1. Statement of intent

Oxford Environmental Consultants Limited is committed to achieving Net Zero greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions across our own operations (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 2030, and to materially reducing Scope 3 value-chain emissions on the same timeline. This commitment is set 20 years ahead of the United Kingdom's statutory 2050 target enshrined in the Climate Change Act 2008 (as amended 2019) and is consistent with the trajectory required to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

We are realistic about what we can decarbonise quickly versus what requires longer lead times. This Plan therefore distinguishes clearly between absolute reductions we can deliver in-house, reductions that depend on landlords, suppliers and grid decarbonisation, and residual unavoidable emissions which we will neutralise through credible UK-based carbon removals only as a last resort.

2. Scope and regulatory alignment

This Plan has been developed with reference to:

The Climate Change Act 2008 and the UK Sixth Carbon Budget (2033–2037).
Procurement Policy Note 06/21 — Carbon Reduction Plans for major government contracts (£5m+ p.a.).
The Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework under the Companies (Directors' Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018.
ISO 14064-1:2018 — Greenhouse gas quantification and reporting at organisation level.
ISO 14001:2015 — Environmental Management System (we are certified).
The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard — for boundary setting and Scope 1/2/3 categorisation.
PAS 2060:2014 — only as a transitional carbon-neutrality demonstration prior to absolute Net Zero.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard — we will submit our targets for validation by 2027.

3. Baseline year and emissions inventory

Our reporting baseline is the financial year 2024/25, the first full year in which we have collected complete activity data across the consolidated OEC business (Firesurv and Mouldsurv divisions included). The baseline is calculated using DESNZ/BEIS conversion factors (current edition) and follows an operational-control consolidation approach.

Indicative inventory categories:

Scope 1 — combustion of natural gas in offices we directly control; fuel combustion in company-owned or fully-leased vehicles used by surveyors and consultants.
Scope 2 — purchased grid electricity for offices, sample-handling facilities and remote-monitoring equipment (reported on both location-based and market-based methods).
Scope 3 — business travel (rail, taxi, air, mileage in employee-owned vehicles), employee commuting, upstream transmission & distribution losses, purchased goods & services (PPE, sample bottles, laboratory analysis), capital goods, waste generated in operations and end-of-life of sold products (reports and digital deliverables only — minimal).

The baseline figures, once independently verified, will be published on this page from FY 2025/26 onwards alongside annual progress against this Plan.

4. Net Zero pathway — phased to 2030

We have deliberately chosen a phased trajectory rather than a back-loaded one. Each phase has measurable interim targets so progress can be challenged externally.

Phase 1 — Foundations (2025–2026)

Complete Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 inventory; obtain independent ISO 14064-3 verification of baseline.
Switch all directly procured office electricity to a REGO-backed 100% renewable tariff, prioritising suppliers offering UK wind/solar PPAs over residual mix.
Publish a Sustainable Procurement Policy and embed environmental weighting (minimum 10%) in supplier selection.
Launch a virtual-first meeting policy to reduce avoidable travel, with rail mandated over road for journeys above 100 miles unless equipment transport requires otherwise.
Roll out smart-metering and energy sub-monitoring at offices over 100 m².
Interim target: 25% reduction in Scope 1+2 against baseline by end of FY 2026/27.

Phase 2 — Fleet & energy transition (2026–2028)

Phase the operational fleet from internal-combustion to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) aligned to natural lease-renewal cycles. Where BEV range or payload is unsuitable for site equipment, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) will be used as a bridge with a published end-date for full BEV.
Install workplace EV charging at our principal office locations, subject to landlord consents.
Migrate office heating from natural gas to air-source heat pumps where the building fabric and landlord consent allow; where they do not, structure the lease exit and select replacement premises with EPC B or above.
Engage our top 20 suppliers (by spend) to secure their own SBTi-aligned reduction commitments by end of 2028.
Issue a Sustainable Travel Allowance to encourage rail, EV and active travel for commuting.
Interim target: 60% reduction in Scope 1+2 and 25% reduction in Scope 3 (categories 6 & 7) against baseline by end of FY 2028/29.

Phase 3 — Net Zero delivery (2029–2030)

Complete the BEV transition for all light vehicles. Any heavier specialist vehicles still requiring liquid fuel will use HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) or equivalent low-carbon drop-in where biogenic-credibility criteria are met.
Achieve 100% renewable electricity (market-based Scope 2 = 0 tCO2e).
Embed a residual-emissions register: itemise every tCO2e we cannot eliminate by 2030 and document why.
Neutralise residual unavoidable emissions only (target: ≤10% of baseline) through verified UK-based carbon removals — specifically Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code projects with long-term permanence guarantees. We will not rely on avoidance-based offsets to claim Net Zero.
Target: Net Zero across Scope 1 and Scope 2 by 31 December 2030.

5. Beyond 2030 — Scope 3 and absolute zero

Reaching Net Zero on Scope 1 and 2 by 2030 is achievable through controllable internal levers. Scope 3 is harder because it depends on supplier decarbonisation and grid evolution. We have therefore set a separate Scope 3 trajectory: 50% absolute reduction by 2032 and Net Zero across all material Scope 3 categories by 2040, ten years ahead of the UK statutory target. We consider this credible rather than optimistic because it depends on third parties we cannot fully control.

6. Governance and accountability

Our Senior Leadership Team holds collective accountability for delivery of this Plan. The Operations Director, Daniel Watson, is the named Net Zero Sponsor. The Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) function maintains the carbon inventory and reports progress quarterly to the Board. An annual Carbon Reduction Plan disclosure, modelled on PPN 06/21, is published on this page each financial year-end.

Failure to meet an interim target triggers a documented root-cause review and corrective action plan in line with our ISO 14001 management system.

7. Carbon offsetting principles

We treat offsetting as a tool of last resort, not a substitute for absolute reduction. Where offsetting is unavoidable, we will:

Use removals, not avoidance, credits.
Source from UK-based, independently certified schemes (Woodland Carbon Code, Peatland Code) with verified additionality and permanence.
Limit offsetting to genuinely unavoidable residual emissions (no more than 10% of the baseline year by 2030).
Retire credits transparently and report the serial numbers in our annual disclosure.

8. How our services accelerate client decarbonisation

Beyond our own footprint, our consultancy services contribute to wider built-environment decarbonisation. Asbestos removal enables retrofit and reuse of existing stock instead of demolish-and-rebuild; our damp & mould investigations support fabric-first thermal upgrades under the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law; our fire and water hygiene work keeps buildings safe and operational, extending their useful life and avoiding embodied-carbon waste from premature replacement. We will quantify and report this avoided-emissions benefit ("handprint") from FY 2026/27 in line with WBCSD guidance.

9. Reporting and disclosure

From FY 2025/26 onwards we will publish, on this page, by 30 September each year:

Total Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 emissions in tCO2e (location- and market-based).
Year-on-year change against baseline and against the interim targets above.
A narrative on what worked, what didn't and where we are revising the Plan.
An independent verification statement once SBTi validation is in place (target: 2027).

10. Review

This Environmental Plan is reviewed at least annually and whenever there is a material change to our operations, regulatory framework or scientific consensus. Comments and challenges from clients, employees, suppliers and the public are welcomed at enquiries@oxford-ec.co.uk.

Environmental Plan & Net Zero 2030 Roadmap