Policy Statement

We acknowledge that as a business, we have an impact on the environment, both directly and indirectly. Influence with integrity is one of our core values, which guides how we work with clients, with each other, our communities, and the wider world.

We want to have a positive impact on the world around us and be a responsible business. This means continuously learning and adopting new approaches to sustainability and environmental issues as our business evolves.

Purpose

This policy aims to promote environmentally responsible behaviours in the workplace and beyond, setting out key principles to guide the activity of employees and contractors.

Carbon footprint

Together with trace carbon accounting, we have conducted a carbon footprint analysis for the last two financial years.

For the year 2023-24, our overall footprint was approximately 132.4 tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents), which is equivalent to 17.8 average homes’ energy use in one year. Our CO2 per employee is 6.3 tonnes.  For 2024-25, this increased slightly to 147.6 tonnes. Over the period, our headcount increased, with our CO2 per employee reducing to 6.1t per employee.

Many of our emissions fall under scope 3, meaning they relate to our supply chain, and particularly, the goods and services we purchase.  

We have introduced policies and solutions to address and reduce our environmental impact, whilst also improving the overall sustainability and resilience of our business. We are pursuing B Corp Certification to help us to embed social and environmental values into the organisation.  

Find out more about our decarbonisation journey here.

Environmental education

Being informed about the climate crisis, and the ways in which businesses and individuals can and should respond is key to doing what we do well. Employees regularly participate in training sessions and are encouraged to share suggestions for sustainable practices in both our personal and professional lives.

Waste, energy and resources

To reduce our consumption of resources and energy, we:

• Adopt “lights on only if needed” approach and ensure lights and equipment are switched off out of office hours.
• Encourage minimal printing to reduce paper waste.
• Use bio-degradable and non-harmful cleaning products wherever we can.
• Arrange for recycling of waste including food waste to compost.
• Use energy-efficient equipment e.g. LED lighting wherever possible.
• Use water efficiently.
• Source locally produced products and services wherever possible.

Travel 

We encourage the use of video conferencing, when possible, to avoid unnecessary travel. Employees are encouraged to use the Low Carbon Transport hierarchy (with consideration of accessibility needs) when deciding on forms of transport to visit clients. When driving is the only viable choice, we encourage car sharing. AMBITIOUS’ office is located near to public transport options and bike storage facilities are provided onsite.

Supplier engagement

We know that engaging with our suppliers around their ESG policies and environmental commitments creates a positive feedback mechanism and helps build stronger relationships as well as reducing our negative impact through better supplier choices.

We share this policy with suppliers and contractors, encouraging the development of good environmental practices.

Virtual Office Stewardship Policy 

A virtual office is an arrangement where all employees execute business functions on a non-centralised office, operating over the internet.  

The purpose of this policy is to minimise the overall environmental footprint of our virtual environment on the natural environment, including working from home and our digital carbon footprint.  

Waste, energy and resources for working from home 

AMBITIOUS is proud to offer our employees flexible and hybrid work, but as such, our carbon footprint incorporates the emissions of employees working from home. This policy aims to offer guidance for employees working from home on how to minimise environmental impact, and are not dissimilar from our in-office best practice: 

• Encourage minimal printing to reduce paper waste.  
• Use bio-degradable and non-harmful cleaning products wherever possible. 
• Arrange for recycling of waste from home offices including food waste to compost.  
• Be mindful of water consumption in the home office, such as turning off taps when not in use and fixing leaks promptly. 
• Utilise natural ventilation to reduce the need for air conditioning or heating. 
• Consider using natural lighting and ensure lights are switched off when not in use.  
• Use a power-saving mode on devices and switch them off at the plug when not in use.  
• Use energy efficient equipment e.g. LED lighting wherever possible. 

Digital Carbon Footprint 

The information communications and technology industry – which delivers internet, video, voice, and cloud services is responsible for up to 3.5% of global emissions. 

Reducing the amount of data stored in data centres, where possible, through effective storage management and responsible internet use, can help us reduce our impact on the planet.  

Using the internet   

• Type website addresses straight into the search bar instead of searching on Google first to find the right website.  
• Close tabs that aren’t being used.  

Manage your email inbox  

It is difficult to estimate the carbon footprint of an email, and depends on many factors, but it is estimated to be between 0.03g CO2e and 26g CO2e depending on length, images, and attachments.   

• Unsubscribe from unnecessary email subscriptions. 
• Delete emails when you have finished reading if appropriate. 
• Consider keeping email chains short and only cc’ing in necessary contacts. 

Considerate AI use  

AI is a fantastic tool and has immense power to innovate, streamline and even contribute to fixing the climate crisis. However, a generative AI search, such as Claude or ChatGPT, is estimated to use around 33 times more energy than machines running task-specific software, and according to Goldman Sachs, a ChatGPT query needs nearly 10x as much electricity to process a query than a Google search.  

• Consider if a lower-carbon Google search would suffice or if there is specific software which can be used instead.  

Storage 

AMBITIOUS’s Content Studio has a stringent policy on the efficient storage of large media files, and we take personal responsibility for managing our storage responsibly.   

• Clear downloads, desktop, and bin regularly.  

Leadership commitment

We are dedicated to upholding these environmental principles and embedding them in every aspect of our work at AMBITIOUS. We will allocate resources, provide necessary training, and encourage innovation to ensure the successful implementation of our environmental policy.

Regular Review

This environmental policy will be reviewed annually to evaluate our progress, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure our commitment to environmental sustainability remains steadfast.

Last updated September 2025.