In January 2020, ASL Global made a serious commitment to become a more sustainable business through its industry-leading sustainability initiative, One World. We are proud to report that ASL has taken another important step on this journey by becoming a Carbon Neutral business in October 2021.
ASL employs 300+ people in 50 countries worldwide, utilising a complex network of global, regional and local supply chains to source a wide range of marketing materials. As such, ASL has an obligation to its stakeholders and the wider community to conduct its business in a responsible, sustainable, and ethical way.
In 2020 ASL’s CRS team implemented a comprehensive auditory system which transparently tracks & reports its direct carbon emissions. In October 2021, ASL offset these carbon emissions, over 200 tonnes in total, by supporting a blend of environmental and community projects fully accredited by the VCS (Verified Carbon Standard, by VERRA).
Alec Pettigrew, ASL’s Chairman, commented “ This is an exciting moment in ASL’s history and our journey to becoming a Net Zero business. Offsetting our carbon emissions in a responsible way is a hugely positive step towards achieving this ambition, but everyone at ASL Global remains focused on the end goal of Net Zero status and we’re still working incredibly hard to reduce our direct emissions with this in mind”.
He continued “We have set ourselves three simple sustainability goals – to become a Net Zero business by 2025, to do all we can to help our suppliers & customers on their sustainability journeys and to be the most diverse, inclusive and equitable business possible. We have a roadmap with tangible milestones and we’re making strong progress in all three areas. There is much more to do, but we are clear-eyed about the path forward and the changes we need to make as a business in order to achieve our ambitions”.
ASL Global’s CRS Manager, Starzèus Hassan-Mcghee, carefully sourced two specific carbon offsetting initiatives closely aligned with ASL’s geographical footprint and corporate sustainability aspirations. A community project in China involves installing solar cookers for rural farming communities in remote areas, replacing coal for cooking & hot water needs. This considerably reduces the expense of purchasing coal and improves the indoor air quality by avoiding coal smoke. So far, the project team has installed 170,000 cookers, benefiting close to 800,000 low-income rural people and generating several million tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2) savings.
Secondly, an Amazon deforestation project works by shifting economics to ensure that trees are worth more alive than dead, helping communities protect their forests for the long-term benefit of us all. The project helps protect the land-use rights of Amazonian people, supports their economic development, and reduces carbon emissions by protecting over 250,000 hectares of forest. The initiative is fully validated to CCB Standards and has achieved Climate Adaptation & Biodiversity Gold Levels. Both projects are fully aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Emma Pomeroy, ASL’s CRS Director, spoke about the selected projects “Offsetting our carbon emissions in a responsible way allows us to give back to the environment. We want to deliver innovative projects that have a positive impact on the environment and local communities. The project in China improves the wellbeing and economic circumstances of isolated communities and the Amazon Forest initiative tackles deforestation and helps to create sustainable livelihoods for people suffering extreme job insecurity. Both projects also deliver significant carbon emissions reductions, which is beneficial to us all.”
As a climate leader, ASL Global is proud to support these important initiatives which tackle global warming and support local communities in equal measure. This voluntary commitment demonstrates ASL’s determination to play an active role as a global citizen. For more information about ASL’s sustainability initiative, One World, visit www.aslglobal.com/oneworld
