The North of England Zoological Society – Annual Report and Financial Statements 2021
OUR SUSTAINABLE ZOO Our wider strategy for preventing extinction must involve measures designed to reduce the global threats to biodiversity presented by climate change and the overexploitation of natural resources. Central to this is demonstrating sustainability in all of our activities. In 2021 we published our Conservation Masterplan and set sustainability goals for the zoo’s operations in the 10-year period through to 2030. Our aim is to work on new initiatives to make every aspect of a zoo visit sustainable, and to inspire our visitors to adapt to a more sustainable consumer behaviour in their everyday lives.
CARBON
CO2
NET ZERO by 2030
Zero waste operation by 2030 In 2021 we engaged with a new strategic waste partner to support us in the delivery of our medium and long-term goals on our journey toward zero waste. Through detailed audits we now understand what we call our ‘waste DNA’ in granular detail and we have been able to define our waste streams and quantities, and therefore action immediate improvements on our waste outcomes. With our partner we are starting on a step-by-step journey towards ‘zero waste’, which will use effective waste rationalisation, expert logistics and leading-edge processing technologies supporting our zero-waste ambition.
Procurement of deforestation-free commodities in all major supply chains
ZERO
WASTE
As for carbon and waste, 2021 work was focused on establishing a baseline understanding of the current supply chain. Work has commenced on establishing a deforestationfree procurement policy. And, for the first time, we have put a major procurement category out to tender with a focus on sustainability and transparency throughout the supply chain.
operation by 2030
Love it for Longer
PROCUREMENT OF DEFORESTATIONFREE COMMODITIES in all major supply chains
In summer 2021, ‘Love it for Longer’ provided an immersive, artistic experience for zoo visitors, particularly aimed at young families. Each element invited interaction and participation, delivering messages around sustainability. The key areas of focus were plastic, food, animal and clothing waste. The experience aimed to empower zoo visitors to live more sustainably and gave them handy hints and tips they could apply at home. There were on-site demonstrations and online content was made available including our head chef delivering new recipes around how to use up leftovers.
In 2021 we made progress against these goals in the following ways:
Carbon net zero by 2030 We commissioned an external specialist consultancy firm to work with us to develop our understanding of our current carbon emissions and to start work on developing a roadmap to net zero. We have good data on our scope 1 & 2 emissions, generated by our own operations. We now also have a better awareness of our scope 3 emissions. While our work in the next 10 years will focus on becoming net zero in terms of our scope 1 & 2 emissions, we are also mindful of scope 3. The work undertaken in 2021 means we have a good platform to move forward and develop a framework for how we consider carbon when making investment decisions, working with our supply chain and engaging with our visitors.
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