Crown Oil becomes 1st UK fuel supplier to earn carbon-neutral status

Crown Oil Ltd. announced it has become the first U.K. fuel supplier to receive carbon-neutral status under the PAS 2060:2014 Framework. Becoming a carbon-neutral business is a steppingstone toward its ultimate goal of becoming net zero, the company stated.

“While we work towards this, our managing director Matthew Greensmith wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to reduce our emissions, rather than sitting and waiting for it to come for us,” the company stated. “This led to him setting the target for the Crown Group to be certified carbon neutral by April, using this as a springboard to continue working towards our long-term goal of net zero direct emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 2030, but ideally much sooner.”

To support this ambition, Crown Oil says it has taken steps to fully understand its present environmental impact with “a detailed and transparent carbon-footprint study” across all aspects of its operations (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

“We are doing this by identifying and delivering carbon-reduction projects and compensating for residual emissions through the use of offsets, while being aware of the challenges and improvements needed with this approach,” Crown Oil stated. “We understand there is some skepticism surrounding carbon-neutral status, so to ensure transparency and continual improvement, we have partnered with ClearLead to obtain certification to the PAS 2060:2014 standard for carbon neutrality.”

This specifies a four-stage process to demonstrate carbon neutrality and involves:

Assessment of GHG emissions based on accurate measurement data

Reduction of emissions through a target-driven carbon-management plan

Offsetting of excess emissions, often by purchasing carbon credits

Documentation and verification through qualifying explanatory statements and public disclosure

“Aligning with this standard will hold our business to account and proves that we are following a robust carbon reduction and avoidance strategy to achieve our long-term goal,” Crown Oil stated. “While we continue on this path, Crown Oil is actively investigating a range of environmental commitments and pledges relevant to our business, such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which is currently developing a methodology specifically for the oil and gas sector.”

The company said its constant push for innovative and sustainable solutions led it to take a risk in 2019 and import hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel, also known as “renewable diesel,” into the U.K. market, providing its customers with a direct alternative that reduces net GHG emissions while requiring minimal capital expenditure to adopt.