SMS joins UN Race to Zero and The Climate Pledge
The Climate Pledge, a partner of the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, calls on signatories to achieve net-zero carbon across their businesses by 2040 or sooner
By signing the pledge, SMS – which in 2020 announced its plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 – has strengthened existing commitments to carry out regular reporting, carbon elimination, and credible offsets
Smart energy solutions group, SMS plc, has become one of the latest UK organisations to sign The Climate Pledge – a cross-sector community of companies and organisations working together to address the climate crisis and solve the challenges of decarbonising the economy.
The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019 and calls on signatories to achieve net-zero across their businesses by 2040 or sooner. SMS, which is known for its leading role in the UK smart meter rollout and the installation and operation of other carbon reduction technologies – including a 620MW pipeline of grid-scale battery storage – last year committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2030.
Companies and organisations that sign the Pledge commit to three areas of action:
- Regular reporting: measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis;
- Carbon elimination: implement decarbonisation strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations;
- Credible Offsets: neutralise any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets.
SMS’s net-zero 2030 roadmap1, which is additionally being implemented in line with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) Hierarchy, will be realised through a variety of sustainability measures. This includes increased adoption of renewable on-site generation and battery storage to power core sites across the Group’s UK and Ireland estate and the transition of its nationwide fleet to electric vehicles (EVs). Having begun its net-zero transition in 2021, SMS also last year mitigated more than 126,759 tonnes of carbon emissions (TCO2e) through its range of energy-saving services. The company’s net-positive effect on the environment was therefore equivalent to powering 220,705 British homes with clean electricity, resulting in a carbon handprint 56 times larger than its carbon footprint2.
Becoming a signatory of The Climate Pledge includes SMS within the UN Race to Zero, a global campaign to rally leadership from businesses, countries, cities, regions, and investors to support a zero-carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. All members are racing towards the same overarching goal: reducing emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly in line with science, with transparent action plans, robust near-term and long-term targets, and annual reporting against their progress their progress.
Commenting on the signing of The Climate Pledge, Charlotte Gregory, Head of Sustainability at SMS, said: “We’re delighted to have further formalised our net zero 2030 plan by becoming a signatory of The Climate Pledge, which strengthens our existing commitments to carry out carbon elimination, regular reporting and where necessary, credible offsets as a final step. As a sustainably focused, purpose-led business with a mission to deliver the future of smart energy, our long-term commitment of course doesn’t end there. Beyond 2030 we aim to target reductions in our Scope 3 carbon emissions across our value chain, whilst also continuing to make other positive social and environmental impacts across our communities.”
