EBNP_Impact_Report_2023-2024 (11.06.26) - Flipbook - Page 21
So, what
can we do?
Whatever we can…. and that starts with understanding what
harm we are doing—whether we mean to do it or not.
That’s what this report attempts to address, using conventional and
‘left-brained’ language as much as possible, as the expectation of a
report is that it should present the ‘bottom line’ and be capable of being
condensed into a short executive summary. Executives, apparently, like
the rest of us, are short on time to consider such things.
We’re at the point where we still have to try to repair the damage we
cause, while addressing how we reshape our processes to avoid causing
the damage in the 昀椀rst place.
Those companies that bother to do this (or are required to by law) adopt
the practice of carbon offsetting. We have previously done this using the
UN Gold Standard. Some companies exceed their carbon debt and claim
the accolade of being ‘planet positive’. This could be considered as virtue
signalling when it’s done by paint companies that are selling products
composed of fossil-based and carbon-intensive materials.
Our approach is to adopt a chain of custody in
both directions—from our supply chain to our
legacy pollution—and the best way for us to do
this is through land management.
Edward Bulmer Natural Paint is essentially a farm diversi昀椀cation project,
which uses buildings and yards no longer relevant to modern farming
requirements. Our production facility was converted from a former Dutch
barn, and our of昀椀ce was once a cattle byre. Our land is still grazed by
cattle, but they have been bred for greater hardiness so that housing in
modern barns is only necessary through the extremes of winter.
Healthy soils are capable of sequestering carbon and holding water. This
means that they can regulate greenhouse gases and reduce the intensity
of 昀氀ooding, while still allowing food production – that’s a ‘win, win, win.’
Cultivating grass is not as pro昀椀table as growing maize or potatoes by a
‘country mile’. By foregoing the revenue that cash crops generate and
practicing regenerative farming principles instead, we allow the soil to
build natural fertility, which means there is no need for synthetic fertilisers,
enabling soil organic matter (SOM) to build gradually. Measurements taken
for the Farm Carbon Toolkit footprint report in 2023 indicated that SOM
levels were around 6% across our 250 acres. So, although our paint business
emits around 600 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs), approximately the
same amount is absorbed across our farm and woodland.
(approx)
600
tonnes
CO2e emitted
CO2e absorbed
600
tonnes
(approx)
In future reports,
we aim to show
clearer and clearer
accounting for this,
as well as moving to
a positive balance
by reducing our
dependence on
polluting activities.
In fact, although we count
our supply chain emissions in
Scope 3, our manufacturing
partner Auro also adopt a
similar approach and directly
engage with NABU in their
nature conservation projects.
Find out more
en.nabu.de/
