Exterion Media, Europe’s largest privately owned Out-of-Home (OOH) media company, has retained The Planet Mark™ sustainability certificate for a fourth year in the UK, after achieving an 11% cut in its total carbon emissions in its latest 12-month reporting period.
Exterion Media’s total carbon footprint at the end of 2016 stood at 942 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), a decrease of 10.9% from 2015 on a normalised basis. Its relative carbon footprint in 2016 was 2.52 tCO2e per employee, compared to 2.81 tCO2e in 2015 – a 10.4% reduction. The cut follows a major push by the company to reduce electricity consumption, down 18%, and a 12% decrease in carbon emissions from fleet cars.
Exterion Media was formerly presented with The Planet Mark™ Certificate at its new London headquarters in Holborn on September 6th. More than 200 employees attended the presentation where Steve Malkin, founder of The Planet Mark™, set out what the company had achieved and how – and the positive environment and social impact it is having. He told us “An 11% reduction in total carbon emissions is a huge achievement, as is a 10.4% reduction per employee. On average holders of The Planet Mark™ are reducing their emissions by 5% per employee per annum – but Exterion Media has doubled that. Everyone in the company should be very proud of what has been achieved.”
Karen Gilbert, Head of Facilities, added “This achievement clearly demonstrates Exterion Media’s continued commitment and desire to engage our audiences sustainably. By remodelling our fleet, introducing electric vehicles and moving to LED lighting in our head office we were able to exceed our carbon emissions reduction target. We’re really pleased with the achievement and sustainability remains a real focus for us going forward.”
This is the fifth year Exterion Media has been measuring and reporting its carbon footprint. The Planet Mark™ Certificate recognises the company’s good practice in sustainability, including:
- measuring carbon emissions from electricity, natural gas, water and paper usage
- cutting its carbon footprint per employee by 10.4%
- investing in the Eden Project to support education on climate change
- storing 260 tCO2e by protecting one acre of endangered rainforest through the charity Cool Earth
- committing to engage employees and suppliers to drive improvements
Going forward, Exterion Media said it planned to focus on securing innovative solutions for the by-products of its activities; continue to reduce embodied energy in Exterion Media assets and continue to reduce the impact of its logistics as it accelerates its journey to becoming a Digital Media Company powered by data.
Holders of The Planet Mark™ have a minimum requirement to reduce their carbon emissions by 2.5% per year.
The Planet Mark™ was founded in 2013 with the iconic Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, and is awarded to businesses, properties, new developments and projects that are committed to reducing their carbon emissions.