Educational resources supplier Findel has officially been certified as a Carbon Neutral Business by Carbon Neutral Britain

The certification confirms Findel has measured its emissions, reduced them in real terms and only offset the remainder through independently verified carbon reduction projects.

Findel’s carbon neutral status covers all operations under Findel Education, including its Nottingham distribution centre, offices and distribution activity.

It also means Findel is the UK’s largest educational resources supplier to be certified as a Carbon Neutral Business.

The certification is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and, after this, Findel will re-measure, reduce and recertify annually.

Findel measured total organisational emissions of 1,095.47 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) across its operations and a defined set of day-to-day business activities categorised under ‘Scopes’.

Scope 1 covers direct emissions from Findel’s own operations, while Scope 2 relates to the electricity it buys to run its sites.

The Scope 3 boundary for the certification includes day-to-day business activity such as staff working from home, waste, business travel, commuting, stays at hotels and events and water usage.

To reduce emissions, Findel rolled out a range of initiatives across its operations. These included the installation of a WirePas-enabled smart building management system at its Nottingham distribution centre, as well as the sourcing of renewable electricity and green gas.

Last year, Findel delivered more than 300,000 parcels using electric-only vehicles, while the introduction of custom-size packaging is reducing carbon by around 46% and material use by around 45 per cent.

The company has also transitioned its truck fleet from LPG to electric and switched diesel to HVO, a renewable diesel alternative, for on-site plant.

Since 2019, Findel has cut its operational energy use by half (49.5 per cent), from 4,600,060 kWh to 2,321,892 kWh in FY25.

Over the same period, Findel cut its market-based operational carbon emissions by 97.7 per cent, from 1,029 tonnes in FY20 to 24 tonnes in FY25.

Findel selected a mix of UK and international carbon reduction projects to balance environmental and social benefits across its customer base.

UK-based projects include native tree planting, hay meadow restoration and seagrass meadow restoration. International projects support renewable energy generation in developing countries.

Commenting on the certification, Findel chief executive, Chris Mahady, said: “Schools, nurseries and trusts are increasingly looking for clear evidence of sustainability progress from their suppliers.

“Our customers can be safe in the knowledge that we are measuring our carbon emissions impact, reducing them in real terms and taking responsibility where we can’t yet eliminate it entirely.

“This certification gives them confidence they are working with a partner that is dedicated to taking those responsibilities seriously.”

The certification comes after Findel was accepted onto The Climate Pledge in 2024, committing to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Chris Leonard, ESG manager at Findel, added: “Our customers can be assured knowing they are working with a supplier that prioritises both people and planet.

“This is an important milestone in our wider ESG pathway, not a one-off certification, and we remain committed to driving our own carbon emissions footprint down as far as possible.

“We especially want to use our experience to support customers as they work towards their own sustainability goals. We will do this through clearer information, more responsible product choices and practical partnerships.”

Findel is part of the Manutan Group and is working closely with Manutan’s CSR team to accelerate progress.

Priorities include supplier engagement to support emissions measurement and science-based targets, improving product environmental transparency, and developing circular economy initiatives such as durable design, reduced packaging and reuse schemes.

Headquartered in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Findel also has a distribution centre and offices in Nottingham and employs around 300 people.

For more information on Findel visit www.findel.co.uk