G&H Achieves Carbon Net Neutrality at its Torquay Manufacturing Facility in the UK

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which establishes the Scope 1 and Scope 2 frameworks, is an internationally recognized standard, created to categorize industrial emission-lowering efforts. Common business practices which target GHG include optimizing supply chains to reduce waste and using renewable energy sources instead of traditional fossil-based supplies. In reporting the carbon dioxide emissions at G&H Torquay, the optics and photonics leader has primarily followed the HM Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines active in the United Kingdom, designed to help organizations measure and report on their environmental impact. Other important sustainability documentation has been consulted in building G&H’s on-site green strategy, such as the United Kingdom Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) guidelines.

The net neutrality process at G&H Torquay started in 2019, by firstly installing a smart Voltage Optimization System to regulate the factory power supply to an optimum level at all times. Additionally, the Torquay facility has had a 297 kWp solar PV system installed which provides approximately 19% of the site’s electricity needs autonomously, along with the introduction of LED lighting throughout the facility. In 2021, the decision to switch to an 100% renewable energy source saw the Torquay site become the first such site in the Group to achieve this goal. Since then, the company has increased its renewable energy sourcing scheme globally, with 5 sites planned to achieve this accolade in the 2025 fiscal year.

Similarly, strategic decisions have been taken by the G&H executive team in collaboration with its engineers regarding the raw materials used for solution building at the site, making the entire process more efficient. Some important actions in this direction include purchasing products made with recycled materials where possible, the recycling of packaging materials where practicable for product shipments, working with suppliers who promote sound environmental practices where possible, and exploring alternate uses for waste materials from our processes to support local communities. All of these steps have enabled a smooth transition to obtaining the ISO 14001:2015 accreditation in Torquay in 2023.

“We feel our net neutrality achievement in Torquay should be treated more as a natural, logical step in business development, rather than a celebration per-se,” comments Andy Back, SVP Global Quality at G&H Torquay. “It just so happens that in 2024, whatever topic you are trying to cover, in particular in our technological sector, it is bound to intersect with what is happening with the climate and the environment. Realistically, we can only control what is taking place in our proverbial backyard. So, at G&H, we decided to get serious about our contribution to sustainability. We hope that such important net neutrality milestones the likes of this one from G&H Torquay will speak louder than mere words for our steadfast commitment to the topic,” concludes Andy Back.

G&H employees have also been engaged within the office-based recycling initiative and, as the G&H Sustain framework is being deployed more widely in the 2025 fiscal year, further local participation in sustainability-oriented practices will be encouraged, that can contribute to the already earned green reputation of the site.

At G&H, several critical steps have already been implemented along the entire value chain of the business to support sustainable development. Reaching net neutrality at G&H Torquay represents the latest action item that demonstrates the company’s ongoing efforts to become a leading example of resource efficiency in optics, photonics and life sciences.