Radical honesty: What our 2024–25 carbon report taught us

At Hiyield, we’ve never been fans of greenwashing or ticking boxes just for the sake of it. We carbon report because we believe you can’t manage what you don’t measure. As a B Corp tech agency, we know that every line of code we write and every server we spin up has a physical cost to the planet.

We’ve been tracking our footprint for three years now. It started as a way to understand our baseline, but it’s evolved into a vital part of how we make business decisions – from where we bank to how we build websites.

We’re the first to admit we don’t have it all figured out yet. We are still on a journey, and some years the data tells a more complex story than others. But this year, the numbers are moving in the right direction: our total emissions dropped by 17.4%.

Making sense of the numbers

A carbon report is more than just a spreadsheet; it’s a reflection of our values in action. While the headline reduction is great, the story behind the shifts is what matters most:

• Quality over quantity in restoration: You’ll notice our Ecologi tree count is lower this year (120 trees). That’s because we’ve intentionally shifted our focus toward our partnership with Plant One CIC. Unlike traditional offsetting, Plant One focuses on complex habitat creation and protection right here in Cornwall. It’s a “hands-on” approach that allows our team to get out of the studio and actually put roots in the ground—we believe this long-term local impact is a better use of our budget than simply chasing high volume numbers elsewhere.
• The power of staying put: Our IT equipment emissions saw a massive drop (from ~6.0 to 0.8 tonnes). This is simply down to us being mindful of our growth; we didn’t expand the team this year, so we didn’t buy new gear. We’re sticking with the “circular” mindset—using what we have until it truly needs replacing.
• Hybrid working by choice: Employee commuting emissions have fallen significantly. This isn’t a management mandate, but a reflection of our team’s choice to embrace hybrid working. By being more home-based, we’ve naturally cut out thousands of miles of unnecessary travel.
• Investing in experts: You might spot an increase in our advertising and marketing figures. This year, we made the strategic move to outsource our digital marketing to a specialist agency. While this adds to our Scope 3 “purchased services,” it allows us to grow our impact more effectively by working with experts who share our values.

What’s next?

The work doesn’t stop because the report is published. As we look toward 2026, our priorities are shifting toward even deeper transparency. We are interrogating the carbon cost of AI, refining our sustainable supply chain, and continuing to migrate our clients to 100% renewable hosting.

We’re proud of the progress, but we’re staying curious. There’s a long way to go to reach Net Zero, but we’re committed to taking those steps alongside our team, our clients, and our community.

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