23 July 2024 - Sustainability: biodiversity and carbon reduction endorsements achieved

Sustainability: biodiversity and carbon reduction endorsements achieved

HORIBA MIRA has made further progress in developing the sustainability of its operations - with the award of two further major public endorsements…

The achievements (in carbon footprint analysis and biodiversity approaches) follow the recent announcement of the Kings Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, the highest UK business accolade.

Biodiversity Benchmark

The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark is the only standard which certifies the management of a business site for wildlife. The MIRA Technology Park is one of only 14 sites to have achieved the accreditation.

HORIBA MIRA has been improving the protection and development of habitats across it's MIRA Technology Park site year-on-year. This has seen a host of positive actions introduced, such as wildflower meadows, bee hives, tree planting, community projects etc.

The Biodiversity Benchmark is a respected and long-established standard for the management of commercial landholdings for wildlife - and an endorsement by one of the UK’s largest and most-respected environmental charities. It provides a framework within which HORIBA MIRA can continually ensure MTP's impact is positive on nature by providing robust, independent verification of our land management practices.

The Biodiversity Benchmark is designed to complement ISO14001 and tests the design and implementation of a business’s management systems to achieve continual biodiversity enhancement and protection on their sites.


Planet Mark Certification

HORIBA MIRA has achieved its first externally certified carbon footprint measurement. 

Working with Planet Mark on the measurement and analysis of HORIBA MIRA's carbon footprint includes the design of key action plans and team engagement to support incremental improvement on the road towards net zero. 

The certification also allows the company to communicate with confidence its progress, along with the supporting data, to customers.

On the road to net zero, one of the main ways company greenhouse gas emissions are measured and assessed is to look at them within three different scopes.

Scope 1 covers emissions from sources an organisation owns or controls directly – for example from burning fuel.

Scope 2 are emissions a company causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced. For example, the emissions caused when generating the electricity that we use in our buildings would fall into this category.

Scope 3 encompasses emissions that are not produced by MIRA itself but are those we're indirectly responsible for up and down the value chain. An example of this is when we buy, use and dispose of products from suppliers.

In order to achieve its first certification from Planet Mark HORIBA MIRA has worked to produce all the necessary data to calculate Scope 1 and 2 emissions. This sets the benchmark to progress against in the year ahead. The company is now working with supplier partners to begin calculating Scope 3 emissions and, working with Planet Mark, creating opportunities for team members to come together and discuss plans and share ideas too. All of this will come together to help create a multi-year plan of actions.