The Christmas countdown is well and truly on, and as we prepare to end what has been a phenomenal year (for lots of reasons!) the Vapour team wanted to update you on something a little different, this December.

Ordinarily, we’d be busy wrapping hundreds of gifts and handwriting cards to post to customers and partners throughout the UK. But while we still agree that Christmas is the time for giving, and sharing our thanks to the people who’ve supported us over the past 12 months, we think it’s time to do something that’s a little kinder to our planet too. So, for the first time, Vapour won’t be keeping Royal Mail busy this December. Instead, we’re planting a tree, in the name of every customer or partner we work with!

This has all been made possible, thanks to a collaboration with The Future Forest Company – an organisation committed to reforestation and the role it can play in preventing irreversible climate change.

Our involvement in this nature-based carbon removal and storage initiative is just one way to improve our own green efforts. And, as we continue on our journey to becoming net zero by 2040 – following our recent pledge to the SME Climate Hub – there’ll be plenty more where this came from. In a crowded industry, how and why we do business the way we do, is very important to the Vapour team. So, we hope you like the idea. Not only that, but we will have geolocation of our trees in the incredibly named Vapour Wood!

So, on behalf of the whole team, we wish you all a very merry Christmas, a well earned rest, and a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes, around the UK, are vocalising their desire to cut carbon emissions and protect the planet – not least because of the impetus that has emerged as a result of COP26.

But Vapour has taken things one step further, having signed the pledge to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions by 2040 – a decade sooner than the Government’s net zero target.

The commitment comes as the team signs up to the SME Climate Hub – an initiative recognised by the United Nations – Race to Zero campaign.

“The UK was the world's first major economy to set a target of being net zero by 2050,” elaborated Vapour’s head of transformation and operations Carol McGrotty. “But to achieve such a bold vision, we all need to do our bit.

“Net zero means that we must put no more carbon into the atmosphere than we are taking out of it. So, the hard work starts now!”

Vapour is no stranger to making environmentally friendly efforts, with initiatives over the years ranging from small steps such as wild-flowering, on-site recycling, and the use of energy efficient lighting, through to more major movements. Carol recently authored a piece for Comms Dealer, for example, which explored how vendors in the channel could all reduce their carbon impact. And she similarly shared advice on our own knowledge hub to help customers and partners improve the green credentials of their tech stack too.

“We must acknowledge the part that we all play in this,” she added. “Yes, it will mean operational adjustments in some instances, and a strategic mindset shift is arguably even more important than that. But think of the benefits of this effort. We’re talking about a planet that can be truly – but responsibly – enjoyed, for generations to come.

“I’m proud that there’s so much energy within the Vapour team, to make this happen.”

Watch this space to see how Vapour’s journey to net zero unfolds…