Our Journey to Net Zero initiative has won Positive Climate Action: Towards Net Zero at the 2026 IWFM Impact Awards.
We were presented with the award at the IWFM Impact Awards ceremony in London on Thursday 8th October 2026. The category recognises organisations taking a strategic, evidence-led approach to cutting Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, with results that reach beyond their own four walls.
Starting with the data
We set our carbon baseline in 2021-22 and have measured our full Scope 1, 2 and 3 footprint every year since, working with carbon accounting platform, Normative. Our 2023-24 data was independently verified to ISO 14064 by Alchemus.
That baseline told us something important straight away: more than 90% of our emissions sit in our supply chain. We aren’t alone here, from industry to industry, scope 3 is often the biggest contributor to carbon emissions. So, cutting our own emissions would only ever be part of the answer. As a result, supplier engagement became a key pillar in our strategy.
Bringing our suppliers with us
Asking suppliers for carbon data is easy. Getting it is harder, especially from smaller businesses without dedicated sustainability resources. So, we focused on education and engagement.
We have surveyed 100 suppliers through Normative and built carbon questions into our pre-qualification process, so the conversation starts from day one. We have also organised two sustainability summits, the most recent being our Building Services Maintenance Sustainability Summit at our London HQ in October 2025. Suppliers came away with practical guidance and free tools, and through Ecologi, a native tree was planted in the Scottish Highlands for every attendee.
Our approach has also made us ready for clients’ own sustainability frameworks. When Cadogan Estates introduced its supply chain sustainability framework, we already had verified Scope 1, 2 and 3 data to share. That helped us achieve Gold Status within the framework. Read our Cadogan Hall case study → Cadogan Hall
Progress so far
- More than half of our vehicle fleet is now hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric, comfortably ahead of our 2026 target of 35%.
- All of our offices run on 100% renewable electricity, and in 2025 we diverted 98% of site waste from landfill against a target of 85%.
- Our supply chain work has also earned an A- rating from CDP for supplier engagement.
A Group-wide effort
Sustainability at Gratte Brothers isn’t left to a specialist team. The Gratte Green Committee brings together volunteers from sites, regional offices and support functions. During our 2026 Gratte Goes Green awareness month, 228 colleagues completed our sustainability survey, and their responses are shaping the training we roll out next.
What comes next
Next, we will use our supplier survey results to target the biggest Scope 3 reduction opportunities and taking the summit model to our Building Services & Engineering suppliers. Supply Chain Sustainability School training will also be rolled out across the Group.
Gratte Brothers Group, Sustainability Manager, Alice Kilnler wrote,
“A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to and engaged with the journey so far, particularly my fabulous environmental team, our Gratte Green Committee, and all of the suppliers who have attended events, meetings, and replied to my many emails!” says Alice Kilner, Group Sustainability Manager, who has led the initiative since it began.
Thank you to IWFM and the judges, to category sponsor City Electrical Factors (CEF), and to Normative and all the partners who have supported our journey. Congratulations to our fellow finalists, and last but definitely not least, to our Gratte Brothers team.
Read more about our approach on our Planet page → Planet: A Gratte Brothers Group Focus