Waste management company Biffa says it has reduced its scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by almost 30% compared to its 2019 baseline.
Biffa says it has achieved this reduction through the “continued improvement” of its landfill gas capture and “efficiency gains” within its operations. The waste management company says improving collection route efficiency (lifts per km) by 7% also contributed to the reduced emissions and enabled it to collect over four million tonnes of waste with over 3,100 vehicles.
Scope 1 emissions relate to those that an organisation owns or controls directly, whereas scope 2 are emissions that a company causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced. Scope 3 encompasses emissions that are not produced by the company itself, but rather the supply chain.
Biffa has also announced its near-term scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Biffa has committed to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 base year, and reducing absolute scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2022 base year.
We are committed to leading the way in sustainable waste management.
The statistics, released in Biffa’s Sustainability Report 2022-23, also show Biffa has increased its plastics recycling capacity by 16kt up to 167kt from 151kt and increased its surplus waste prevention from 35kt to 41kt.
Key findings from the report include Biffa redistributed over 109 million products through its 14 Company Shop stores and 12 Community Shops across the UK and expanded its fleet of electric and alternative fuel vehicles to 120.
Biffa also says its rerouting exercise, in conjunction with the integration of acquisitions, streamlined operations and saved approximately 1,400 tonnes of CO2 e emissions annually.
Michael Topham, Biffa’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “This validation from SBTi is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Biffa to ensure sustainability continues to be at the heart of our business.
“We are committed to leading the way in sustainable waste management and have already made great progress in reducing our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by almost 30% compared to our 2019 baseline, but we need to go further.
“Through fostering strong partnerships with our suppliers, we aim to be a sustainability leader, creating a culture and supply chain that actively pursues innovation, efficiency and transparency.”
