A Barnsley manufacturer has calculated that its annual carbon output is equivalent to brewing 109 million cups of Yorkshire Tea. Furniture manufacturer Metalliform put its business through a carbon calculator to get a baseline figure for the size of its carbon footprint, as part of the Net Zero Barnsley programme.

But, when the result showed it creates 9,517 tons of carbon a year, managers asked ‘What does this mean?’ and Net Zero Barnsley consultant Sarah Whale came up with the cups of Yorkshire Tea analogy. Metalliform can now monitor the progress it makes in reducing carbon by counting down on a comparative cups of tea scale. The ‘cup of tea’ unit for carbon includes the energy and materials needed to grow, harvest, process, transport and package the tea.

Metalliform’s health, safety, quality and environment Manager Cally Bristow said: “We’re committed to becoming a sustainable business and Net Zero Barnsley’s carbon calculator has helped us establish our baseline figures across everything we do, so we can track our progress on reducing carbon emissions. Having the ‘cups of Yorkshire Tea’ comparison helps the whole team understand the size of the challenge we face, and we look forward to counting down the teacups to demonstrate how we are reducing carbon and to celebrate the improvements we make.”

Net Zero Barnsley helps local businesses understand where and how they are producing carbon, so they can get started on the challenge of reducing their emissions to meet net zero targets.

Barnsley manufacturer has carbon output equalling 109 million cups of Yorkshire Tea - now it's trying to reduce that