Earlier this year, London-based 3DPRINTUK announced its commitment to a sustainable approach to its additive manufacturing (AM) operations and outlined its Road to Net Zero plan. The company has now announced that it has already taken a significant step towards this goal by attaining certified carbon-neutral status, the first 3-D printing service bureau in the UK to achieve this.

Thanks to its partnership with Climate Partner, 3DPRINTUK has gained a better understanding of its carbon footprint and identified ways to reduce it. The company has also been able to offset the emissions that it cannot eliminate through its current carbon reduction programme.

Through this collaboration, 3DPRINTUK has offset an impressive 448,000kg CO₂, equally split between two supported projects: improved cookstoves in Uganda and wind energy in De Aar, South Africa. Both projects contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have been verified by Carbon Check (India) Private and TUV SUD South Asia Private Ltd, respectively.

The improved cookstoves Uganda project aims to replace conventional and less-efficient cookstoves in the country with improved cookstoves. Three objectives are being pursued: reducing fuel consumption, improving the health of the population in Uganda, and reducing deforestation. The aim of the wind energy project in De Aar is to harness the region’s wind energy potential to balance its energy needs in a sustainable way. The share of electricity now supplied by the wind farm would have otherwise been generated by fossil fuels. The wind power project avoids about 433,920 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year. In addition to the environmental benefits, the project assists the local community by creating jobs and improving the access to healthcare.

3DPRINTUK CEO Nick Allen said: “We were very serious when we made the announcement about our Road to Net Zero initiative. We set ourselves some important goals as a leading 3-D printing service provider, with the full intent to meet them as soon as practicably possible. Offsetting our carbon footprint and achieving certified carbon neutrality is a really great start, and we are proud of this achievement, but it remains just the start. We push on.”