Green Economy client, Thomas Kneale, achieved the King’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development Category in 2023, marking their reputation as a sustainable and responsible business.
Thomas Kneale is one of the UK’s largest providers of bedroom and bathroom textiles, servicing organisations both domestically and abroad, and has worked with Green Economy’s Sustainability and Net Zero Consultants since 2021. During this time, they have developed and implemented a robust carbon reduction strategy which led to the installation of a new energy efficient boiler.
The business joined Green Economy’s Journey to Net Zero training course to boost their sustainability skills.
“When we discovered the Journey to Net Zero programme, we knew it was the perfect fit for us,” explains Brett Mendell[BM2] , Managing Director at Thomas Kneale. “The programme provided us with information on Net Zero jargon, actions we could take, how to measure and report our progress, and how to involve others in our networks and beyond. The programme enabled us to achieve all of these [net zero] goals.”
“The programme enabled us to make progress and effective change quickly with the help of technology,” Brett adds. “Every day, we operate with an increasingly reduced carbon footprint- that can be anything from the solar panels creating clean energy from the factory roof of our partner mill in Pakistan to the recycled content across our product range.”
It was through the Journey To Net Zero programme that Brett was introduced to Sonny Clements, who is now Thomas Kneale’s Sustainability and Project Manager, highlighting the range of attendees and professional relationships founded through our training programmes, events, and workshops.
In 2024, the Green Economy team has been working with Sonny to calculate Thomas Kneale’s carbon footprint, with a focus on scope 3 emissions. Since Thomas Kneale’s baseline year in 2018, they had relied on a spend-based methodology using the Normative Tool through the SME Climate Hub, to measure their carbon footprint. However, as part of their longer-term net zero strategy, they have evolved to an activity-based method to improve the accuracy of their Scope 3 emissions analysis. After a number of months analysing thousands of pieces of data and engaging extensively with stakeholders, Thomas Kneale will report a final scope 3 figure of just over 3,000 tons of CO2e in their reporting year 2023-2024—a significant reduction from the 10,000 tons CO2e previously calculated using the spend-based approach.
This highlights the importance of accurate carbon calculations, as incorrect methodology can overinflate your carbon footprint and impact the way your business approaches sustainability. The Green Economy team is here to help organisations get to grips with this essential data.
“The first step towards decarbonising your business operations and value-chain is to identify the sources of emissions across your estate, vehicles and any assets you own,” explains Becky Chedd, sustainability and net zero consultant at Green Economy. “We worked with Thomas Kneale to identify their emissions chain, with a focus on tricky scope 3 emissions, which are those generated in the value chain by assets Thomas Kneale don’t own or control. From this, we can identify further areas where Thomas Kneale can reduce their emissions and make efficient, sustainable decisions.”
Becky also visited Thomas Kneale’s site in Manchester to carry out a resource efficiency site review of their offices and warehouse, providing the business with a carbon reduction report detailing opportunities and recommendations for decarbonisation, covering energy efficiency, packaging and transport.
On the 28th of March 2024, Thomas Kneale hosted an event to celebrate their Kings Award.
The Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Mrs Diane Hawkins, presented Thomas Kneale with their King's Award at the company's offices. Thomas Kneale took home the Sustainable Development Award in 2023, placing them among a category of just 15 organisations nationwide . They were one of two organisations in the North West to be placed within the Sustainable Development category. Having worked for many years to develop and drive progress in the areas of sustainability, Thomas Kneale has become an advocate for sustainability, appearing across local and national media, talking at events, and partaking in sustainable leaders roundtables. They have been interviewed on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live and shared a platform with Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Since then, Thomas Kneale have been the recipients of two Good Small Business awards in 2024, including the Carbon Reduction award, and the Good Small Business of the Year award.
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