Prosecution

Defence

SARC Services

Reporting Compliance

This Carbon Reduction Plan complies with PPN 06/21, as published by the Cabinet Office in June 2021.

This document will be reviewed and updated annually in accordance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

Baseline Carbon Emissions

Baseline Year: June 2023 – May 2024
Additional Details relating to Baseline Emissions calculations:
Key Forensic Services (KFS) is a private limited SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) company. We are therefore not obligated to report our emissions under the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulations. Our total emissions for our baseline reporting year 2023-24 were 1,395,302.26 kgCO₂e. To provide a comprehensive view of our organisation’s emissions, we are reporting our emissions data in accordance with our registered address at Corpacq House, 1 Goose Green, Altrincham, United Kingdom, WA14 1DW. In our baseline year, our organisation operated with 202 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees. As our business grows and we expand our workforce, we anticipate a proportional increase in our emissions. Our Carbon Reduction Plan reflects our intent to reduce total emissions in line with the services we provide and accordingly the work we deliver. Therefore, any potential rise in emissions due to increased business (generally through the award of new customer contracts) will be accounted for in our Carbon Reduction Plan. As the plan relates directly to work delivered, it will demonstrate efficiencies through economies of scale.
Baseline year emissions:
EMISSIONS	TOTAL (kgCO₂e)
Scope 1	Our total estimated emissions for Scope 1 are 1,228,922.64
Scope 2	Our total emissions for Scope 2 are 143,969.98
Scope 3	Our total emissions for Scope 3 are 22,409.64
Total Emissions	1,395,302.26 kgCO₂e

Reporting Year Carbon Emissions

Reporting Year: June 2024 – May 2025
Additional Details relating to Baseline Emissions calculations:
Our total emissions for the reporting year 2023-24 are 1,319,015.71 kgCO₂e. which is a 5.5% reduction on the total emissions reported for our baseline year (1,395,302.26 kgCO₂e). To provide a comprehensive view of our organisation’s emissions, we are reporting our emissions data in accordance with our registered address at Corpacq House, 1 Goose Green, Altrincham, United Kingdom, WA14 1DW. In our reporting year, our organisation operated with 219 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees. As our business grows and we expand our workforce, we anticipate a proportional increase in our emissions. Our Carbon Reduction Plan reflects our intent to reduce total emissions in line with the services we provide and accordingly the work we deliver. Therefore, any potential rise in emissions due to increased business (generally through the award of new customer contracts) will be accounted for in our Carbon Reduction Plan. As the plan relates directly to work delivered, it will demonstrate efficiencies through economies of scale.
Reporting year emissions:
EMISSIONS	TOTAL (kgCO₂e)
Scope 1	Our total estimated for Scope 1 are 1,162,565.60
Scope 2	Our total emissions for Scope 2 are 133,011.82
Scope 3	Our total emissions for Scope 3 are 23,438.28
Total Emissions	1,319,015.71 kgCO₂e

Emission reduction targets

To continue our progress toward achieving Net Zero by 2050, we have adopted an Absolute Contraction Approach to carbon reduction. This means we commit to reducing our emissions by a given percentage in line with global climate goals. Our emission reduction targets consider ambition to grow our business and so are related to the work we deliver through our services. Our intended targets may therefore be adjusted with the award of new contracts. However, it is important to note that we will consider the efficiency of our service delivery in respect of new contract awards, with particular focus on Scope 1.

Our reduction targets (based on current sales) are as follows:

First 5 years to 2029: Target of 5% Carbon reduction to 1,325,537.14 kg CO₂e
Period to 2034: Target 10% Carbon reduction to 1,255,722.03 kg CO₂e
Period to 2039: Target of 20% Carbon reduction to 1,116,241.80 kg CO₂e
Period to 2044: Target of 50% Carbon reduction to 697,651.13 kg CO₂e
Period to 2049: Target of 90% Carbon reduction to 139,530.23 kg CO₂e
Period to 2050: Achieve Net Zero

Figure 1: KFS carbon reduction targets by year

As illustrated in Figure 1, our targets project a significant initial reduction. This ambitious approach is deliberate, recognising the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.

This reporting year, we are pleased to demonstrate an overall reduction of carbon emissions by 5.5%, which exceeds our first target, to reduce emissions per delivered job by 5% by 2029.

Whilst our business travel emissions have increased a little this reporting year, a significant contributor was an international conference that several staff across our facilities attended, which is an infrequent occurrence.

We also aim to improve our data tracking and monitoring processes to improve the quality and accuracy of the carbon related data in future years.

Carbon reduction opportunities

We outline a number of opportunities which once fully implemented, will reduce our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions aligning with our goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.

Scope 1 opportunities

Gradually replace diesel vans with electric or hybrid alternatives
Gradually replace our petrol and diesel scene and pool cars with electric or hybrid alternatives, starting with our highest emission vehicles to maximise impact
Monitor our current systems to improve optimised route planning, reducing distance travelled and fuel usage
Install telematics to monitor driving behaviour (harsh braking, rapid acceleration) and provide training to improve fuel efficiency
Investigate the offsetting of any residual CO₂ emissions through the purchase of equivalent carbon emissions credits from an International Carbon Reduction & Offset Alliance (ICROA) provider

Scope 2 opportunities

Investigate alternative energy sources through our electricity supplier and by investing in solar power for our sites
Upgrade office lighting to LED and install smart controls such as, motion sensors and timers
Invest in an energy management system to monitor and optimise energy use
Introduce power management policies for hardware such as laptops, PCs, printers and servers (including implementing software designed to reduce desktop energy consumption through ‘pay as you use’ services – such as AVD)
Perform a building energy audit to identify insulation, heating or cooling improvements that could reduce energy consumption
Maintain EPC ratings and work with landlords to improve the energy performance of our buildings
Investigate the offsetting of any residual CO₂ emissions through the purchase of equivalent carbon emissions credits from an International Carbon Reduction & Offset Alliance (ICROA) provider

Scope 3 opportunities

Business travel

We will interrogate our data from travel to better understand if and where carbon reductions can be made
Facilitate the use of electric or hybrid cars for business travel
Encourage the use of walking, cycling or public transport and offer incentives such as subsidised travel passes or cycling to work schemes (this considers staff commuting too)
Create a car-sharing program
Continue to support and encourage hybrid/homeworking
Encourage the continued use of virtual meeting platforms where possible

Waste management and reduction

Work towards a paperless office
Work with our waste management provider to ensure we prioritise sustainable practices
Complete waste audits to maximise recycling and minimise waste production
For non-recyclable waste we will investigate options with local energy recovery facilities
Use local providers for WEEE waste recycling
Work with our supply chain to minimise packaging for the supplies we receive

Water use

Install water-saving fixtures and appliances in all office facilities
Promote water conservation awareness among employees through regular communication and training
Regularly monitor and report on water usage to identify areas for improvement

Declaration and sign-off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standards for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard and use the appropriate government emission conversion factors for GHG company reporting.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard.

We make our commitment in consideration of aspirations to grow our business. Our targets may therefore be adjusted with the advent of new contract awards. The innovative solutions we apply to reducing our emissions (for example by introducing e-vehicles) will in part depend on the availability of technological advances to support our ambition, whilst allowing us to continue to provide exceptional services to our customers.

Our Environmental Committee will review our emission reduction targets, deliverables and new technologies to support achieving our plan.

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the KFS Board of Directors.