Climate Change Data

Wholegrain Digital

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021-2022, 2022-2023)

Reporting Period: 2021-2022

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:11.3 tCO2e
Scope 1 Emissions:1.3 tCO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:1.7 tCO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:8.2 tCO2e
Renewable Energy Share:81% of employees have renewable energy at home

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Social Responsibility
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced carbon emissions to 11.3 tonnes, despite expanding scope of reporting and increased in-person work.
  • Planted 44,732 trees (12,859 more than the previous year).
  • 78% of client websites hosted on green hosting.

Social Achievements

  • Achieved B Corp Best For The World accolade for Governance.
  • Continued work with B Lab UK and B Lab Europe to promote sustainable business practices.
  • Improved team culture through coaching and workshops, leading to increased collaboration.

Governance Achievements

  • Gained Good Business Charter (GBC) accreditation.
  • Preparing for B Corporation recertification.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve Net Zero across all scopes (details pending).
Medium-term Goals:
  • 100% of client websites hosted on green hosting by 2026.
Short-term Goals:
  • Upgrade website carbon calculator.
  • Explore a more humane web.

Environmental Challenges

  • Increasing difficulty in achieving 100% renewable energy usage among employees as the team grows.
  • Blurry boundaries of Scope 3 emissions making year-on-year comparisons difficult.
  • Some clients have technical and contractual limitations regarding green hosting.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Working with Inhabit to get a more comprehensive picture of emissions.
  • Continuing efforts to encourage clients to switch to green hosting.
  • Purchasing carbon removal credits with Inhabit for the coming year.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: B Corp

Certifications: B Corp

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 13: Climate Action

Their mission and initiatives relate to reducing their environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Website Carbon Calculator

Awards & Recognition

  • B Corp Best For The World for Governance

Reporting Period: 2022-2023

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:27.7 tonnes CO2e
Scope 1 Emissions:0.679 tCO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:0.254 tCO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:26.773 tCO2e

ESG Focus Areas

  • Digital Sustainability
  • Team Culture
  • Operations
  • Clients

Environmental Achievements

  • Achieved carbon positive status (Scopes 1 and 2), although total emissions increased due to a more comprehensive Scope 3 calculation.
  • Planted 14,194 trees, bringing the total to around 60,000.
  • 96% of client websites hosted on green hosting providers (up from 78% in 2021-2022).
  • Average client website homepage carbon footprint remained consistent at 0.4g CO2 (using Website Carbon v3 methodology).

Social Achievements

  • Recognized as 'Culture Pioneers' by HR Zone for team development work.
  • Invested in employee mental health organization, Spill, ranking in the top 25 out of 600+ companies using the service.
  • Organized a team trip to Antwerp, fostering collaboration and international relationships.
  • Supported community interest company Rise Up. Clean Up. Margate with a mural project.

Governance Achievements

  • Preparing for B Corp recertification with an aim for an improved score.
  • Collaborated with other B Corps on initiatives (Harvey, Enviral).

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Accelerate the creation of a more humane web.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Go beyond carbon neutral across all three emissions scopes by the end of 2023/24 financial year.
Short-term Goals:
  • Improve Scope 3 emissions reporting.
  • Introduce a new rating system for Website Carbon.

Environmental Challenges

  • Increased business costs.
  • Difficulty in accurately comparing year-on-year carbon emissions due to changes in calculation methodologies and Scope 3 expansion.
  • Lack of team volunteering activities.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Maintained the same turnover as the previous year despite increased costs.
  • Switched to Compare Your Footprint carbon accounting software for more accurate Scope 3 emissions data.
  • Planning future volunteering activities with Surfers Against Sewage.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Collaboration with ethical and sustainable suppliers (e.g., Harvey, Enviral).

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: B Corp, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on SDG 13 - Climate Action

Certifications: B Corp

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 13 - Climate Action

The company's digital sustainability initiatives contribute to climate action.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Website Carbon Calculator

Awards & Recognition

  • BIMA 100
  • Escape the City 100
  • HRZone’s Culture Pioneers
  • Net Zero 50 (Tom Greenwood)