IoT provider North has announced the launch of its first Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) report and business climate scheme.

In line with the report and efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, the company said it has offset all its emissions through a new carbon offsetting scheme, with the aim of becoming carbon neutral and reducing emissions.

The report sets out how the company will take further steps to reduce carbon emissions across its offices in Camberley, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle, St. Asaph, Southampton, and Basingstoke and to “drive change within the industry and the communities” it works in.

North has revealed the environmental sustainability objectives and actions it said it would take to “reduce, measure, and monitor its impact” through energy and sustainability-related efficiencies whilst streamlining its operations across the UK.

ESG Committee Chair at North, Audrey Schaefer, said: “This is a key milestone for North as social, economic and environmental sustainability is a pillar of our strategy and embedded in our business and operational processes.

“We welcome the opportunity to formalise our sustainability ambitions with our carbon neutral accreditation and pledge, alongside the launch of our ESG Impact Report, which sets out our objectives.

“We look forward to leveraging this commitment to deliver meaningful change across the sector and as we commit to delivering positive environmental change.”

In addition to its own sustainability drive, the firm works with UK organisations to create sustainable and energy efficiencies, employing services such as intelligent lighting, air quality monitoring and smart waste management to reduce pollutants and lower carbon emissions for the public and private sectors.

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At COP26 in Glasgow last year, world leaders made strict pledges to reduce carbon emissions around the world by 2050 and keep the global temperature below the dangerous 1.5-degree limit.

However, a study from June last year found that more than half of British workers think businesses are not doing enough to tackle climate change.

A UK-wide study commissioned by Edinburgh-based ecotech startup, Pawprint, found that 55% of workers believe firms aren’t doing enough to address the issue, marking an increase from 45% in 2019.

From the survey, just 14% of respondents said they believe UK businesses are doing enough, with younger females among the most critical of the perceived lack of business action.

However, North’s new business climate scheme and report show that companies are beginning to understand their impact as countries start to address climate challenges.

At COP26, telecoms firm Openreach announced it had signed up to the COP26 Transport Declaration to decarbonise its van fleet to net-zero emissions by 2030.

As part of its commitment, Openreach said it has now created a “dedicated project team” focused on cutting fleet emissions and helping to identify alternative, cleaner technologies.

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