Active Web Solutions Ltd has responded to the request from HRH the Prince of Wales by reporting our carbon footprint to the Mayday Network. The Network believes that measuring and reporting carbon emissions is a crucial part of responding to climate change.  We agree that this is a useful exercise and has helped us to manage our company more effectively. 

What is The Prince's Mayday Trust? 

We are a group of businesses at all stages on the low carbon, resource efficient journey: some leading, some just starting out. We are united in our belief that collaboration and leadership will solve the issue of climate change, and together we are creating the route map for a better, more sustainable way of doing business. 

So what did AWS report? 

In 2009/2010 Active Web Solutions Ltd achieved an estimated total carbon footprint of 40tonnes CO²e. During the same period, our electricity and gas consumption was lower than good practice benchmarks, reflecting good energy management practices currently employed by the company.

Gas and electricity are the two highest contributors to our carbon footprint (5.93 and 34.15 tonnes CO²e respectively) and one of our highest costs as a business. By reducing our energy usage in these two areas we are both reducing our carbon footprint and costs as a business.

Active Web Solutions Ltd has reduced its energy consumption in the following ways

• Ensuring all PCs are turned off when not in use.
• Ensuring all lights and electrical equipment are turned off when not in use.
• Using only energy efficient light bulbs.
• Investing in products and processes that have an improved performance regarding their impact on the environment.
• Ensuring boilers and air conditioning units are serviced regularly to improve their efficiency.
• Involving staff in saving energy by holding monthly team meetings to discuss environmental issues within the business and how these can best be tackled.
• Promoting the importance of energy saving to staff as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Week in May 2010 through posters and information leaflets, and through our company policies and procedures.
• Regularly reviewing our procedures and keeping up to date with new energy consumption reduction methods.

What has been the impact on AWS? 

In 2009/2010 bench marking data shows that our electricity and gas consumption is lower than good practice.

By continuing to follow the above energy reduction plan and frequent monitoring of our performance, in the next year we plan to reduce our energy consumption by 3%, reducing our carbon footprint by 1.2tonnes of CO²e per year.

Staff awareness and involvement in the reduction of energy consumption has significantly increased.

For more details on The Prince's Mayday Network, please visit: www.maydaynetwork.com