March 15, 2024
A sustainable future – a big month in the life of Eumar Technology
2024 is a huge year for both EUMAR TECHNOLOGY LIMITED and its sister company Ubersorb. We are investing in new infrastructure, the skill base of our staff and importantly a sustainable future – both financially and environmentally.
For us, these go hand and glove together – we can invest in our long-term financial success and reduce our carbon footprint at the same time. So it was particularly exciting that we moved into 2024 with two major successes – at a time when we are starting to build new product lines and manufacturing facilities.
In January this year, we achieved our ISO14001 certification and had our carbon footprint certified.
What ISO14001 means to us
We have committed to not only reducing our carbon footprint to achieve net zero emissions but also to embed a long-term approach to changing and improving the way we work.
The achievement of ISO14001 is recognition that we have built a foundation of awareness and an evolving culture, where sustainability and doing the right thing is becoming embedded. We stopped and asked ourselves what difference has this made to us as a company – the answer is clear:
- Achieving ISO14001 is a formal recognition of our progress and the growing commitment of our Eumar Technology and Ubersorb colleagues. It gives our internal teams a lift and something to continue to aspire to – to maintain and hopefully improve.
- The audit process has meant we have been forced to ‘kick the tyres’ of our process and procedures to see if they can be the most effective they can be. ISO14001 has made us think about how we can operate in a different way – that is not just commercial, or even environmental, but in a holistic manner that covers a range of improvements.
- It helped us realise the depth of interest for innovation, change and improvement among our colleagues, customers and supply chain. ISO14001 has stimulated conversations that may never have been had otherwise and kickstarted stronger relationships built on improvement.
- We now have a benchmark to build on and not just maintain. It has established a lens through which we must look to make business decisions. We firmly believe that ISO14001 makes our business decisions stronger commercially and environmentally.
As I mentioned earlier, the year started well for two reasons – ISO14001 and receiving our certified carbon footprint. The second of these is already proving to be a massive step in how we approach 2024 and our future.
A certified carbon footprint
Achieving a certified carbon footprint allows us to plan for our future. Not only that, it also allows us to expand and invest knowing the impact we will be having on the environment and in the communities surrounding us.
In 2024, we are investing significantly in our production lines. With the knowledge we know now, we can fully understand the impact those new lines, products and technologies will have on our footprint. We can then begin making more informed decisions about what we invest in and how we can mitigate any potential increase in carbon emissions.
Knowing our baseline carbon footprint also allows us to gain a more detailed understanding of both Eumar Technology and Ubersorb. So over the next 12 months, we will be gaining a more detailed understanding of our carbon footprint in more categories. These include:
- Purchasing of goods and services – what we are purchasing and how we minimise supply chain impact
- Scope two electricity – exploring the fuel mixes that providers are using as we move to a 100% clean electricity supplier
- Home working – expanding our knowledge and understanding of the home working environment and how it can be improved
As I have said in the past, the innovation has been driven by colleagues across both Eumar Technology and Ubersorb. I owe a personal thanks to everyone who has led from the off – under the guidance of David, Serena, Sasha and Sharon.
It’s easy to forget that while we work across the world, we are still – at our heart, an SME – so achieving both our ISO14001 certification and our carbon footprint are really seismic events for us, as they will be for others our size.
But as I hope I have explained, this is only the next stage of a long-term commitment to positive, environmental change and we remain keen to share that journey with anyone who will listen. So please do get in touch, we are always keen to hear how others are doing things their way!
