We are delighted to announce that we have signed the Climate Action Pledge! Signing the Pledge outlines our commitment to work even more sustainably.
This means we are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. It follows our agreement to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which we announced earlier this year.
By signing the Climate Action Pledge, we are publicly committing to working further to achieve ambitious GHG reduction targets.
What is the Climate Action Pledge?
The Climate Action Pledge is a cornerstone of the Business Action on Climate campaign. It is an initiative of the business network, ‘Business in the Community’ (BITC). The network inspires and supports organisations to act as a force for good. It calls on businesses to tackle key societal and environmental issues.
We are one of 105 businesses in Northern Ireland that has signed the Pledge so far. This means we can demonstrate our commitment and willingness to collaborate to address the critical issue of acting on the climate emergency.
Organisations that sign the Pledge will be working to ensure a liveable future to limit the increase in global temperatures well below 2C.
Kieran Harding, BITC Managing Director, says, “Signing the Climate Action Pledge is an act of public accountability that proves to an organisation’s stakeholders, customers and employees that they are taking ambitious action on the climate crisis”.
“To make a real difference, businesses need to collaborate and act now. We are delighted that ATG Group is joining our growing group of Northern Ireland organisations that have made a public declaration to take action urgently.”
Our environmental commitments
The Pledge covers businesses in Northern Ireland, where our head office is. But we are also committed to reducing our emissions in other areas that we operate. This includes the rest of the UK as well as Central Europe.
As we come to the close of 2024, ATG Group has already saved almost 12,500,000kg in CO2e (Carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions. And we have also diverted more than half-a-million tonnes of material from landfills so far.
By closely monitoring our emissions, we can help our clients measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions from any work we carry out. By understanding where emissions have been reduced, our clients can accurately report their footprint. This is all part of ATG Group’s services to help our clients make sustainable decisions.
How we’re helping the environment
ATG Group’s Environment and Health and Safety Manager, Richard Hughes, says that signing the Climate Action Pledge is a natural step for the company.
“At the heart of ATG Group is sustainability. Much of our work is in ensuring we are diverting precious soil from landfills. This impacts the environment in two ways: it ensures valuable soil is not simply discarded and can be used as backfill on excavation projects; and in turn, that reduces the need for excavation and transportation of fresh backfill, which creates CO2 emissions.
“But we are also committed to going further. As a business, we are ensuring that our employees and activities create the least emissions as we possibly can.
“Signing the Climate Action Pledge makes public our desire to be proactive in reducing our CO2 emissions across the company. And by monitoring our activity closely, it enables us to put sustainability at the heart of our clients’ work as well as the wider community.”
Managing Director, Mark McKinney, adds, “ATG Group has always focused on providing expertise in a range of environmental services. We now want to publicly demonstrate we are part of the solution when it comes to sustainable development. I am delighted that we have been able to do this through signing the Climate Action Pledge. This is not just a tick-box exercise to us. It is a serious commitment to our clients and the communities in which we serve.”
