Counselor Top 40 supplier SRG (asi/84592; Canada, asi/84595) has taken steps that will help it lower Scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions more than 40% by 2027, according to its recently released 2024 Impact Report.

The company installed 10 hybrid air-source heat pumps at its Markham, ON, facility as part of a large-scale decarbonization project. “As suppliers, vendors and distributors operating facilities, reducing Scope 1 emissions is one of the most direct actions we can take,” SRG noted in a case study about the project. “Decarbonizing operations isn’t just a commitment to sustainability – it’s a necessary step toward a low-carbon future.”

SRG (asi/84592; Canada, asi/84595) has released its 2024 Impact Report, detailing its latest sustainability initiatives.

The case study notes that heat pumps can be three to five times more efficient than traditional heating systems and reduce or eliminate the need for gas heating, which helps cut Scope 1 direct GHG emissions. Plus, heat pumps can be paired with renewable energy like solar or wind to provide 100% clean heating and cooling.

SRG said it also purchased renewable energy credits (RECs), tradeable instruments that represent the environmental benefits of 1 megawatt-hour of electricity generated from renewable sources, to help address unavoidable Scope 2 emissions – indirect emissions from the purchase of energy. The RECs account for 100% renewable energy coverage through 2025, and SRG said it plans to expand the initiative further in 2026.

Across all three of its facilities in the U.S. and Canada, SRG said it reduced its overall carbon footprint by 13%, compared to a 2022 baseline. The supplier said it was a significant accomplishment, considering that it had also undergone continuous expansion with more employees, additional equipment and increased operating days during that timeframe.

Going forward, SRG’s short-term goal is to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions 50% by 2027 and to become carbon neutral by 2035.

On the product side, SRG offers 260 products featuring an assessed product-level carbon footprint. The supplier increased its eco-collection by 39% in 2024. The impact report also highlighted SRG’s PlastEco awards made by PECO, which are sourced from single-use thin plastic litter cleaned up from coastal communities and pressed into sheets that resemble marble.

In addition to releasing its annual impact report, SRG has launched a new impact-focused website, a comprehensive overview of the supplier’s sustainability initiatives, which Brianna Mazze, the company’s vice president of compliance and sustainability, said will continue to be updated with case studies, projects and targets.

With 2023 North American promotional products revenue of $68.8 million, SRG ranked 26th on Counselor’s most recent list of the industry’s largest suppliers.

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