Carbon Reduction Plan
Rapid Information Systems Ltd is committed to reducing its environmental impact through sustainable working practices, transparent emissions reporting, and clear carbon reduction targets, with a commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2035.
Rapid Information Systems/Carbon Reduction Plan
Rapid Information Systems Ltd
Carbon Reduction Plan
Published: June 2026 | Reporting Year: 2024 | Baseline Year: 2024
1. Introduction
Rapid Information Systems Ltd is a UK-based software and digital transformation company, founded in 2005. We provide software solutions to local authorities, housing associations, and charities, with a particular focus on housing and social care.
We recognise that our activities have an impact on the environment. This Carbon Reduction Plan sets out our commitment to measuring, reporting, and reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the requirements of the Procurement Policy Note PPN 06/21 and the UK Government's Net Zero Strategy.
This plan has been approved by a company director and will be reviewed and updated annually.
2. Organisational Boundary
This Carbon Reduction Plan covers all operations of Rapid Information Systems Ltd. Our entire workforce operates on a fully remote basis; we have no owned or leased office premises. Emissions are therefore primarily associated with:
- Home working energy consumption
- Electricity used for EV charging (staff business travel)
- Business travel by national rail
- Employee commuting (home working energy attribution)
We have no Scope 1 direct emissions, as we have no company-owned vehicles, gas usage, or on-site combustion.
3. Baseline Emissions: 2024
We have established our emissions baseline for the calendar year 2024 using recognised GHG reporting methodologies, aligned to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Emissions data has been calculated using UK Government conversion factors (DESNZ/DBET 2024).
| Scope | Category | Emissions (tCO₂e) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | Direct emissions (gas, fuel) | 0.00 | 0% |
| Scope 2 | Purchased electricity (office & home) | 5.74 | 54% |
| Scope 3 | Fuel & energy related activities (T&D) | 1.89 | 18% |
| Scope 3 | Business travel (national rail) | 1.37 | 13% |
| Scope 3 | Employee commuting / home working | 1.60 | 15% |
| TOTAL | All scopes | 10.60 | 100% |
Scope 1 emissions are zero, reflecting our fully remote, office-free operating model with no company-owned vehicles or fossil fuel combustion on site.
4. Carbon Reduction Targets
Based on our 2024 baseline, we have set the following carbon reduction targets:
| Target | Baseline | Target Year | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce total emissions by 20% | 10.60 tCO₂e (2024) | 2027 | 2.12 tCO₂e |
| Reduce Scope 2 electricity emissions by 25% | 5.74 tCO₂e (2024) | 2027 | 1.44 tCO₂e |
| Reduce business travel emissions by 30% | 1.37 tCO₂e (2024) | 2026 | 0.41 tCO₂e |
| Achieve Net Zero | 10.60 tCO₂e (2024) | 2035 | 100% |
Our Net Zero target of 2035 is aligned with the UK Government's legally binding commitment. We will develop a detailed Net Zero roadmap, including consideration of residual emissions offsetting, during 2025-2026.
5. Carbon Reduction Measures
5.1 Remote-First Working
All staff work fully remotely, eliminating commuting emissions associated with travel to a central office. We are formalising our remote-first working policy to embed this as a permanent commitment rather than an ad hoc arrangement. This directly reduces our Scope 3 employee commuting emissions.
5.2 Business Travel Minimisation
We actively promote virtual collaboration through video conferencing and online meetings as the default for all internal and client interactions. Where travel is essential, we require the use of lower-carbon modes of transport, principally national rail. Our 2024 data reflects a commitment to rail over air or car travel for business journeys.
We are targeting a 30% reduction in business travel emissions by 2026 through:
- Continued promotion of virtual meetings as default
- A formal travel policy requiring justification for in-person travel
- Preference for rail over road or air for all essential journeys
5.3 Electricity & Home Working Energy
Our largest source of emissions is electricity consumption (Scope 2 and associated Scope 3 T&D losses), primarily attributable to home working and EV charging. We are committed to reducing these emissions through:
- Encouraging staff to switch to 100% renewable energy tariffs for home working
- Providing guidance on energy-efficient home working practices
- Supporting staff in understanding and reducing their home working energy footprint
- Investigating whether a home energy support scheme can be introduced to facilitate renewable tariff adoption
5.4 EV Charging
Where staff use electric vehicles for business travel, we account for the associated charging electricity in our emissions reporting. We will continue to monitor this as EV adoption grows and will work to ensure charging uses renewable electricity where possible.
5.5 Supply Chain & Procurement
We will consider the environmental credentials of our key technology suppliers and platforms as part of our procurement decisions. We will give preference to cloud and SaaS providers with credible Net Zero commitments, such as those hosted on AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, all of which have published Net Zero pathways.
5.6 Annual Measurement & Reporting
We commit to measuring and publishing our emissions data annually. Progress against our reduction targets will be reviewed by the board each year, and this Carbon Reduction Plan will be updated to reflect progress and any changes to our operations.
6. Director Sign-Off
This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and approved by a director of Rapid Information Systems Ltd. We are committed to the targets and actions set out in this document and will report on progress annually.
Title: Director, Rapid Information Systems Ltd
Date: June 2026