Sustainable accounting as Fresh achieves carbon neutrality

The Fresh Accountancy Company has recently become carbon neutral with a new partnership.

The business has signed up to the Just One Tree initiative, which plants trees around the world to help regenerate forests, restore the planet and increase biodiversity.

This is the latest step in Fresh’s drive towards improving and maintaining its environmental credentials.

Fresh’s founder, Tom Baker said: “We’ve looked at different options including bringing in a consultant to work out our carbon emissions. However, we decided it was more beneficial to assume a worst case scenario of 4 tonnes of CO2 per annum per person and look for a practical way to offset this.

“Signing up with Just One Tree for quarterly tree planting will offset 32 tonnes of CO2 per annum, as well as benefitting the communities where the trees are planted, and ultimately help to tackle climate change.”

The Fresh Accountancy Company already derives all its energy from renewable sources including its own solar PV. The system was installed in 2023, since which it has generated 6136 kwh of power and saved 6 tonnes of CO2. When needed, further electricity is obtained from a supplier that only uses energy from renewable sources. The office building in Clyst St Mary has an EPC B rating due to very low level energy use.

In addition, in 2023, Fresh switched company vehicles to electric, also installing an EV charging point at the offices in Clyst St Mary, plus all waste is either recycled or turned back into electricity by Devon Contract Waste.

Tom added: “For the future, we’re looking at either providing electric cars for all employees or offering an incentive to switch, in a bid to reduce commuting emissions. We are also looking at installing an air source heat pump to reduce energy used for heating by as much as 50 percent.”

Not for profit organisation Just One Tree works with a network of reforestation partners in poverty stricken locations in Africa, Asia and South America which have an existing working infrastructure. As well as tackling climate change, local communities benefit from agricultural education and sustainable incomes.

Photo: Tom Baker (front) with The Fresh Accountancy Company team. Credit: Simon Tutty.