SUSTAINABILITY

Commitment to Achieving Net Zero

Imaging Matters is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

The responsibility and sponsorship of our carbon reduction plan is led from the top, by Leigh Melville, Director and Owner of IML.

The delivery of net zero for our buildings, starts with our designs. Our designers have been selected because of their net zero credentials

Stride Treglown – our key design architects are themselves carbon neutral – and have sustainability consultants within their organisation that contribute to all their designs.

WSP our M&E designers have a net zero strategy, which has a target to be net zero across their whole global value chain by 2040. WSP received the Gold Award for Global Good Company of the Year in 2019 and have been recognised as one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies by the World Economic Forum in Davos. WSP Global has also been recognised by World Finance Magazine as Most Sustainable Company in the Engineering Industry, 2019 and 2020.

Adopting modern methods of construction (mainly) has many benefits. With our approach up to 80% of the buildings are being completed in the factory, there is a far more efficient and safe use of materials and labour.

A study by the Cambridge University headlined for homes Modular construction ’emits 45% less carbon than traditional methods’ June 2022

A study by University of New South Wales found “Overall, modular construction reduces the overall weight of waste by up to 83.2%, for the cases considered” December 2021. The controlled factory environment allows for better waste management, recycling, and reuse of materials, reducing overall project waste

A study by the US Department of Energy states that MMC can deliver energy savings of up to 30% compared with traditional builds

According to industry experts, MMC can be completed up to 50% faster than traditional methods. This accelerated process not only saves time but also reduces site disruptions and minimizes carbon emissions.

This carbon reduction plan has been written in line with PPN06/21.

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reductions can be measured.

Medular Ltd commenced manufacturing operations in November 2021, and we have yet to complete a baseline figure. This measurement is being carried out by our engineers WSP, who have sustainability expertise within their organisation. The baseline is due to be completed by 31 December 2025. IML continues to provide initiatives that reduce our carbon footprint, we are not waiting for the baseline to be completed.

Scope 1 Emissions (1/3)

These emissions include direct emissions from a company’s owned or directly controlled assets. These emissions are controllable and relate in IML case primarily to;

  • Primarily to factory energy consumption and gas emissions

  • Marginally in IML use of assets

Our carbon reduction tactics already in place include;

  • We deliberately have small overheads, encouraging working from home for all back-office functions, meaning the ratio of space between factory use and overhead is large
  • Our strategy is to maximise production within the space available, rather than pursuing larger accommodation, to reduce the overall consumption of energy. In normal working hours, Medular can manufacture between 350-400 m2 of modular accommodation per month with the ability to increase that for evenings and weekends. Our current strategy for diagnostics is achievable within that space (circa 5,000 m2) capacity per annum.
  • Our strategy for modular buildings is to aim to complete over 70% and, in some cases, up to 90% of the works and fitout within the factory. This reduces dramatically the carbon costs of off-site working, travel and energy etc.
  • Our strategy is to ensure all plant/equipment uses electricity to power rather than fuel generators etc (for example forklifts).
  • Our policy is not to have a fixed HQ, but to utilise home accommodation for day-to-day use and shared accommodation for any meetings required

IML will report on the 2024/25 emissions and look to reduce them by 20% in 2025/26 on a like for like basis, with a roadmap of achieving net aero on this element within 5 years.

Scope 2 Emissions (2/3)

These emissions are the indirect emissions created by indirect emissions from electricity, steam, heat and cooling purchased and used by the us.

  • The energy for our factory is 100% electric and provided from a utility provider who sources it from 100% renewables.

There is little improvement achievable in this scope – our utility provider outlines the following

“With a portfolio including gas, batteries, solar, wind and hydrogen, our 85 sites, operational or in construction, have a potential to generate 945MW of power making us one of the leading flexible energy providers in the country. Optimised and operated using our market-leading software, iON+, we’re at the forefront of shaping a more efficient energy sector that is both reliable and sustainable.”

Scope 3 Emissions (3/3)

These emissions are likely when measured to be the largest, indirectly generated by us. They will reflect;

  • All our travel to and from office, factory, and locations
  • Our supply chain emissions from our purchase of goods and services
  • Waste created in our business

We have employed tactics in minimising our emissions and are working with other to help us provide tactics for further reductions.

  • Travel for staff to work
    • We utilise a very local labour force in our factory.
    • Wherever possible travelling to sites we will arrange shared car/van usage
  • Our policy for travel provides
    • Encouragement for using virtual meetings, to avoid travelling.
    • Encouragement for electric vehicles, in reimbursement rates
    • Car sharing is encouraged
  • We will look to use local labour for on-site work to minimise emissions and encourage social value.
  • We are working with Cardiff Business School on the circular economy (see appended) to develop material passports for the major components in our modular building, for example for steel, for lead shielding and for all AHUs. This will provide detail for us which can demonstrate, that whilst we have used emissions in the production of these materials, that they can be mined and re-used.

Once measured we will target a 20% reduction in 2025/26 within our works on a like for like basis.

Circular Economy

A circular economy is one which keeps resources in use for as long as is possible. Extracting maximum value from them, minimising waste and promoting resource efficiency. How we address keeping the information integrity on the building, updating where necessary and allowing the resources to be ‘mined’ if the building was no longer in use – is at the heart.

This pioneering project, which we are collaborating with Cardiff Business School and Newcastle University, is about identifying the resources used in our buildings, creating a digital material passport for the inputs – we are trialling steel and lead – and creating a working system using blockchain to record and hold that information.

IML are party to a paper to an international journal (currently being pier reviewed) to explore the above