Net zero activity

Fleet of the future: 6,000 EVs and counting

In FY25 we transitioned a further 1,190 vehicles to full battery electric, expanding our UK fleet to 74% compared to 66% in FY24. Our fleet continues to increase due to our continued business expansion, both organically and through infill M&A.

Overall, we have made substantial progress over the past five years, converting 85% of our total fleet where EV technology is available, and we now operate 2,260 more EVs compared with the initial expectation when we launched Plan Zero in 2020.

This year we welcomed the 6,000th EV to our fleet, marking a significant milestone in our ambitious journey towards our ambition to transition 85% of our fleet, and further solidifying our position as a leader in sustainable transport.

We have installed over 4,000 chargers at our colleagues’ homes, Mitie sites and for our customers. Through our partnership with Mina, we pay directly for charging at our colleagues’ homes.

We want to ensure that the EVs of the future are fit for purpose, and we are now working with vehicle manufacturers to develop 4×4 and large commercial EVs.

Minimising waste through ReWorkwear

We use circular economy principles to cut emissions and embed sustainability in our procurement decisions. Our efforts in reusing Mitie workwear highlight the potential of this approach. By analysing our purchasing patterns, we buy over 300,000 workwear garments every year. However, the natural resources required to produce new clothing textiles are not environmentally friendly: one t-shirt demands 700 gallons of water1, while producing 1kg of fabric releases up to 23kg of greenhouse gases2 into the atmosphere due to processing, manufacturing and distribution.

To tackle the challenge, we have developed a workwear reuse scheme. ReWorkwear ensures that good condition Mitie workwear remains in circulation, minimising waste and reducing our demand for new clothing. Following collection, the workwear is quality checked, laundered and repaired as necessary. Any items not suitable for reuse are recycled. In FY24, our trial collected 700 garments from Mitie contract teams to assess the impact and viability of the project. So far, 47% of these garments can be reused. We aim to expand this scheme each year to eventually cover 100% of our operations, which would save almost 500 tonnes of CO2e annually.

The Farm at The Shard

In 2023, we installed three Farm Stands in Mitie’s HQ office, The Shard in London. Farm Stands are hydroponic (no soil) systems for growing plants and herbs such as kale, basil and oregano. Installed and maintained by Square Mile Farms, every quarter we complete 11 harvests, engage nearly 160 people, and grow over 32kg of produce – that’s around 608 portions. Over this period, The Farm Stands method has saved nearly 500 litres of water compared with standard growing systems. Many colleagues, customers and visitors have benefitted from these stands: “I love this. My kids are getting a big, healthy meal tonight.”

The Mitie estate decarbonisation

Approximately 2% of Mitie’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct, operational) originate from the gas and electricity consumption within our estate. To reduce our carbon emissions, we are degasifying the heating systems at our sites to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels, replacing them with low-carbon solutions. We now have 16 decarbonised sites, 13% of our estate, with 5 of these completed during FY24. To achieve this decarbonised status, we have been replacing gas boilers with low-carbon heat pumps and installing LED lighting. During FY25 we are targeting three more sites to decarbonise.

We also focus efforts on ensuring our buildings are running at optimal levels. Using our in-house expertise around energy efficiency, our Energy Managers explore innovative solutions to create smart, connected workspaces. By implementing measures such as setting time schedules and selecting energy saving modes at one of our sites, we will save just under 66 tonnes of CO2e as well as over 323,000 kWh, annually.