A tree is planted each time a client is certified!
From the inception of Auva Certification Limited, it was decided that every effort would be made to demonstrate that we believe in what we certify and conduct our business in a manner that always ensures a high quality of service, safety of those around us and taking care of our planet.
We are sure that many of our competitors make every effort to deliver the best level of service and ensure the safety of employees, associates and clients, however we are not so sure that our competitors do all that they can to protect the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.
One of the initiatives we have in place to lower our carbon footprint is to plant a tree each time we certify a client. We have carefully selected a partner to do this for us and they will issue an electronic certificate to our client to demonstrate this has taken place.
We were given the opportunity to occupy a newly constructed office that had been built to a high specification but more importantly with the environment in mind. The construction materials were selected to give a very low U-value, or thermal transmittance and in addition our heating is produced by a on site lake source heat pump, our electricity is predominantly (if not all) produced by on site solar panels, on site there are enough panels to produce 590 kWh. We obviously have strict disciplines in place on the use of paper, only printing what is essential, recycling the few ink cartridges we do use, and segregating our waste. Our offices are located on a 680 acre working farm which provides a beautiful environment for us to work.
Our future is green
We were satisfied that we had radically reduced the environmental impact of our office functions, however our biggest impact no doubt comes from the travelling to and from our clients facilities, with this in mind we developed our scheduling system to prompt us to allocate all audits to the closest suitably qualified auditor available. This will reduce the number of miles we must travel each year. We have pledged that all company cars will be replaced over the next three years with hybrids and within five years fully electrical (EV’s). Before we book air travel we first decide if we can use a local auditor, for meetings we make every effort to hold conference calls rather than meeting in person, if we do need to book a flight we endeavour to use airlines that offer carbon offset programs and direct routes.
We are the first certification body to become climate neutral
Climate Neutral’s certification is based on internationally recognized standards for carbon measurement, neutrality, and offsetting. Each brand must measure Scope 1, 2, and 3 cradle-to-customer greenhouse gas emissions for the prior calendar year. Then a brand must buy verified carbon credits to offset its entire footprint. This directs investment into critical carbon sequestration projects such as forest conservation, renewable energy, and carbon capture technologies. Finally, brands commit to a reduction action plan to cut future emissions within a 12-24 month timeline, reporting progress on those plans annually. All of the brand’s data is publicly available on Climate Neutral’s website. The process is repeated annually when companies must re-certify.
“Auva Certification and our other Climate Neutral Certified brands are leading the global shift to a net-zero economy by doing what all companies should be doing immediately: measuring, offsetting, and reducing their carbon emissions,” says Climate Neutral CEO, Austin Whitman. “Our label helps consumers identify these brands. It’s a recognizable and trusted symbol that turns everyday purchases into meaningfully positive climate action.”
Learn more about Climate Neutral and browse all of the certified brands at climateneutral.org.