People & Planet

Aether’s impact

At Aether we are continually striving to minimise our own impact on the environment, maximise environmental improvement and support global social wellbeing, equity, diversity and inclusion. We regularly reflect and review our policies and our effects on people and planet, internally and externally, locally and globally.

Environmental management system

Aether has a rigorous environmental management system (EMS) with the aim of increasing employee awareness and engagement, reducing our carbon footprint, and offsetting our emissions where we cannot minimise our impact. We have an Environmental Champion who calculates, analyses, and disseminates our carbon footprint, and sets actions within the company to reduce our emissions.

Aether is committed to providing a quality service in a manner that ensures a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and minimises our potential impact on the environment. We will operate in compliance with all relevant environmental legislation and we will strive to use pollution prevention and environmental best practices in all we do.

Aether is a certified carbon neutral company, annually offsetting emissions from the work space, national/international travel, and commuting, which are calculated using a tool that meets the criteria set by the Quality Assurance Scheme. Due to the nature of our work, we recognise that our main environmental impacts originate from business travel, resulting in emissions to air. To address this, we have committed to funding any additional costs incurred from choosing low carbon travel modes within Europe. It is our aim to continue to reduce the environmental impacts of our business and operate in an environmentally responsible manner.

Aether’s latest carbon action plan is available here

SME Climate Hub

In 2021 Aether joined the SME Climate Hub, an initiative founded by the International Chamber of Commerce, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the We Mean Business coalition and the UNFCCC Race to Zero campaign. The aim is to support small and medium-sized businesses to build business resilience. We have signed the SME Climate Commitment, therefore committing to halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050 and disclose progress on a yearly basis. These targets include scope 1 and scope 2 emissions and a limit on offsetting of up to 10% of base year emissions. In the meantime, we will continue to offset residual emissions as we make efforts to reduce our total GHG emissions, to operate as a carbon neutral company.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Aether is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and promoting a culture that actively values difference and recognises that people from different backgrounds and experiences can bring valuable insights to the workplace and enhance the way we work. Aether aims to be an inclusive organisation, committed to providing equal opportunities throughout employment including in the recruitment, training and development of employees, and to pro-actively tackling and eliminating discrimination.

At Aether, we understand a diverse workforce fosters a resilient working environment  and we are always exploring how we can make Aether a more inclusive place to work. We have an annual EDI budget set aside to spend on receiving external training, reviewing and improving internal processes, and taking part in initiatives that align with our values. As part of our ongoing initiatives, Aether is proud to be a disability confident committed organisation (Level 1) and we are currently working towards gaining our Level 2 certification.

Carbon Footprint

Offsetting

We offset the following carbon emissions :

  • Work space energy use
  • National travel
  • International travel
  • Staff commuting

These emissions were most recently offset through Climate Impact Partners portfolio. Climate Impact Partners helps organisations build carbon offsetting programmes that deliver real impact. Their projects meet the international standards, including the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard, American Carbon Registry (ACR), and the UK Woodland Carbon Code. As a founding member of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA) and a Board Member of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), they play a key role in shaping the voluntary carbon market. Their commitment to quality and accountability has been pivotal in defining what constitutes a credible carbon offset. By advocating for rigorous standards, they continue to lead the charge for meaningful climate action.

Our sustainability policy statement can be downloaded here

Case studies

LULUCF GHG Inventory Support for Romania

Aether is supporting the Romanian National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies (ICSI) in the compilation of its national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory for non-forest land areas. We are helping to ensure that Romania’s land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) inventory is robust and of high quality.

Driving emission reductions through the public sector supply chain: Scope 3 emissions

Aether contributed to the analysis of procurement (Scope 3) emissions reporting in the Scottish public sector. The research aimed to demonstrate approaches and tools available to Scottish public bodies. The aim was to understand and report their supply chain emissions, providing options for action to improve supply chain reporting across the public sector.

Runnymede Borough Council Climate Change Study

Aether, in partnership with Land Use Consultants (LUC), delivered a package of works to support Runnymede Borough Council’s (RBC) review of the 2030 Local Plan with a view to introducing stronger policies to address the impacts of climate change.

Ealing Council Climate Action Plan Multi-Criteria Analysis

Aether developed a multi-criteria analysis of Ealing Council’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy (CEES) to support the Council with prioritisation and delivery of climate actions to reach their 2030 target of carbon neutrality.

Luton Council Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan

Aether, alongside SE2 and associate Joanne Wade, developed a Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan to support the council in its vision of a net zero town by 2040.

Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it...

“ Aether was a great asset in involving/engaging with Member States experts on highly technical subjects regarding GHG reporting. Very clear communication of issues and results. ”

Andreas Pilzecker, DG CLIMA

“ A heartfelt thank you to all the Aether team for this very comprehensive review – this is certainly turning out to be one of the most beneficial capacity building projects I have ever been involved in. ”

Saviour Vassallo, Senior Environment Protection Officer, Malta Resources Authority

“ The professional service provided by your company was of very high quality and completed within agreed timelines. ”

Matthew Dudley, UNFCCC Secretariat

“ Professional team and very collaborative communication. Effective result in terms of suggestions for improvement in the quality of the inventory and proposals on how to streamline specific topics. ”

Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research

“ I must congratulate each of you for your professional and tireless efforts. Let me point out that this has been the 'neatest' in-country review expert review team I have coordinated, and it has been a real pleasure. ”

UNFCCC Secretariat

“ We have been collaborating with Aether for several years, and our projects have greatly benefited from it. Aether staff are very knowledgeable, professional and flexible - and last but not least, very friendly and a pleasure to work with. ”

Umhverfisstofnun, Environment Agency of Iceland

Contact us

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