the shortest routes, booking accommodation within walking distance of our customers’ sites and using public transport for overland travel,” she says.
“Being based in a shared, rented office means there are some aspects of our energy usage we don’t have complete control over, but there are lots of small wins to be had, from improving recycling facilities, to reducing waste when catering for staff events, to buying good quality IT kit that’s energy-efficient and has a longer life.
“Tackling our Scope 3 emissions is a longer-term goal, but now that we know what data we need to collect to measure them accurately we’re in a better position to take that on. We already have ideas for a hardware support programme that will enable customers to keep their equipment longer, reducing the emissions in our product lifecycle.”
Jan describes the Carbon Clinic workshops as an accessible way for small businesses to make a start on their sustainability journey.
She says: “Just the process of collecting the information we needed for the workshop was useful. Everything is broken down into bite-sized chunks, and it was also very motivating to be given a deadline by Oh Yes! Net Zero for completing our plan following the workshop.
“We intend to revisit it regularly and involve more colleagues in making the changes needed to achieve our carbon reduction targets.”
Debra Leeves concludes: “Reducing emissions is something all organisations will need to think about – just because we’re a small business doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do to address climate change.
“We believe having a plan and taking action now is not just the socially responsible thing to do, but that it will also benefit our business over the longer term by opening up new commercial opportunities that will help us grow and thrive.”
To book a place on a Carbon Clinic workshop email melissa@ohyesnetzero.co.uk.