Viper Innovations: Leading the way for SMEs carbon-neutral challenge

Technology and innovation company, Viper Innovations, are leading the way in reducing their carbon footprint and are calling for more UK SME businesses to ‘do their bit’ to combat global warming through carbon offsetting and carbon footprint reduction. The company is passionate about reaching its goal to become carbon-neutral. To help them achieve this challenge, they have successfully purchased a 31.5-acre plot of land in the village of Stogumber, West Somerset. The land comprises 14 acres of existing woodland, which is a mixture of mature and younger trees.

The primary purpose of this land purchase is for carbon sequestration. It is intended that Viper and its employees will act as custodians for the existing woodland and work with the Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission to plant the majority of the remaining 17 acres (seven hectares) with new, mixed deciduous woodland.

To combat climate change, the UK government has established an action plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. As part of that plan, there is an urgent need for tree planting at a rate of 30,000 hectares of land every year.

This land purchase and woodland creation scheme will help Viper in its drive to offset its own carbon footprint and its move to net-zero emissions, whilst at the same time contribute to the overall target set by the UK government. As a supplier to the rail industry, Viper’s ambitions are also in alignment with the UK’s Government’s Energy White Paper and 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution to decarbonise the railway and eliminate diesel-only trains from the network by 2040.

Edward Davies, Managing Director at Viper Innovations, commented: “We are thrilled to be custodians of this beautiful woodland set in Stogumber. This latest large-scale project will certainly fast-track us to achieving our ambition of becoming carbon neutral and provide us with the opportunity to make a difference to the local environment. The project will also encourage staff participation. Our customers can be reassured that they are choosing a more sustainable supplier.”

It is also proposed that some of the land will be used for forestry research to compare the efficiency of planting versus natural colonisation and used as a case study to show how a business with the right CSR focus can create a significant and positive impact on the environment.

This latest move from Viper follows their on-going commitment to other environmental initiatives such as introducing an electric pool car and energy-saving solar window films at their offices, as well as sponsoring and supporting a local not-for-profit organisation to help reduce the amount of litter reaching surrounding coastlines. Viper’s own products are also positioned as ‘environmental alternatives’ for the Subsea and Rail Sectors, for example their award-winning CableGuardian product was developed to replace periodic inspections of lineside signalling cables with a technological real-time alternative. The traditional maintenance process involves thousands of vehicle journeys each year to complete testing across the rail network and therefore, along with substantial safety and financial improvements, CableGuardian also has carbon savings which help contribute to decarbonisation of the railway.