Shred Station’s Founder appears on Net Zero 50 list

Shred Station’s Founder and Managing Director, Simon Franklin, has appeared on the 2024 Net Zero 50 list!

Digital Leaders’ Net Zero 50 List 2024 was revealed last week at an event held in partnership with CGI. The event, which took place at the House of Lords, was hosted by Lord Deben. Lord Deben’s powerful address highlighted the importance of net zero and shone a light on those at the forefront of the nation’s net-zero efforts. On this list included Shred Station’s Founder and Managing Director, Simon Franklin.

What is the Net Zero 50 list?

The Net Zero 50 list, which is updated annually, highlights the top 50 individuals in the UK who are driving progress towards the goal of being a Net Zero nation by 2050. Included on the 2024 list are the likes of the Mayor of London – Sadiq Khan, the Environment Agency’s Head of Sustainable Business Strategy, several senior lecturers and professors at some of the UK’s most prestigious universities, and many more planet-focused professionals.

Why Simon Franklin?

Since Shred Station’s formation in 2008, Simon has always been fully committed to operating with sustainability in mind. After significant efforts to reduce emissions including the use of solar power, a Zero to Landfill policy, and recycling 100% of the paper, Shred Station first achieved annual CarbonNeutral® company and fleet certification in January 2019 after a full assessment of our greenhouse gas emissions. This is a certification the company has maintained every year since.

But Simon has always been driven to go above and beyond, and annual certification wasn’t enough. He wanted every customer who had ever used Shred Station’s services to have received the same, carbon-neutral service. So, in 2023, Shred Station completed the mammoth task of having its lifetime emissions assessed. Simon had initially aimed to offset these emissions through partners at Climate Impact Partners by 2030. However, using stringently verified offsetting projects, Shred Station was able to neutralise its internal historic emissions in 2024. This was all done in line with The CarbonNeutral Protocol.

Each year, Simon leads the company through more innovative overhauls that contribute to a more sustainable enterprise. In line with SBTi-standard emissions reduction targets, Simon and the whole company are working tirelessly to ensure emissions are reduced year-on-year on an intensity basis. The company is also increasing the percentage of its offsets to removal-type projects such as afforestation and aims to be a Net Zero company by 2030*.

Simon has arguably done more in terms of environmental commitments than any other providers in the UK’s confidential waste management industry. He puts the planet before profit margins, and in doing so, Shred Station’s turnover has incidentally increased significantly. This demonstrates the public’s demand for services that don’t scrimp on sustainability.

Simon’s thoughts.

When initially informed about the Net Zero 50 list, Simon actually thought the news was too good to be true! Upon learning that he was, in fact, now featured on the 2024 Net Zero 50 List, he was overjoyed.

“I steer Shred Station in sustainable directions because it’s the right thing to do. I never imagined that these decisions would land me in the spotlight for such a prestigious award. It truly is an honour. In my opinion, all companies should be doing more to improve sustainability. I hope that by achieving this great accomplishment, Shred Station’s example can inspire other businesses in the industry to make more environmentally driven choices. For the UK to become a Net Zero nation by 2050, everyone needs to be on board.”

* The current definition of Net Zero, as defined in The CarbonNeutral Protocol, is where all required Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are reduced in line with science-based targets, and all offsets used are removal type credits as opposed to avoidance or reduction type credits. This means projects that actively remove carbon from the air, such as carbon capture devices or tree planting. This information is correct at the time of publication 17.07.2024.

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