Advancing Analytics - CarbonNeutral® company certification

From the beginning, Advancing Analytics has put sustainability at its core. We have finally achieved a major goal of ours… we are very pleased to announce that we have achieved CarbonNeutral® company certification. This means we have calculated and offset all emissions associated with the operations of our business. To achieve CarbonNeutral® company certification, Advancing Analytics are working with the leading experts on carbon neutrality and climate finance, Natural Capital Partners. In 2002 Natural Capital Partners designed The CarbonNeutral Protocol (carbonneutral.com/protocol); the global standard for carbon neutral programmes, supporting companies like us to make credible statements of carbon neutrality.

What we are doing to reduce carbon emissions?

To reduce our impact on the environment we have various internal reduction measures. As a small team we do not require a physical office. As the company grows, we will continue to encourage remote working where possible. If required, we will make use of shared “on-demand” workspaces. We promote a “virtual first” approach to working with clients, whether it’s a 1-day training course or a large scale data engineering project, we have been working remotely with success from the beginning. We prefer to go paperless and always reduce electricity consumption where possible. We also have an appointed Environmental Officer who reviews our environmental statement and liaises with Natural Capital Partners to maintain our CarbonNeutral® company certification.

What action are we taking to offset unavoidable emissions?

To compensate for unavoidable emissions, we purchase carbon credits to support emission reduction projects. Research demonstrates that preventing deforestation offers the most cost-effective solution to mitigating climate change (https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0126). With this is mind, we made the decision to support projects which protect existing rainforests namely the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD+, Indonesia and the Acre Amazonian Rainforest REDD+ Portfolio, Brazil. In Indonesia, the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD+ project aims to prevent deforestation of roughly 65,000 hectares of forest which was originally slated for conversion to palm oil plantations. Whilst in Brazil, the Acre Amazonian Rainforest REDD+ project aims to prevent deforestation across 105,000 hectares of pristine rainforest in the Amazon basin. In addition to delivering emissions reductions to help take urgent action to combat climate change, the projects deliver on several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For example, communities are offered training in sustainable agriculture thereby improving food security, reducing hunger and providing a source of income. Both projects are based in significant areas of biodiversity, several species have been identified which are either vulnerable or endangered and work is being carried out to preserve these species. Not only this, these projects actively engage local communities to improve health care, education, sanitation and water, infrastructure and more – all with the support of carbon finance.

“The environment is everyone’s responsibility - our entire way of working looks to reduce emissions across our business and take responsibility for the emissions we generate.”

— Simon Whiteley - Director of Engineering

More about Natural Capital Partners

With more than 300 clients in 34 countries, including Microsoft, MetLife, Logitech, PwC, Sky and Ørsted, Natural Capital Partners is harnessing the power of business to create a more sustainable world. Through a global network of projects, the company delivers the highest quality solutions which make real change possible: reducing carbon emissions, generating renewable energy, building resilience in supply chains, conserving and restoring forests and biodiversity, and improving health and livelihoods.

Natural Capital Partners was founded in 1997 and has teams in the US, Europe and Central America. It has been recognised as Environmental Finance Best Offset Retailer for the past ten years.

The CarbonNeutral Protocol was created and is managed by Natural Capital Partners. It was the first clear set of guidelines for businesses to achieve carbon neutrality back in 2002, and every year since then Natural Capital Partners has continued its commitment to providing a robust framework for clear, transparent and high quality carbon neutral action. The Protocol is updated annually with input from an Advisory Council of external experts to ensure it reflects the latest industry and scientific best practice.