xWave Technologies Carbon Reduction Plan

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Introduction
xWave Technologies have undergone a GHG Carbon Calculation completed in September 2023 with the support of the Enterprise Ireland Green Transition Fund. The information below details the carbon calculation results as well as action items defined for carbon reduction and impact offsetting.

xWave's annual carbon emissions were estimated at 6,255.62 Kg (includes Facilities, Work-From-Home, Travel, Accommodation, Waste, Water and some 3rd party contractors*)

Methodology
The following process was under to ascertain the above data, which began on June 7th 2023 and was completed September 30th 2023.
 

1. Mapping of company staff members and location of work-from-home staff.
    

2. Assessing organisational tech stack and relevant digital infrastructure.
    

3. Checklisting of applicable criterion under Scope 1 to 3 categories.
    

4. Engagement with 3rd party contractors and service providers.
    

5. Creation of a hybrid data capture method using GHG Standard and customised data collection workflow.
    

6. Calculation and validation of results

 

Carbon Reduction Roadmap
Carbon reduction is essential to xWave’s sustainable growth strategy by mitigating the effects of climate change and our organisational footprint. Our roadmap plan will guide the process of reducing our carbon emissions through the following steps:
 

1. Baseline Established: We have calculated our baseline emissions for 2022 as 6.255 Tonnes of Co2e which includes all operations, including transportation and energy usage across Scope 1, 2 and 3.
    

2. Reduction targets: Through our reduction and impact programmes below, we have aimed to reduce our organisational footprint by 39% by Q2 2024. This will be facilitated through a range of activities described in the below section.
    

3. Energy Auditing: Through our calculator we have undertaken an energy usage audit to assist us in identifying where our organisation is using the most energy and where energy efficiency improvements can be made. This includes enabling behavioural change among our staff members to lower usage.
    

4. Monitoring Progress: We will monitor progress regularly to assess how well our organisation is meeting its carbon reduction targets, and ensuring we maintain a consistent reduction over the proceeding years. Data from our energy audits and carbon footprint assessments will used track progress and identify areas for improvement among our international team working from home.

Carbon Reduction Actions

The below actions will yield a 39% or greater reduction in emissions in the next 6 months by directly reducing our highest impact areas:

 

• Encourage and incentivise all staff members to switch to 100% renewable energy electricity plans, achieving a reduction of 10%.
   

• Reduce air travel by 25% by opting for virtual meetings, achieving a reduction of 17%.
   

• Choosing accommodation providers that have certified sustainability and green energy programmes, achieving a reduction of 12%.

 

Carbon Offsetting and Impact Programmes
While on the path to achieving Net Zero emissions through upgrades to our digital infrastructure, as well as enabling behaviour change among our staff, we have chosen to support a portfolio of Carbon Reduction, Capture and Offsetting initiatives. These projects have been identified for their greatest impact in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring we go beyond Carbon offsetting through supporting wider ecosystem regeneration, biodiversity, children’s health, women empowerment and sustainable community development.

 

Our offsetting programmes include:

Project #1 | Eternal Flame Tanzania

 

Eternal Flame Ecological Cook Bags are made from 100% bio waste material, sourced from local Coconut Shell Waste.
 

Key impacts:
 

• Significant Biodiversity Regeneration due to saving of wood being harvested.
   

• 10 Tonnes of Co2e Offset, due to mitigation of wood burning fires.

 

• 7500 Empowerment Hours given back, supporting women’s time on education, employment and personal development.
   

• Direct support for Children’s health, mitigating blindness and child mortality due to significant reduction of smoke in communities.
   

• Contribution to sustainable community development and regeneration.

 

Project #2 | Dunsany Rewilding Project

Dunsany Nature Reserve in County Meath, rewilding project over 750 acres. The project is Ireland’s largest rewilding project, connecting individual woods to create tree corridor habitats. Through this project we will plant 100 native Irish Trees, supporting carbon capture over the lifetime of the trees, as well as supporting biodiversity regeneration.

The project contributes to youth education and community development by connecting tree planting initiatives with regular events, driving an awareness among the local community and prompting climate action on a local and national scale.

 

 

Scope 4 Reduction

As part of voluntary Scope 4 emissions accounting, we have undertaken a study to calculate the avoided and reduced emissions as a result of our Clinical Decision Support in 2022. Feedback on 830 exams shows that 71.45% of originally requested exams were confirmed with 28,55% were either cancelled or replaced. In 2022, the issuing of 237 medical imagery was avoided using xWave solutions. With a minimum value of 18kgs of C02e per scan, this equates to 4.266 Tonnes of Carbon (C02e) saved.

 

Sustainable Development Goals
xWave has undergone a comprehensive assessment programme under Enterprise Ireland’s Green Transition Fund to ensure alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through an in-depth staff engagement and organisational analysis, we have articulated our impacts, contributions and commitments to achieve sustainable development across our customer and supply chain.

*All 3rd Party contractors and service providers were engaged as part of the process with some information on digital services unavailable.