Planet
Alpha Laboratories is committed to innovative sustainability practices focused on building a better world for future generations.
We take ownership of sustainability, recognising our environmental impact and acknowledging that carbon reduction is vital not only to our business, but critical to securing a future for all.
Our Commitment to Net Zero
Alpha Laboratories is committed to achieving operational Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2040, and by 2045 for our broader organisational emissions.
We are focusing on our direct emissions sources and actively engaging with our wider supply chain to understand, measure and develop meaningful emissions reductions targets in line with our Net Zero Target.
We have published our Carbon Reduction Plan and detailed the actions we are taking.
How We're Supporting Sustainability
We are changing the way we do business to preserve natural resources and the environment, by reducing waste and reusing or recycling materials, when possible.
We employ a dedicated Sustainability Officer who is a subject matter expert and works with all aspects of the business, to promote an understanding and awareness of sustainability issues and advance our net-zero carbon initiatives.
We focus on diminishing our consumption of natural resources, using sustainable options and striving to improve our environmental performance.
This covers all aspects of our business from reduced use of energy, paper and printing, to a car fleet that is converting to electric and hybrid vehicles.
We use the minimum amount of packaging to ensure our products arrive to you in good condition and use recycled materials wherever possible.
Partnering with our customers is paramount to meeting our sustainability goals. We aim to help you by providing more eco-friendly products, manufactured with renewable energy.
Our Carbon Footprint
Alpha Laboratories Ltd is committed to measuring and reducing its impact on the environment.
Annually* measuring our carbon footprint is a key aspect of this. Seeing where our emissions come from helps focus our energy on lowering our emissions.
Our carbon footprint has been verified by a third-party independent consultant (GEP Environmental) in line with ISO 14064-3 guidelines.
*Alpha Laboratories has been measuring its carbon footprint for several years now, however, as we recover from Covid-19 we have changed the methodology by which we measure our emissions and have recalculated our baseline year for the last financial year (2021-2022). If you wish to see historic data please don’t hesitate to get in contact.
Supporting Local Environmental Projects
At our Eastleigh Head Office, we have planted hedgerows, created raised beds for vegetable and fruit growing and have a bug hotel, all of which we hope will encourage biodiversity gain in the immediate vicinity.
We will continue to work with Hampshire County Council and other local partners to support biodiversity projects in the region when the opportunity arises.
Alpha Laboratories' Local Tree Planting Project
Alpha Laboratories is actioning its sustainability commitments by investing in the local environment and actively working to improve its positive impact on our planet.
One of our contributing sustainability projects, in collaboration with the Hampshire Countryside Service and Hampshire County Council, is to help plant native oak trees in the local region.
This forms part of the Queens Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
At the end of 2022, volunteers from the Alpha Laboratories team planted 75 oak trees at a local Site of Special Scientific Interest, as part of the Warsash Legacy Project.
This will have a number of positive environmental benefits such as improving the area for migrating Brent geese, supporting wildlife and sequestering approximately 100,000 Kg of carbon over the next Century.
Adapting to Climate Change
Climate change is impacting our lives and business operations, it is becoming more apparent that we need to act with ever more haste to reduce our carbon emissions and to adapt to the changing climate.
We recognise that with the changing climate, the business and activities of the company will be impacted and therefore we will plan how we will adapt to climate change to ensure resilience.
Natural Resources
At Alpha Laboratories we recognise that we have an impact on the environment, through the use of resources to manufacture our products, water and trees for paper and in packaging. We would like to minimise this and raise awareness amongst our staff of ways we can act in an environmentally sensitive manner.
Environmental Training
We have run two training courses for colleagues in October 2022 on the topics of Environmental Awareness and Carbon Management. We will continue to offer environmental and sustainability training annually to all staff members.
Our ISO 14001 Certification
ISO 14001:2015 Management System
Alpha Laboratories Ltd. initially obtained ISO 14001:2008 Environmental Management System accreditation in March 2013, being among the first laboratory suppliers to achieve this. In April 2018 we integrated this with our Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2015) and successfully transitioned to the updated ISO 14001:2015 standard. Annual audits ensure we strive to continually improve our green credentials.
ISO 14001:2015 accreditation focuses our commitment to consistently conduct operations in a way that is protective of the environment and ensures compliance with all relevant local, national and international statutory, regulatory and legal requirements.
Our NHS Commitments
As a supplier to the NHS, we are committed to complying with the NHS Social Value Charter and the NHS (Evergreen Assessment).
We will aim reduce our emissions in line with NHS emission reductions and ensure no more than 5% of Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 10% of Scope 3 residual emissions remain by 2045.
Any remaining emissions (those which cannot be reduced) will be offset/sequestered through supporting certified carbon offsetting/sequestration programmes.
NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment Complete
We are pleased to have completed the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment. The Assessment is a self-assessment and reporting tool and resulted in us receiving a Level 2: Comprehensive net zero targets and reporting for carbon emissions. The information reported through Evergreen is supporting us to understand our alignment with NHS sustainability priorities and identify those areas in which we need to accelerate progress.
The Evergreen Assessment is one of several NHS initiatives designed to support its net zero and wider sustainability objectives. We are delighted to be supporting the NHS to achieve their net zero and sustainability ambitions, including those set out in the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility
Alpha Laboratories is passionate about finding new and sustainable laboratory solutions designed to further scientific discovery and improve the lives of those around them by focusing on three pillars:
People | Planet | Culture