"With climate change at the forefront of our minds, increasing sustainability within our company is incredibly important to us. In an effort to become carbon neutral, we completed our first carbon footprint audit earlier this year." Stuart O'Grady. Managing Director, Michael Jones Jeweller. 

 

Working towards being a more sustainable business is the right thing to do.

Anyone who has been watching the news, especially since COP26 in November 2021, knows that this is a serious time for our planet. According to The Guardian, “the world has already heated up by around 1.2C, on average, since the preindustrial era”. If we do not make an effort and change our habits, we are on a path of no return. Businesses now have a large responsibility to reduce their impact on the planet. 

We have taken an in-depth look at our business operations in order to get an accurate impression of our emissions as possible so that we can take the next steps into improving our footprint on the environment.

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Dr. Jane Goodall

 

 

What does being Carbon Neutral Mean? 

To be carbon neutral literally means a company is making or resulting in no net release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. 

Carbon Neutral is achieved by calculating our carbon footprint, setting out reduction targets, and then offsetting residual emissions. This is achieved by supporting projects that reduce CO2, otherwise known as carbon offsetting. 

Our Emissions

The report that we have conducted looks at the running of our business operations from 1/1/2021 and does not include the lifecycle for the goods sold. 

The total gross emissions total 100.37 tonnes of CO2e but to account for any uncertainty in the calculations, we have chosen to offset 112.55 tonnes of CO2e to cover any potential under-estimation in calculation. 

Our Management Plan

It is not enough just to know our emissions; we need to make changes to reduce our impact on the planet. Michael Jones Jeweller is committed to a reduction target of 21% of emissions from 2021 to 2026 and commits to periodically assessing our performance and implementing corrective action, should it be needed. 

We plan to introduce and support: 

- A cycle to work scheme
- Introduce an electric vehicle scheme
- Investigate the possibility of solar panels
- Actively reducing paper and printing

Offsetting our Carbon

To actively take action against climate change, we have offset our carbon footprint. We have contributed to a number of environmental causes including:

Sidrap Wind Farm in Indonesia:

Located in South Sulawesi, the Sidrap Wind Farm project consists of 30 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 75 MW. The project produces 253,000 MWh of renewable energy per year to the South Sulawesi national grid - enough to power over 70,000 local homes

Regenerating degraded pasture lands in Panama:

By sourcing timber and cocoa from primary rainforests or harvesting large-scale monoculture plantation, these trades have significantly depleted tropical rainforests.

We are looking to change that by introducing sustainable timber and cocoa production while reforesting degraded pastureland with a mix of native tree species and teak. The resulting forests offer a natural habitat for native animals and plants, protect and enrich the soil, save and filter water and contribute to the mitigation of climate change.

Distributing fuel-efficient cook stoves in Rwanda:

In Rwanda, firewood accounts for at least 86% of energy consumption and is the primary cooking fuel for 98% of rural households. The distribution of fuel-efficient cook stoves reduces the amount of wood burning in households, which means less harmful smoke, less indoor air pollution, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

The stoves are designed and produced in-country, providing much-needed training and employment to the region and ensuring that they are tailored to the cooking needs of families. CO2balance works closely with local NGOs and governments to ensure that stoves are distributed to regions without pre-existing markets for efficient wood burning stoves. The stove is supplied at a highly-subsidised rate to ensure affordability for families unfamiliar with improved devices; in this way, CO2balance hopes to kick-start demand for improved cooking technology across the country.

How can you help?

We all have a role to play in the fight against climate change. Our actions, however small, can have a profound impact when combined with thousands of others wanting to make a difference.

• Drink tap water rather than bottled water
• Recycle instead of landfill
• Buy local and seasonal produce to avoid air-freight and long haul
• Choose a shower over a bath
• Reduce the temperature of dishwashers and washing machines
• Take public transport where possible
• Dry on the line rather than in the tumble dryer
• Switch bulbs to low energy bulbs
• Repairing broken items rather than replacing. We can help with this in our inhouse jewellery room and watch workshop. Repair and pass down those heirlooms to be treasured by another generation