Following the release of MPS’s 2020 Annual Report, the organisation is celebrating a new milestone in offsetting its emissions through its association with World Land Trust (WLT) and it’s printing and marketing services partner, Resource.
World Land Trust, which works to protect and sustainably manage natural ecosystems throughout the world, confirmed that MPS, by using Carbon Balanced Paper printed by Resource, will balance the equivalent of 215kg of carbon dioxide.
This support will enable WLT to protect 150m
2 of tropical forest currently under imminent threat of deforestation and degradation. The WLT has taken the equivalent of over 41,000 cars off the road for a year through carbon balancing and saved the equivalent of 16,000 acres of protected threatened forests.
MPS Environment Strategy
As an organisation, we are already taking important steps to reduce our impact on the environment where we can. We have removed single-use plastic cups in our principal offices, and we are working to reduce our waste which goes to landfill with dedicated recycling points.
As MPS is defined as a large company by the Companies Act 2006, we are required for the first time this year, by the new Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) legislation, to report on our energy and carbon usage in the UK.
We donated unwanted IT equipment to Computer Aid, saving over 1,000 assets from landfill. 540 were recycled with all component parts being broken down and re-used. 473 were reusable with 155 in stock and 318 sent to partner organisations of Computer Aid. In doing this, MPS saved 3,452kg of e-waste from the recycled assets, which is a carbon offset of 16,968kg.
MPS has a proactive approach to energy management by monitoring monthly consumption figures and has completed Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) surveys. LED lighting is installed at sites as old units are replaced and sensors have been installed in communal areas to reduce consumption. The electricity contract is supplied by renewable energy and the emissions have been adjusted accordingly. During 2020, MPS entered into a green gas contract, which will reduce the emissions further.
About Carbon Balanced Offsetting
Carbon offsetting is a process whereby an individual or company takes action to prevent the release of emissions elsewhere, or secures the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide as part of a wider approach to measure, reduce and then offset emissions through impactful conservation projects.
Terrestrial habitats, such as forests, grasslands and wet peatlands, contain large volumes of carbon in their biomass and soils. However, these habitats are being destroyed or degraded at an unprecedented rate, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere and contributing to between 10-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Carbon Balanced programme offsets emissions by protecting threatened habitats that would otherwise have been lost, avoiding the release of stored carbon. This also enables the regeneration of degraded habitats, which gradually re-absorb atmospheric CO2. In a warmer climate, it is predicted that tropical ecosystems will be able to store less carbon than they do now, so urgent action is required.
To learn more about our commitment to offsetting emissions, read the MPS Annual Report here