Sustainability at NetWatch

Having launched our initial strategy toward making NetWatch a greener company in 2019, we have made great progress on our sustainability journey.

Going forward our ongoing efforts will be showcased online and you will be able to find our latest notes here and within the blog area. Further down this page you can also download our 2025 Sustainability Report.

Ashleigh Barratt co-ordinates and tracks our sustainability efforts within NetWatch, and can be contacted at abarratt@netwatchglobal.com.

Here at NetWatch we are committed to a more sustainable future. The climate emergency remains the biggest challenge of our time, and this section of our website is dedicated to our policy and strategy. On this page you can learn about our commitments, our aims and our metrics, as well as the challenges we face as a business and our next steps to tackle these. NetWatch has prioritized commitments which are evidence based, as well as following the lead of global experts, such as the United Nation’s Division for Sustainable Development Goals (UN DSDG).

Our Sustainability Aims

Improve energy efficiency and reduce overall GHG emissions in line with our SBTi targets.
Measured annually by kWh.
Reduce overall wastage and improve performance against the waste hierarchy and specifically to reduce the use of single-use plastics in our office environment.
Measured by total tonnes of waste to landfill, percentage of waste recycled, water consumption by m2 and our embodied carbon emissions.
Deliver a safe, healthy and inclusive environment for all employees.
Measured by health and safety incident statistics and employee engagement.
Drive decarbonization of our operations towards a 2050 net-zero goal in line with our SBTi targets.
Measured annually by our total emissions in scope 1, 2 and 3.

Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)

In July 2023, NetWatch joined the Science Based Targets Initiative which seeks to ensure that all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are science based and feasible. NetWatch has committed to reducing scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2022 base year, and to measure and reduce its scope 3 emissions. We have also committed to reaching net-zero by 2050 and as part of this have committed to reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 90% by 2050 from a 2022 base year.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NetWatch has chosen four of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) as part of a holistic approach to improving our sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment:

Affordable and Clean Energy
Good Health and Wellbeing
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action

These four areas have been chosen as focus points as they most closely interact with our business and have been detailed below. Specific guidance for employees on how to mitigate each of these issues is provided in the Environment & Sustainability Policy as well as the Environment & Sustainability Handbook.

Affordable and Clean Energy

Energy is the largest single aspect of our carbon footprint. Our aim is to be energy efficient and utilize low-carbon energy across all our operations. NetWatch is based in Alpha Tower, Birmingham, which uses a 100% renewable energy tariff. Between July 2023 and July 2024, Alpha Tower reported a 3% drop in total electricity consumption, and a 33% drop in total gas consumption compared to the previous year.

Hybrid working has been embraced by our staff, which lowers the energy demands of the office environment but creates additional energy usage at home. Guidance is offered to staff in our E&S Handbook for how to reduce their home emissions while working. NetWatch is part of the Bike2Work scheme, encouraging active travel.

As part of our SBTi commitment, NetWatch measures our energy usage by kWh from both on-site assets and any off-site assets such as cloud storage or external services.

Good Health and Wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of staff is important to NetWatch. We strive to create and maintain a healthy and productive environment for all, fostering a safe, fair and diversified culture. Staff have access to flexible working arrangements and the Pirkx wellbeing benefits platform, which includes GP appointments, private counselling, financial advice, and discounts. NetWatch also monitors the health and safety of staff, logging and tracking any incidents and putting mitigation strategies in place where needed.

Responsible Consumption and Production

NetWatch aims to minimize resource use and improve performance against the waste hierarchy, prioritizing prevention and recycling. Guidance is provided to staff on responsible purchasing and alternatives. The office has separate bins for recycling and general waste, with a 50% recycling rate and a goal of 65%.

NetWatch uses a paperless system, introduced in 2019, but some services still require paper copies. The company is committed to reducing single-use plastics and measures progress by tonnes of waste to landfill, percentage of waste recycled, water consumption by m2, and embodied carbon emissions per annum.

Climate Action

NetWatch is working towards 2030 and 2050 SBTi target years to decarbonize operations and contribute to the UK’s net zero target. The company monitors scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and works to reduce these through operational changes and staff cooperation.