The Horticultural Trades Association has announced its fifth consecutive year as a Planet Mark Certified Business, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards greater sustainability. 

This week also coincides with two years since the installation of solar panels on the roof of the HTA’s office – a key step in reducing the organisation’s carbon footprint and energy costs.

The HTA first began measuring its carbon emissions in 2020 in partnership with Planet Mark. While the pandemic and associated lockdowns influenced the initial period, the HTA has remained committed to robust measurement and meaningful reductions in carbon emissions. Since returning to regular operations, the organisation has placed renewed emphasis on sustainability while continuing to ensure its membership across the UK feels supported on their own journeys.

Over the past year, the HTA has achieved a 14% reduction in location-based energy emissions (Scope 2) between 2023 and 2024 – a reflection of the impact made by the solar panels, which have contributed 75,000 kWh of clean energy consumed by the HTA to date. Compared to the UK Grid, this is an estimated carbon impact of 14.4 tonnes since the installation in July 2023.

Liz Williams, HTA Sustainability Executive, said:

“Our solar panels are already making a big difference, not only to our energy bills but to our environmental impact. It’s rewarding to see real progress as we continue to embed sustainability into our operations.

“As we progress on the journey to net zero, it is important that we measure the full inventory of our carbon footprint, as we cannot manage what we do not measure.

“We look forward to sharing our future milestones as we progress through Planet Mark’s Net Zero Certification Programme.”

The HTA is also strengthening its focus on the broader Scope 3 emissions – the indirect emissions across its supply chain - starting with a business-wide session run by Planet Mark in June to understand where emissions sit in our business operations. This marks the beginning of a deeper exploration into the HTA’s complete carbon inventory and forms part of a long-term roadmap to measure and ultimately reduce emissions as much as possible.

As a Certified Planet Mark business, the HTA is committed to achieving an annual 5% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions as well as maintaining rigorous data quality standards to ensure accurate reporting.

Steve Malkin, CEO and Founder at Planet Mark, commented:

“We are delighted that our trusted and committed Partner, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), has become a Planet Mark Certified Business for the fifth year, having achieved meaningful reduction to its Scope 1 and 2 emissions in its last reporting year. The HTA’s committed approach to sustainability demonstrates not only a dedication to reducing their environmental impact, but also a leadership role in the horticultural industry.”

The HTA looks forward to building on this progress as part of Planet Mark’s Net Zero Certification Programme, continuing to lead by example in the horticulture sector on the path to net zero.