7th August 2024
Encyclis has published a full Sustainability Report following its second anniversary as a standalone European business. The company – one of the leading Energy-from-Waste operators in the UK and the largest operator in Ireland – provides full details of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and sets out a decarbonisation strategy to support the UK and European transition to Net Zero.
The Sustainability Report fulfils Encyclis’ commitment to demonstrate its progress across a full range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities in 2023. Among the milestones documented are triple ISO certifications achieved at the Rookery South and Newhurst facilities, recognising the highest standards of quality management, environmental management and occupational health and safety management.
The report also outlines the company’s vision for the future, including an industry-leading decarbonisation strategy, which aims to harness carbon capture and storage (CCS), district heating and resource efficiency to support the Net Zero targets for waste in the UK and Europe. Additionally, Encyclis has set a target to achieve 100% circularity in its operations by 2030.
Encyclis CEO Owen Michaelson said: “I am immensely proud of the progress we have made in building a standalone business in Europe and delivering an ambitious decarbonisation strategy. This report reflects our ongoing commitment to providing essential social infrastructure which is part of the solution on the road to Net Zero. As a vital component of the waste hierarchy, Encyclis is ultimately dedicated to playing a key role in empowering and supporting a sustainable future for the UK, by setting new standards of sustainability in the Energy-from-Waste sector.”
The company is poised to deliver the UK’s first commercial-scale carbon capture plant at an Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility via a pathfinder project in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Encyclis is aiming to prove that its essential public sanitation role can be fulfilled while capturing carbon dioxide emissions, which would create a repeatable net-zero model for other EfW plants around the world to follow.
Final negotiations are underway to secure commercial arrangements for the carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant, which will lock away up to 350,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from the Protos Energy Recovery Facility, currently under construction in Ellesmere Port. As part of the Hynet North West decarbonisation cluster and lead emitter project in Track 1, Phase 2 of the DESNZ Sequencing Programme, the captured carbon will be transported via pipelines for storage in depleted gas fields in Liverpool Bay.
Encyclis is also progressing on its mission to decarbonise adjacent local communities with advancing plans for district heat networks. With the necessary infrastructure partners in place, Encyclis will enable commercial buildings and neighbouring homes to benefit from the heat produced by its nearby facilities.
The company’s operational and planned EfW facilities will provide the UK with 2.7m tonnes of treatment capacity for residual waste, providing 282MWh of baseload electricity, which is enough to power 562,500 homes.
Data in the report underlines the company’s dedication to a ‘safety first’ culture. A dedicated employee-led programme has been rolled out across all sites and is advocated by the teams. In a recent staff survey, safety and sustainability were cited as top knowledge areas for the business, which was also recommended as an employer of choice by 70% of those surveyed.
Click here to see the full Sustainability Report
About Encyclis
Encyclis provides energy recovery infrastructure which turn residual waste into low-carbon electricity, heat and other reusable materials. Formerly known as Covanta Europe, our state-of-the-art energy recovery facilities support the transition to a circular economy by making productive use of residual waste that would otherwise go to landfill. Encyclis is part-owner and operator of three EfW facilities: Rookery South ERF in Bedfordshire; Newhurst ERF in Leicestershire; and Dublin Waste to Energy in Ireland. Further facilities are currently under construction: Protos ERF in Cheshire, and Walsall ERF in the West Midlands. The company is investing in processing plants to recycle the metals and produce aggerates from the bottom ash that remains after thermal treatment of waste. The company’s first dedicated plant recently opened in Northamptonshire and another is under construction in Dublin. When complete, these combined facilities will process up to 300,000 tonnes of ash per year, bringing Encyclis closer to its target of achieving 100% circularity in operations by 2030.
With over 200 employees, our existing facilities operate 24/7 to collectively divert 1.5 million tonnes of waste from landfill every year and generate enough electricity to power nearly 300,000 homes. With expertise stretching back over three decades, extensive partnerships and continuous innovation, Encyclis provides a progressive solution for waste management on the road to Net Zero.