MIRA Technology Institute in Nuneaton has been awarded Planet Mark Certification after undergoing a rigorous process to accurately measure its carbon footprint, paving the way for reducing its emissions year on year.
To achieve Planet Mark Certified – Business, a team at MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) spent three months working with Planet Mark to develop a clear snapshot of its current greenhouse gas emissions, providing valuable insight into the key sources of emissions and helping the organisation track progress.
Looking at data from August 2024 to July 2025, they analysed emissions from sources such as business travel, to the carbon footprint of its suppliers. This involved a comprehensive process to assess where products are manufactured, the raw materials involved and how they are transported.
Planet Mark’s measurement methodology follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for Corporate Emission Reporting, using conversion factors provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The measurement covered stationary fuels and electricity along with several other areas including purchased goods and services, upstream transportation and distribution and waste generated in operations.
Purchased goods and services turned out to be MTI’s highest emitting category, making up 57% of its total market-based footprint.
The team analysed a measured carbon footprint of more than 82 tCO₂e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) in total – a mammoth task, but one that has given MTI a clearer understanding of its emissions and will inform its efforts to reduce them.
Nick Maling, MTI’s Operations Manager, described the “big sense of achievement” the team felt when they achieved Planet Mark Certification.
He said: “This is only the start. Now we have this accreditation, we have an obligation to reduce our stationary fuels and electricity emissions by five per cent annually to retain it.”
For Ben Robinson, NWSLC’s Senior Sustainability Officer, the certification reaffirms the work already underway to ensure sustainability is at the heart of the College’s operations and procurement practices.
NWSLC has robust processes in place to measure energy consumption, waste generation, water use, staff and student travel and supply chain impacts, while assessing the sustainability credentials of the organisations with which it works. This data-driven approach allowed NWSLC to achieve Planet Mark Certification and provides a strong foundation for identifying and delivering meaningful carbon reduction opportunities across the College.
Ben said: “The biggest revelations that came from certification were around purchased goods and services, and the impact that our purchasing has on our carbon footprint.
“I am incredibly proud to have helped MTI Campus achieve Planet Mark Certification. This milestone really reflects the hard work and commitment of colleagues across NWSLC and demonstrates how committed we are to sustainability. What we have learned throughout this process can be applied to our approach to measuring data, and tackling carbon emissions here at MTI and across the wider NWSLC.”
To remain Planet Mark Certified – Business, MTI must demonstrate continuous improvement in line with Planet Mark’s Net Zero Certification Scheme Rules. This includes measuring and reducing stationary fuels and electricity emissions by five per cent each year, expanding its measurement boundary to include more categories and maintaining rigorous data quality standards.
MTI, led by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and its partners HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester, and Loughborough University, has developed a growing reputation as a regional skills hub at the forefront of engineering and advanced technologies, and is the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education for equipping thousands of students and professional engineers with specialist new skills in demand from the UK’s automotive sector through the MIRA Technology Institute.
Businesses interested working with MTI can contact enquiries@mti.ac.uk.
Learn more at https://miratechnologyinstitute.co.uk/why-mti/.
