Going beyond carbon neutral

The DCC network forms the digital spine of Britain’s energy system, with over 22 million meters connected to our secure network and growing. These smart meters provide detailed data that enables households and small businesses to manage their energy, while also helping the energy industry understand future demand, informing a more flexible system that makes better use of renewables.

With its customers and partners, the DCC is doing work that’s never been done before. We have a team of innovative, highly-skilled people whose goal is to provide the best service and value for our customers, the energy suppliers and distribution network operators.

We have our own Smart Green Team, made up of DCC volunteers, who champion and challenge the business to be smarter and greener. This year the team has been involved in scoping where we stand on a range of sustainability and responsible business criteria, drawing on external expertise, and has helped us take the first steps towards a responsible business framework which will formalise longer term, strategic targets.

Post-Covid, we have fully embraced hybrid working, with travel to the offices based on need rather than presenteeism. This creates a better work/life balance for our colleagues, but also helps to reduce our carbon footprint significantly.

Living our purpose by being an environmentally responsible business is a priority for us, and shared by everyone who works at the DCC. So we’re proud to say that we’ve been independently certified as carbon neutral for our scope 1, 2 and business travel emissions by the Carbon Trust for the third year running, against the internationally recognised standard for carbon neutrality. You can read the full assessment here.

Back at home we’ve supported tree-planting initiatives, with many of our colleagues choosing to get involved as volunteers. We’ve also been working hard with our supply chain partners, taking action to reduce operational emissions, and building on our shared commitment to reducing climate change.

Maintaining carbon neutrality and offsetting emissions are great, but we don’t want to stop there. What society expects from organisations like ours on the sustainability agenda is rising. We want to do more, starting with putting this effort onto a longer-term structured footing, measuring and judging what we do against data. This is the way towards a smarter, greener future for us all.