At ARV Solutions, we recruit across the offsite, modular, timber frame/ engineering, construction and manufacturing sectors, where sustainability has and remains an important consideration.
At the end of last year, I was keen to establish how improvements made across our premises and practices had impacted our carbon footprint. Working with Seedling, gave us first hand insight into the realities of CO2 reporting. Easy to Use Carbon Footprint Software | Seedling
Even though we’re not sustainability experts, this process gave me a real appreciation of the challenges our clients face: large supply chains, material sourcing, complex projects, and frameworks like the NHS Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Framework, which require clear CO2 reporting.
The initial introductory webinar with Seedling helped me make sense of carbon “scopes”:
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Scope 1: Direct emissions from our operations
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Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased electricity
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Scope 3: Other indirect emissions across our value chain
I worked closely with Henry Jones, Carbon Impact Lead at Seedling, (9) Henry Jones | LinkedIn who was able to guide me through the workings of the platform and support me through the process. I loved how it integrated seamlessly with Xero – automating and allowing me to easily analyse information from suppliers.
An employee survey was sent to all the team helping us understand how team behaviours, travel, and procurement choices contribute to our Scope 3 emissions and where awareness can support more sustainable practices
Our Carbon Footprint
Our reporting showed:
(Find the full Impact Report here: Sustainability – our journey to net zero – ARV Solutions)
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Total emissions: 49.05 t CO2e
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Scope 1 (Direct): 0 t CO2e ✅
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Scope 2 (Market-Based Electricity): 0 t CO2e ✅
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Scope 3 (Value Chain): 45.73 t CO2e (~93% of total)
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Per employee footprint: 4.09 t CO2e
What This Means Compared to Other Office-Based Businesses
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Scope 1 and 2 are negligible—common in office-based businesses, but using 100% renewable electricity gives us an edge.
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Scope 3 dominates (~93%), which is typical for office-focused organisations, often representing 70–90% of total emissions.
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Per employee emissions of 4.09 t CO2e place us at the lower end of the global range for office-based companies (4–8 t CO2e), reflecting our lean and efficient operations.
Looking Ahead
Our journey reinforces how sustainability intersects with operational realities in the sectors we serve. By measuring and reflecting on our footprint, we gain insight into the practicalities of data collection, reporting, and supply chain impacts—challenges our clients deal with every day.
You can read more about our sustainability journey and see our impact report on our Sustainability page.
Sharing our experience is about acknowledging the sector’s challenges and reflecting an understanding of the landscape, from recruitment to reporting, as sustainability becomes increasingly central to the offsite, MMC, and timber frame industries.
