Local authority supply chains are responsible for over 10% of UK carbon emissions, new research reveals.
The new data released by Oxygen Finance has found that typically 96% of carbon emissions from local councils comes from their supply chain, with only 2% coming from the council's own operations, and another 2% from indirect emissions from purchased energy.
Council supply chains are responsible for over 10% of UK carbon emissions which equates to 43,666,540 tonnes of CO2 emitted during year 2020/2021 based on published spend data by all English authorities and a proportion of those in Wales.
Over 300 councils in the UK have declared a climate emergency. However, according to Oxygen Finance’s findings, supply chain emissions have continued to rise with a 14% increase in emissions over the past five years to 2021.
Rebecca Dyer, carbon product manager at Oxygen Finance, commented: ‘Until now, the scale of these emissions hasn’t been visible, and as a result authorities have tended to focus efforts on emissions from direct operations and indirect emissions from energy. This data presents local authorities with a real opportunity to work collaboratively with suppliers and other public bodies to act where it will have the greatest impact.’
