Exeter agency slashes CO2e footprint and launches new sustainability road mapping service to help other businesses

Award-winning Exeter agency Absolute PR and Marketing has been commended for its work in reducing its already low CO2e footprint by a further 20% over the past year, with Absolute’s entire office footprint coming in at 87% less than that of the average UK employee, who produces approximately one tonne of CO2e each year.

In 2021, the agency’s carbon footprint was accredited by ‘Make it Net Zero’ programme provider, SWMAS, and flagged as one of the lowest carbon footprints the business consultancy had ever seen. Over the past year, Absolute PR and Marketing has continued to take further rigorous action to help halt climate change. This extra push has achieved and clearly demonstrates outstanding results.

Building on the agency’s environmental credentials and the purpose-led work it has focussed on for many years, Absolute PR and Marketing will be adding a new ‘Sustainable Business Roadmap’ service to their services. The new service will provide advice and support on assessing, planning, implementing and communicating a company’s environmental and social impact to internal and external stakeholder audiences.

The agency anticipated that its carbon footprint would rise in 2022, due to an increase in car travel, following lockdown the previous year when the team undertook little travel. However, Absolute PR and Marketing’s new footprint showed a 241kg CO2e reduction.

The annual audit produced by business consultants at SWMAS showed that Absolute PR and Marketing produced a total of just 888kg of CO2e in 2022, the equivalent of driving 3311 miles in a diesel car*.

The agency has achieved this significant carbon reduction by further cutting back on business travel and moving meetings online rather than face-to-face, as business mileage is the biggest contributor to its overall footprint.

Commenting on the milestone towards achieving Net Zero, Paul Gilbert at SWMAS, said: “Compared to many other SMEs, Absolute’s CO2e footprint for 20/21 was already remarkably low. Having achieved a further 20% reduction in just the past year alone, it’s promising to see the business is well on its way to becoming carbon neutral, not only ahead of schedule, but in a way that shows a commitment to behavioural change to combat the causes of climate change, not just mitigating its effects by investing in offset programmes.

“With a total carbon footprint of just 888kg, Absolute PR and Marketing’s carbon emissions measure less than 127kg per employee. To put this into perspective, if all the people on our planet reduced their entire footprint down to 600kg, we would halt climate change.

“It’s brilliant to be working with a business which is so enthused towards bettering the environment and we look forward to continuing to support for them on their journey to Net Zero”.

Rachael Whitson, Managing Director at Absolute PR and Marketing, said: “With a purpose-driven desire to do more to support and enhance the South West community in which we live and work, we feel very proud of the results we’ve achieved this year, and look forward to sharing the knowledge and skillset which helped us get to here with our clients. Our new road map service will help businesses to define and communicate their environmental and social successes, helping to ensure all stakeholders are engaged in progress.

“Furthermore, the next steps in the Absolute 2023 carbon journey will see us decreasing emissions even further by reducing our business mileage, digital footprint, and off-setting any residual carbon that we can’t reduce by joining an accredited carbon offset scheme.”

Under the UN’s Race to Zero programme initiative to which SWMAS and Future Net Zero is also signed up, Absolute PR and Marketing is aiming to achieve a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, with a realistic goal to be carbon neutral by 2025.

To find out more about Absolute PR and Marketing’s commitment to sustainability, visit our sustainability page here.

As part of the agency’s commitment to guiding brands to achieve individual environmental and social impact goals, Absolute PR and Marketing has also launched a new podcast series; The Purpose Project, which shines a spotlight on brands, organisations and individuals that are doing extraordinary, purposeful things. To hear the first episode, click here.

Absolute PR and Marketing provides public relations and marketing communications consultancy to a diverse range of B2B and B2C clients across the UK in the manufacturing, tech, recycling and waste management, leisure and tourism, property, health and food and drink sectors.

*Statistics provided by SWMAS.