U-Drive’s Carbon Neutral Status for Scopes 1 & 2
At U-Drive, we are proud to be working with Carbon Footprint Ltd to achieve carbon neutral status for Scopes 1 & 2 for a third consecutive year. Since 2021, we have reduced our total carbon emissions by 28% and have offset over 1,294 tonnes of carbon as we work towards our sustainability goals.
Our fleet of electric vehicles is bigger than ever. However, commercial vehicles are still currently mostly fuel-based and so we have been looking at positive ways to offset our carbon emissions as a business.
Every year, we work with Carbon Footprint Ltd to assess our company carbon footprint and achieve a carbon neutral status by offsetting our carbon emissions. We do this by supporting some incredible projects around the world that enhance developing communities and help reduce global carbon emissions.
In previous years, we have helped to fund projects in India and Brazil that use solar and renewable energy to massively reduce carbon emissions and deforestation, whilst supporting the local communities where they are based.
This year, we have chosen to support three new projects that have been verified by Verra and Gold Standard:
Renewable Solar Power Project in India
To offset Scope 1 of our carbon emissions, we are supporting a transformative 990 MW solar power project by Adani Green Energy Limited. It will span across five states in India - Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. By harnessing clean, renewable solar energy, this project will displace approximately 1,553,021 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually that would have otherwise been generated by fossil fuel-based power plants on the Indian electricity grid.
Beyond the significant climate benefits, the project also contributes to energy security, air quality improvements, and sustainable development in the region.
By supporting this project through carbon offsets, we can directly contribute to urgent climate action and accelerate India's shift to clean energy.
Degirmen Weir and Hydroelectric Power Plant in Turkey
To offset Scope 2 of our carbon emissions, we are contributing funding the Değirmen Weir and Hydroelectric Power Plant project, implemented by Kais Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. in Gümüşhane Province, East Black Sea Region. It is a renewable energy initiative designed to harness the power of the Erzurum River. The power plant has an installed capacity of 13.00 MWe, generated by two turbines with a nominal power of 7222.25 kW each.
The sustainable energy project features a small reservoir area upstream of the weir to ensure stable water flow, protect downstream areas from floods, and contribute to electricity generation during peak hours. Importantly, the design minimizes water consumption during operation, returning diverted water to the river with the same quantity and quality. The plant's turbines convert the potential energy of water into mechanical energy, subsequently generating electricity.
The Değirmen Weir and HEPP project promotes environmental sustainability, with minimal impact on local ecosystems and communities. It avoids threats to flora and fauna, and construction activities maintain a distance from nearby areas to mitigate noise disturbances. The project adheres to air quality regulations and waste control measures, aiming to minimize environmental impact.
Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia
In addition this year, we are also offsetting our Commuting emissions by supporting the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project (SCRP). This is an initiative designed to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, maintain biodiversity and create alternative livelihoods under the United Nations scheme of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+).
The 445,339 ha SCRP encompasses parts of Southern Cardamom National Park and Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary and will protect a critical part of the Cardamom Mountains Rainforest Ecoregion – one of the 200 most important locations for biodiversity conservation on the planet. The SCRP is part of the Indo Burma Hotspot, one of the worlds' 34 biodiversity hotspots, and is a critical watershed for the Gulf of Thailand, with a mosaic of habitats from dense evergreen and pine forests on its ridge tops to lowland melaleuca wetlands, flooded grasslands, lakes and coastal mangroves in its lowlands. This mosaic of habitat supports at least 52 species of IUCN Threatened birds, mammals, and reptiles including Siamese crocodile and one of Cambodia’s two viable populations of Asian elephant. The landscape has also been identified by the Royal Government of Cambodia as an opportunity for tiger reintroduction.
The SCRP’s watershed is important for the fisheries of the Gulf of Thailand as it provides fresh water to the largest contiguous mangrove forest left in the Gulf, Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a critical nursery for the region’s fisheries. This area provides food for Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam and supports the regulation of climate for the Southeast Asian peninsula. More specifically, the SCRP has 20 major waterways that feed 3,800 villages in over 6 provinces.
The project will directly support the livelihoods of 21 villages in nine communes around the perimeter of the project area. Eight additional villages in 4 communes are eligible to receive educational scholarships. These communities represent approximately 3,957 families and 16,495 individuals. As a family business, we are proud to be supporting a project that supports both the environment and also local families in the area.
Carbon Neutrality Certification
Further to our funding towards these three verified projects, U-Drive is now certified as carbon neutral from Scopes 1 and 2, as well as emissions that relate to U-Drive employee commuting.
We are continually looking at ways that we can improve our sustainability and becoming carbon neutral is an exciting step towards those goals. There will be more to come!
Freedom Flight Sponsor
As part of our #sustainability goals and recent #carbonneutralstatus, we are also a prize sponsor for the Freedom Flight carbonfootprint.com challenge! In order to accelerate the development of zero carbon aviation, a challenge has been set to fly a zero-carbon emission 100+ seat passenger aircraft between London and New York and complete the return trip within 24 hours of starting out.
The first to complete the Freedom Flight will earn a place in aviation history. The winning team will also take the Prize Fund, anticipated to be in £millions by the time the challenge is met!
Find out more at www.freedomflightprize.org
