Trinity Mirror achieves world's first carbon reduction award

Trinity Mirror has been awarded the "Carbon Trust Standard", a new and highly prestigious environmental certificate which was launched today.

 

The Carbon Trust standard is only awarded to organisations that can prove they are tackling climate change by making genuine reductions in their carbon emissions.

 

In the past three years the group has reduced its carbon emissions by 18.1%, and is only one of twelve companies nationwide to be awarded the certificate.

 

Paul Vickers, Secretary and Group Legal Director, Trinity Mirror plc, said: "We are delighted to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard and without the support and genuine engagement of our staff we wouldn't have made such impressive progress.

 

"As a business this demonstrates to staff, customers and readers that we are serious not just about the challenges facing our industry but how we as a business might impact on the world."

 

The accreditation scheme has been created by the Carbon Trust in response to both growing consumer mistrust of organisations' green claims and confusion among business about how they can reduce emissions and improve efficiency.

 

Unlike other award schemes, organisations take action themselves by cutting carbon across their own operations and in their supply chain, rather than paying others to reduce via off-setting - a practice known as 'green-washing' which is only seen as credible by one-in-ten consumer respondents in a recent Carbon Trust study.

 

Trinity Mirror has been working for a number of years on reducing carbon emissions and in 2006 the Carbon Trust recognised these efforts when the company was awarded the institute's Energy Efficiency Accreditation.

 

Tom Delay, CEO of the Carbon Trust said: "We congratulate Trinity Mirror on being one of the pioneers in achieving the Carbon Trust Standard and challenge other businesses to follow their example and prove that they too are taking tangible steps to fight climate change."

 

The Carbon Trust Standard was launched with the support of Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and Dragon's Den entrepreneur Deborah Meaden at an event in London today (Tuesday 24^th June).

 

Deborah Meaden, said: "Tackling environmental issues has to be seen as both a business priority and opportunity and achieving the Carbon Trust Standard is a great way of recognising truly progressive organisations."