Life beyond carbon credits: Maximising Impact

Imagine working on a project that not only benefits the planet but also directly helps the communities in which we live or work. With that twin mission in mind, Converge found an opportunity that has delivered an impact beyond our expectations.

Increasingly, having to decide between heating or eating is a reality for families across the UK, many of whom live in social housing stock which doesn’t take advantage of modern insulation and efficient heating technology. In an era of high energy costs, the cost pressures on millions of people are huge.

At Converge, our sustainability strategy Making A Digital Digital Difference, is about making the biggest impact environmentally and socially. On the environmental side, we’ve been actively working to reduce our carbon emissions since 2019 and have since taken big strides towards our net-zero goals, but making a difference to the communities we work in is just as important, and an innovative form of carbon offsetting gave us the chance to do just that.

Carbon offsetting with a conscience

In recent years, many businesses have sought to mitigate their own emissions by simply purchasing carbon offsetting credits. Critics have argued, with some justification, that spending money to cut emissions elsewhere while continuing with business as usual is a form of cheating, not to mention greenwashing.

Our view at Converge is that carbon offsetting should make a difference, providing it supplements rather than replaces our own emission reduction efforts. We can’t simply buy ourselves a clean conscience.

Making a difference with HACT

This was the thinking behind our own recent introduction to carbon offsetting work with HACT, a charity in the social housing sector. For 60 years, they have been helping the sector to focus on the social value they create for their residents and communities. They believe deeply that social housing is about far more than bricks and mortar. Their focus is on helping to make the UK’s social housing stock more sustainable, both environmentally and socially.

We purchased 50 TCo2 of carbon credits to support retrofit work on social housing homes in collaboration with key clients and we identified some of the most deprived communities across England and decided to allocate these resources where it will bring the biggest benefit. Areas included parts of Waltham Forest, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Portsmouth and Manchester.

Retrofitting – with social housing providers who have enrolled housing stock with HACT, our investment enables retrofitting work to be completed, including insulation, solar panels, energy efficient heating systems.

Carbon Saving and Social Value - when retrofit works are complete, the carbon offset is all processed through Verra Accredited Carbon Offset Scheme. Social value is assessed and reported on.

In the words of HACT themselves: “Delivering ongoing GHG emissions reduction would not have been possible without the support of Converge and like-minded organisations. This has enabled people to heat their home, to eat rather than all their money being spent on heating and for children and students to do their homework without the need to wear their coats inside!”

Why did we choose this option?

Carbon credits have been around for years and have traditionally focused on initiating new projects that reduce emissions in themselves, such as reforestation, carbon capture or renewable energy projects, often overseas. With this project, Converge was able to help communities here in the UK directly.

Most emissions come from existing infrastructure, with around 40% of that coming from buildings. The biggest barrier to reducing emissions from existing buildings and infrastructure is clearly cost. That’s where retrofit carbon credits come in – creating local community benefit and carbon saving.

Decarbonisation at Converge

As climate change affects us all, one solution is not going to solve a complex issue. As a responsible business with CSR – A Gold accreditation, we’re always looking for impactful and innovative ways to do the right thing.

Our other key focus areas in recent years:

• Providing a seamless circular IT solution extending the operational lives of IT.
• Completing the first phase of our move to solar energy production at our Stafford HQ with the aim of generating 80% of our electricity using solar.
• Becoming 100% renewable at our Bathgate site with renewable wood pellets and green electricity.
• Instigating a switch to sustainable vehicles with our company car fleet now 100% electric or hybrid, and moving to electric forklift trucks.
• Using ‘last mile’ electric vehicle delivery services, which refers to the final leg of the delivery process from a hub to the customer's doorstep. 

This project has delivered on our key aims of reducing carbon emissions while helping our communities directly. Delivering real impact where it’s needed.