YunoJuno commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2025.

What is carbon neutrality?

Carbon neutral is a term that means there is an amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere and then an offset has to be done to remove it from the atmosphere (a carbon offset).

Carbon neutrality is accomplished when a business's carbon footprint is accurately measured and decreased to net zero with a combination of actions they can take to reduce emissions and also with external carbon offset projects in the environment.

Step 1: Calculating our baseline emissions

YunoJuno recognises the need to protect the natural environment. Keeping our environment clean and unpolluted is a benefit to all. We’ll always follow best practices when disposing waste and using chemical substances. Beyond any legal obligations, YunoJuno will proactively implement actions and processes in order to be responsible stewards of the world in which we live.

To make any real progress on the matter of our carbon footprint, we must assess our current impact. Therefore we are in the process of calculating our baseline emissions with respect to our own organisation and our most immediate partners we engage with in order for us to deliver our services. This is being managed by an independent specialist (Beyond Procurement) in order to achieve a truly unbiased assessment.

Once this baseline emission calculation is achieved, we will then move to creating a concrete plan on how we will achieve our 2025 ambition. Even though we are yet to complete our baseline calculation, we are still working towards carbon neutrality and reducing our impact in the key areas we can identify today.

These are: 1) Physical space; 2) Technology Services; 3) Hardware and 4) Operations.

1. Physical space

Work.life

Since 2017, we have chosen to operate YunoJuno from co-working spaces in order to reduce our impact on the environment. Our choice of co-working organisation (Work.Life) was also based on sustainability factors with Work.Life attaining B-Corp certification in 2021.
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Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

Hybrid Working
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In 2020, we reduced the footprint of dedicated YunoJuno space and transitioned to hybrid working for the entire company. This has meant that whilst our company has continued to grow and the number of employees has increased, we are able to maintain operations within footprint of a much smaller organisation.

Lighting
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Lighting is a significant energy cost and good savings can be achieved both through upgrades and improved control and management.We utilise timers and automatic controls on all major lights within our offices. Timers are set to match lighting operation to occupancy hours.
For lights that are not on automatic controls, we have a 'switch-off' policy and we promoted increased awareness of the importance of switching off lighting through emails, web-based reminders and staff meetings.

Heating
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Space heating can account for as much as 40% of energy costs in many businesses. This means that there are big opportunities to make savings.The Carbon Trust recommends that offices are heated to around 19C and cooled to 23C to avoid energy wastage.  We encourage staff to report areas that are too hot, cold or draughty as well as well as dressing for the conditions and ensure workspaces are shielded from draughts and direct sunlight. We do not rely solely on controls, but to ensure settings are reviewed every month to check that they are correct for the office usage and the season.

2. Technology services

Amazon Web Services

YunoJuno does not own or operate its own servers or hosting functionality. All YunoJuno services are hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The move to the AWS Cloud from on-premises infrastructure, we have been able to dramatically reduce carbon emissions because of the  environmental economies of scale their our data centers can offer.

Finally, as a technology platform, YunoJuno's core business facilitates the connection of independent professionals with organisations. This connection as well as the subsequent engagement occurs entirely on the YunoJuno platform. With the rise of remote working due to COVID-19, further impact of engaging with these professionals, such as  pressure on transportation systems and physical environments to perform duties, has been dramatically alleviated.

3. Hardware

The two major hardware firms we purchase all our equipment from are Apple and Dell. Both companies have made their own commitments to sustainability and carbon neutrality.
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Apple Inc.

While Apple is already carbon neutral across its global operations, by 2030, every Apple device sold will have a net-zero climate impact. Since announcing this goal last year, the company has not only dramatically increased the number of its suppliers transitioning to renewable energy, but also expanded the amount of recycled material in its products and established new projects focused on environmental justice.

In total, Apple has reduced its carbon emissions by 40 percent over the past five years.In total, 175 Apple suppliers will transition to using renewable energy, and the company and its suppliers will bring online more than 9 gigawatts of clean power around the world. These actions will avoid over 18 million metric tons of CO2e annually — the equivalent of taking over 4 million cars off the road each year.

Read more here.
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Dell Technologies

By 2030, for every product a customer buys, we will reuse or recycle an equivalent product. 100% of our packaging will be made from recycled or renewable material. More than half of our product content will be made from recycled or renewable material.

Read more here.

4. Operations

At YunoJuno, we pride ourselves on encouraging all employees to be conscious of travel and transportation choices in relation to their effects on the environment.

Cyclescheme.co.uk

Our cycle-to-work scheme, whereby all employees are entitled to a government approved, tax-efficient, program has over 50% subscription. With the onset of COVID-19 and its related restrictions, a further 25% of our employees have chosen alternate methods of transport to and from the office to reduce their carbon footprint.  

Occasionally, air travel is needed by some YunoJuno employees for business related matters. On these occasions, we have taken deliberate steps to manage our environmental impact by choosing specific airlines and frequent flyer programmes that champion carbon offsetting. These airlines, and their carbon offsetting commitments, are the following:
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Scandinavian Airways

Effective 1 February, SAS is going to offset the flight carbon footprint of all tickets booked using a EuroBonus number.This is part of an ambitious program by SAS to reduce climate changing emissions, that also includes more energy efficient aircraft and the increased use of biofuels.

By including carbon offset for its EuroBonus program members, 40 percent of SAS’ passenger-related carbon dioxide emissions will be offset. SAS already offsets all youth tickets and its own business travel within the company. EuroBonus is the most popular loyalty travel and experiences program in Scandinavia with 5.6 million members.

Read more here.

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British Airways

From 1 January 2020, British Airways will begin offsetting carbon emissions on all its flights within the UK, as part of the airline's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Customers flying within the UK on flights operated by British Airways will have the carbon emissions from their flights offset by the airline and invested in the highest quality, verified carbon reduction projects around the world. These will include quality assured projects such as renewable energy, protection of rainforests and reforestation programmes.

Read more here.

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QANTAS Group
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Qantas has been offsetting emissions for more than a decade - with our 'tick-the-box' to Fly Carbon Neutral offsetting program being one of the largest of any airline. Carbon offsetting is a key tool in aviation’s global transition to a low carbon economy, and in meeting our commitments of capping emissions at 2019 levels and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Since 2007, Qantas has offset its own ground and corporate travel emissions.

In 2019, we enabled Qantas Frequent Flyer members and Qantas Business Rewards customers to earn 10 Qantas Points for every dollar spent on offsetting. Qantas matches dollar-for-dollar every contribution a customer makes to offset their emissions on a passenger flight, effectively doubling the size of the program.

Read more here.
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Air Portugal
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The entry into operation of more efficient aircraft models, as part of the TAP fleet modernisation program, has allowed for significant improvements in terms of efficient energy use and environmental protection. These new aircraft feature more efficient combustion engines, making it possible to reduce up to 20% in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

At TAP, an operation's efficient energy use is measured by its 100-kilometer fuel consumption per passenger.Between 2015 and 2019 we have consistently improved this indicator, reflecting an increasingly optimised operation – a 13.9% improvement in terms of efficient energy use and CO2 emissions per passenger for each 100 km flown.
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Read more here.

Our target is 2025.

Achieving our Net Zero Target requires each of us to consider their work-related carbon footprint and identify and create opportunities to make carbon and other environmental improvements and savings. Environmental sustainability is an important part of YunoJuno's business culture and DNA. Everyone has a part to play. We aim to embed achievement of our climate targets and behaviours into all of our operations and reach our net zero target by 2025.