We are pledging our way to a greener world here at PinPoint Media. We are starting the process of becoming a Certified B Corporation, and planning to go carbon neutral by 2022. We’re not completely eco yet, but have started our journey to a greener future. In our industry, there are multiple elements that can be costly to the environment; the equipment we use, the amount of travelling we have to undertake, and the amount of carbon created through watching a video or animation.
In fact, according to French think tank, The Shift Project, watching online videos accounts for 60% of the world's internet traffic and generates 300m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This therefore makes up roughly 1% of global emissions. This is because it is not only the power used by devices, but also the energy consumed by the servers and networks that distribute the content. In view of this we think it is important for us to put measures in place to offset both our impact on the environment as a business and that of the projects we undertake.
Like the majority of businesses we have recycling separation bins in the kitchen, avoid single-use plastics wherever possible, promote sustainable methods of commuting and use automatic lights around our office. Moving forward, as part of our pledge and to offset individual traveling, we are looking into getting electric vehicles and purchasing more pool cars.
Although thanks to COVID we are not fully back in the office, we are committed to flexi-working for the future and not just during the pandemic. For up to two days a week every member of the PinPoint Media team can work from home, which helps to reduce the amount the team are travelling to and from the office.
Equally, we are switching to Zoom meetings where we can instead of travelling to face to face meetings. One study from 2012 reports that meeting in person produces more than 10x the emissions of video conferencing, whilst another found “the impact of a car ride exceeds the impact of a video conference at less than 20km”.
This is a good start for our own carbon emissions but what about those for the projects we undertake? Well, for each project we undertake we are working with Trees for Life to plant the number of trees required to offset our emissions. Whether that is a singe tree for a smaller project or 100's of trees for a project with a larger crew. We will be planting our trees annually once we know the number of projects we have produced and the amount of carbon we need to offset.
Managing Director and Founder Oliver Bruce said “Recognising the impact a business has to carbon emissions is the first step in slowing the damage already caused. We're now underpinning every project we facilitate by planting the respective amount of trees ensuring a project's footprint is offset totally. This is our promise to a better future”.
Our Scottish grove is helping to preserve the UK’s biodiversity, ensuring that endangered species have more of their natural habitat in the Scottish Highlands available. The Trees for Life site has the capacity to offset 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide with each individual tree having the ability to absorb one tonne of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Planting provides a natural way to assist in the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 and produce oxygen and wood, thus making the process a win-win as the product is useful to us as well as the carbon reduction.
We are proud to be making this commitment to offset any impact and reduce our carbon emissions. You can keep track of our trees here and even visit the protected sites including our grove in the Scottish Highlands where our trees will grow and prosper.
Now when you choose to work with the team at PinPoint Media you stand up for sustainability and support our planet as well as cutting through, standing out, and making an impact with your creative content.