Sustainability Policy

Our Commitment

At Mutual, we recognise the urgent need to address climate change and are committed to minimising our environmental impact. As a digital agency, we have a responsibility to operate sustainably and to help our clients do the same.

This policy outlines our approach to measuring, reducing, and offsetting our carbon emissions.

Scope 1 Emissions

We have no Scope 1 emissions.

Scope 2 Emissions

Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, and cooling.

Remote Working Energy

As a fully remote team, our Scope 2 emissions come from the energy used by team members working from home. We address this by:

• Green energy providers: We ask all team members to switch to green energy providers where possible. Many UK energy suppliers now offer 100% renewable electricity tariffs.

• Energy offsetting: Where team members are unable to access green energy providers (for example, due to property limitations or regional availability), we offset the energy their work equipment uses through verified carbon offset programmes.

• Energy efficiency: We encourage team members to use energy-efficient equipment and practices where practical.

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions in our value chain. As a small-to-medium enterprise (SME), we are not legally required to record or track our Scope 3 emissions comprehensively. However, we make a conscious effort to minimise our impact wherever possible.

Suppliers and Services

• We prioritise working with carbon-neutral or carbon-negative providers and services wherever possible.
• Our hosting infrastructure uses green hosting providers that run on renewable energy.
• We consider the environmental impact when selecting tools, platforms, and service providers.

Client Recommendations

• We recommend green hosting providers to clients for their websites and digital infrastructure.
• We advise clients on sustainable digital practices and help them understand the environmental impact of their digital presence.
• By influencing what we can’t control alone, we extend our positive impact beyond our direct operations.

Commuting

As a fully remote team, we do not contribute to emissions from daily commuting to offices. This represents a significant reduction compared to traditional office-based agencies.

Reduction Commitments

We are committed to continuously reducing our environmental impact through the following measures:

Travel Policy

• Rail first: When travel is necessary, we prioritise rail over road or air travel for journeys where it’s practical.
• Economy flights only: When flying is essential, we travel economy class only. Economy class has a significantly lower carbon footprint per passenger than business or first class.
• Travel only when essential: We question whether travel is necessary before booking and consider alternatives.

Remote-First Operations

• Remote meetings by default: We use video conferencing for all meetings unless there is a compelling reason to meet in person.
• Digital collaboration: We use digital tools for collaboration, reducing the need for printed materials and physical meetings.
• Distributed team: Our remote-first approach eliminates daily commuting emissions and reduces office-related energy consumption.

Sustainable Decision Making

• Planet as a stakeholder: We consider environmental impact as a key factor in all business decisions and project choices.
• Sustainable procurement: We evaluate the environmental credentials of suppliers and service providers.
• Long-term thinking: We make decisions based on long-term sustainability rather than short-term convenience.

Digital Carbon Measurement

• Website carbon scoring: We evaluate our website using digital carbon rating tools to benchmark and improve their environmental performance.
• Performance optimisation: We build efficient, lightweight websites that consume less energy to load and run.
• Green infrastructure: We recommend and implement hosting solutions powered by renewable energy.
• Client education: We help clients understand the carbon footprint of their digital presence and how to reduce it.

Transparency and Improvement

We are committed to:

• Regular review: We review this policy annually and update our practices as better solutions become available.
• Measurement: We track our carbon impact where practical and seek to improve our measurement capabilities over time.
• Innovation: We stay informed about new sustainability practices and technologies in the digital sector.
• Sharing knowledge: We share what we learn about sustainable digital practices with clients and the wider community.

Contact

If you have questions about our sustainability policy or suggestions for how we can improve, please contact us at hello@mutual.agency.