Sustainability agenda: 2LK’s journey continues.

Exploring EmissionMission : 2LK’s approach to setting goals, forging partnerships and collaborating with clients on one of the most complex global challenges faced today.

Written by Philip Doyne-Ditmas.

We don’t pretend to have the answers. Far from it. The stakes are high and there is no silver bullet, but that doesn’t deter us from starting our journey. 2LK’s Sustainability Agenda outlines how we are responding to the climate challenge. A transparent, progressive and pragmatic action plan delivering positive and measurable change.

(Image: Kasigau Corridor)

The reason why

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 and dropped to Net Zero by 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and prevent the worst effects of climate change. 

Our goals

At 2LK, our pursuit is beyond profit – we value and champion people and the planet equally.  For us, it’s not just about doing things better, it’s about doing better things.  Here are our stated goals:

  1. Achieve a carbon neutral workplace in 2021 (scopes 1, 2 & partial 3)
  2. Measure all CO2e across all projects from 2024
  3. Reduce CO2e emissions by 50% by 2029
  4. Achieve carbon net zero status by 2050. 

Carbon data, measurement and methodology is in line with GHGP and VERRA certified.

Our workplace

We’re delighted to have already achieved carbon neutral status for our workplace emissions in 2021.  Maintaining this standard year-on-year is the baseline for our sustainability ambition.  2LK’s workplace reduction strategy and action is ongoing; currently our workplace is:

Courtesy of our VERRA certified partners at EARTHLY, we measure WORKPLACE emissions annually (scopes 1, 2 and partial 3), and where emission reductions can’t or haven’t yet been made, we invest in nature-based carbon removal solutions to achieve carbon neutrality.

2LK is also proud to support a Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Rukinga, Kenya. To date, this project has led to 13 million tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided.  It has created a market-driven solution to wildlife conservation through a community-led, community-based sustainable model, reaching over 116,000 people, that will continue to make an impact for years to come.  Check out 2LK’s ‘earth restoring’ progress HERE.  

Our work:  EmissionMISSION

This is a 2LK greening initiative.  We’re on a mission to measure, reduce and remove non-essential CO2e, not just for our workplace but across our supply chain deliverables. Embracing and adapting principles of circular economy, our EmissionMISSION framework is in constant beta, continuously being adapted and improved as new challenges are uncovered, obstacles faced and realisations made.

Delivering a sustainably credible brand experience requires more thinking, planning and resourcing than the status quo.  We’re excited that EmissionMISSION is already active across a select number of key projects where we’re fine-tuning our tools and developing our process.  We’ll move one step closer to our carbon net zero future through the measurement of all 2LK project emissions starting in 2024.  

2LK’s EmissionMISSION is structured with 5 principles:

1. Collaborate.  

2LK partners with clients who share an ambition around sustainability – aligning event and programme goals, reviewing resources and agreeing success roadmaps.
2LK works with existing suppliers to ramp up sustainable practices, through progressive policy implementation and ongoing collaboration.  Our sustainable supplier network is expanding rapidly. 

2. Conceive.  

Sustainable creativity and thinking are baked in, not bolted on.  Life cycle thinking, materiality, supplier partnerships, smart project decision-making, awareness and communication around emissions significantly improve the environmental impact of our programmes. 

3. Calculate.  

We use TRACE, an online tool developed by our industry partner ISLA, to measure emissions and waste data.  We generate compliant real time impact reports, enabling us and our clients to understand the outcome of sustainability related decisions, before they are made. 

4. Cycle.  

Keeping event material and items in ‘the system’ for longer has a significant impact on emission reduction.  Approaching project work with this mindset has an impact on both creative and production decisions.  2LK are partnered with EVENT CYCLE, a UK based business who turn event items and materials into social enterprise donations, encouraging circular economy one event at a time.

5. Cancel.  

When all is done and emissions have been calculated in line with GHGP, 2LK can help partially or fully remove project CO2e.  We’re investing in certified nature-based carbon removal projects for this purpose.

Transparency

Our Live Progress Tracker (Available upon request) is a look underneath the 2LK sustainability bonnet: what we’ve done, what we’re doing and what we’re planning to do.  

Let’s talk

How can 2LK achieve your experience programme’s sustainability goals?  There is ‘no one size that fits all’ approach.  We’d love to discuss, collaborate and move forwards together.  Contact hello@2LK.com for more information.

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