Accreditation shows net zero credentials

We’ve just announced the very first Partners who have successfully gone through our new carbon reduction programme and received accreditation as an official Committed Carbon Reduction Partner (CCRP). 

Air conditioning specialist, Temperature Control has been announced as the first Commercial Installer to achieve CCRP accreditation, while nationwide installer of solar PV, battery systems and renewable heating solutions, Sustain Homes is our first Heating Installer to achieve CCRP accreditation.

Both companies have gone through the scheme which is designed to support our customers in reducing their own carbon emissions.

We believe that doing so will help them to secure new business by differentiating themselves from competitors.

Standing out from the crowd

Organisations today are striving to reach net zero. This extends not only to their direct operating practices but to the entire supply chain they work with as they aim to reduce all emissions – Scope 1, 2 and 3. This means that everyone they work with – including contractors – has a crucial role in driving and delivering sustainability.

To fulfil this role, contractors must now find ways to make their business operations more sustainable. If not, they risk losing out on tenders to other businesses who are prepared to answer questions on their sustainable practices and their environmental credentials.

This isn’t a future problem. The questions being asked by organisations in the specification and tender documents are already changing now. They are looking into areas like environmental policies, procurement policies and carbon impact of the products being selected.

Growing interest in sustainability

The interest in finding renewable and sustainable ways of keeping our homes and businesses comfortable has grown significantly over the past few years. Customers now are looking for sustainable suppliers that can clearly demonstrate they know what they are talking about.

More importantly though, customers are now demanding that companies demonstrate that they also ‘walk the walk and not just talk the talk’.

That is where we feel that this accreditation will help our Partners clearly demonstrate that they understand the issues, can help their customers, and that they are also on their own net zero journey.

The starting point in the accreditation process is measuring your own carbon footprint and we have partnered with Climate Partner to offer corporate carbon footprint calculations to Partners.

This is an essential first step for our Partners in understanding the source of their own CO2 emissions across their business. It can then help identify opportunities for reductions and give them opportunities to mitigate the carbon impact they had. They can do this by financing a range of climate projects from around the world. 

A controlled approach

Wayne Buckley, the Managing Director of air conditioning specialist, Temperature Control was already considering ways of reducing his company’s carbon footprint, so he was delighted when he heard about our scheme.

“Many of our customers are already planning their own net zero journey and I am being asked more and more to demonstrate our own plans to decarbonise,” explains Wayne. “That’s not surprising as we install energy-consuming equipment and as an industry we know we have the tools to help reduce carbon, but in the past, it hasn’t always been the focus.”

Like a lot of businesses, one of Temperature Control’s biggest issues is the CO2 associated with transport. At the moment, it isn’t viable to change their whole fleet overnight, however knowing it needs to happen as part of their carbon reduction plan, means they are now planning for it and Wayne and his team will continue to look for other ways of reducing the businesses carbon emissions. Changing the company’s fleet to electric will become part of the reduction plan.

“We’ve now got a clear route to 2030 when we want to become carbon neutral and my advice to anyone wanting to start is to measure everything so you can start to see where you can make improvements,” he adds.

Home is where the sustainable heart is

Managing Director at Sustain Homes, Adam Morse created the company with a focus on sustainability from day one and is now in its third year of operation.

Adam had been looking for a way to demonstrate its ‘green’ credentials that would help promote the business to new customers.

“We see our mission as delivering peace of mind for our customers whether it’s in the products we install or the service and support we provide and that means being able to show our extensive knowledge about sustainability,” he explains. “When we were introduced to Mitsubishi Electric’s committed carbon reduction scheme, I could see right away that it was just what we were looking for,” he adds.  

“From the vehicles we drive through to how we tender for business, the road to net zero is already having an impact on every area of our business,” adds Adam Morse. “A big part of this challenge is navigating the white noise around sustainability, and focusing on what we can, and need to deliver now to prepare for the future.”

The accreditation is an ideal way for installers to showcase their commitment and gain trust with customers.

Support every step of the way

Throughout the accreditation process, both companies were supported with a tool kit to guide them on calculating their carbon footprint, setting targets, and training.

Part of the process includes ongoing learning from the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which helps the team increase their knowledge and understanding, in turn helping them to enhance the service they can offer their customers.

It’s all about developing the skills, knowledge and experience needed to devise effective carbon reduction strategies, and this is enabling the companies to stand out in an increasingly sustainability-conscious marketplace.

If you would like to learn more about CCRP accreditation, email our Partner Programme Team (partners@meuk.mee.com).

Oliver Collins is Marketing Manager for our Installer Partners