Large companies and public sector can do more to reduce emissions, says Philips Lighting

• Analysis of government data reveals that only a third of organizations disclose emission reduction targets or performance against them in their annual reporting
• This is despite the average organization reporting CO2 emissions equivalent to 2,421 homes’ energy use for a year
• Less than half of these organizations say they actively encourage employees to reduce carbon emissions at work

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – The largest public and private organizations in the UK can do more to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting.

The company’s analysis¹ of the most recent data published by the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme reveals that organizations included in the scheme emitted a total of over 41 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide during the 2015/16 period. This is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 8.7 million passenger vehicles driven for a year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity usage of 6 million homes for a year².

Yet only a third (32 percent) of these organizations confirmed they disclose carbon emission reduction targets in their annual reporting, with 15 percent saying they don’t and over half (53 percent) refusing to disclose whether they do or not.

Similarly, only 29 percent of organizations disclose their performance against carbon emission reduction targets, with 16 percent not disclosing their performance and 55 percent not confirming whether they do or not. 

Less than half of the organizations reporting to the scheme (45 percent) say they actively engage employees to reduce carbon emissions at work. 

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory carbon emissions reporting and pricing scheme that covers large public and private sector organizations in the UK that use more than 6,000MWh of electricity per year and have at least one half-hourly meter settled on the half-hourly electricity market. The sectors targeted by the scheme generate over 10 percent of UK CO2 emissions.

Philips Lighting’s analysis reveals that private sector companies reporting to the scheme averaged 22,929 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions last year. To absorb this level of CO2 4,586 hectares of forest would be required which is the equivalent of 6,423 soccer fields.

The 496 public bodies reporting to the scheme averaged only 13 percent less, emitting 19,839 tonnes of CO2 during the year.

 “The CRC scheme was designed to reduce the emissions of those organizations with the largest carbon footprints in the UK, but our analysis suggests that the country’s largest public and private sector bodies still have a long way to go,” said Nicola Kimm, Head of Sustainability, Environment, Health & Safety at Philips Lighting.

“In our sustainability program, Brighter Lives, Better World, we have outlined ambitious targets to be achieved by 2020 including: to be carbon neutral, use only electricity from renewable sources, and send zero waste to landfill. Globally, over two-thirds of our electricity now comes from renewable sources,” Kimm added.

“Making concerted efforts to improve energy efficiency saves organizations money, improves their reputation and contributes to our climate change mitigation targets.”

There are relatively straightforward actions organizations can take that can make a significant difference in a short space of time. With Philips InterAct Office, real estate owners don’t have to rip out and replace existing cabling. The system uses wireless gateways that connect the lamps and luminaires. By combining high-efficiency LED lighting with connected system management, energy savings of up to 70 percent can be achieved. Philips InterAct Office is set to be introduced in the UK later this year.

Total CRC emissions by organization type, 2015/16¹