Planet Mark is an internationally recognised sustainability certification, awarded annually to businesses that are committed to continuously reducing their carbon emissions. Our carbon emissions data is verified annually through Planet Mark Business Certification and we are required to make annual reductions to our carbon footprint to retain certification.
Our location-based carbon footprint for reporting year April 2022 to March 2023 was 39.6 (tCO2e), which is equivalent to 35 return flights from London to New York. This year our fleet travel increased, reflecting a return to normal pre Covid-19 activity levels, accordingly this caused an increase in our overall emissions. DOC Cleaning has been able to recertify on 2021 and 2022’s banked emissions* as we achieved suitably large reductions in 2021 and 2022. As carbon reduction is rarely linear, Planet Mark allows Members to certify on banked emissions under a set of specific, limited circumstances. This approach permits Members some flexibility in annual reduction trajectory to help support them with implementing initiatives to make significant reductions in carbon.
Our next steps, now that we have a complete carbon footprint baseline, will be working with Planet Mark to set a net zero target and develop a Net Zero Action Plan. Adding more structure to our reduction initiatives will help to ensure that we stay on track as we work towards achieving net zero.
Our social value contribution was £94,530 for our most recent reporting period; our key contributions were through our environmental impacts, such as reducing freight miles due to a green logistics plan, and through community and volunteering support. We want to further increase our social value contribution and have several exciting ways to have more of a social impact over the coming years!
Jeff Silver, Head of ESG, said: “Having third-party verification from Planet Mark demonstrates our commitment to accelerating our sustainability journey and reducing our environmental impact. We are delighted to have achieved our 5th year of Business Certification and look forward to working with Planet Mark to set a net zero target and embed sustainability into our business operations.”
Steve Malkin, CEO and founder of Planet Mark, said: “We are delighted to support DOC Cleaning to develop a Net Zero Action Plan to provide a roadmap to show the steps needed to achieve net zero. DOC Cleaning embrace progress and generating social value, and as they continue to grow nationally, we look forward to supporting their net zero ambitions.”
Planet Mark’s Emissions Banking approach allows members to re-distribute savings made in one year. In such cases the balance of normalised emissions reduction, exceeding the 2.5% reduction requirement, can be carried forward to the subsequent year.
About Planet Mark
Planet Mark is an internationally recognised sustainability certification which recognises continuous progress, encourages action, and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference. Offering tailored certifications for businesses and real estate as well as calculating social value contribution through the TOMs framework and PAS2060 carbon neutral verification.
Organisations become a Planet Mark member as soon as they sign up and commit to reporting their carbon footprint and engaging their stakeholders. Once organisations have submitted the data required and Planet Mark has assessed its carbon footprint, they become Planet Mark Certified and start their journey to continually reduce their emissions.
For more information, please visit Planet Mark.