Global leader in vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, joins forces with UN-recognised low-carbon culture change charity The Carbon Literacy Project as the headline sponsor for its prestigious annual Carbon Literate Organisation Awards.
Now in its sixth year, the Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) Awards will celebrate and honour organisations from across the UK and worldwide that have achieved CLO accreditation throughout the past year.
A Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project [1] as being “culturally Carbon Literate”; having certified a substantial proportion of its workforce as Carbon Literate and engaged its stakeholders and wider community in action to cut carbon emissions. The four tiers of CLO accreditation – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum – reflect increasing levels of Carbon Literacy [2] commitment and achievement.
The CLO Awards recognise the exceptional efforts made by the now 310 accredited CLOs to educate and engage their workforce and stakeholders about climate change, its impact and solutions, including practical steps employees can take to reduce organisational carbon emissions.
Copart will itself be recognised as a Platinum CLO at this year’s ceremony, having trained over 80 per cent of its team in Carbon Literacy. To train its team members, Copart utilised the Carbon Literacy Automotive Toolkit, co-developed and funded by Autotrader and available for free to any organisation in the sector. Beginning with Bronze in 2022, Copart has rapidly climbed the CLO ladder by steadily engaging its team members and implementing low-carbon operational changes, which Copart estimates have saved the company £22,000 annually.
Copart has overcome barriers to train a diverse range of teammates, from senior leaders to operatives, and has scaled and extended the training to external partners, including subcontractors, acquired businesses and even customers.
By sponsoring the ceremony, Copart is taking its commitment to driving Carbon Literacy beyond the automotive sector. In doing so, they hope to highlight the crucial role that businesses and organisations – from multinational corporations to SMEs, local councils to government bodies – play in delivering necessary decarbonisation within their industries.
Jane Pocock, CEO at Copart UK & Ireland, commented:
“Following our recent accreditation as a Platinum level CLO, we’re delighted to further demonstrate our commitment to tackling climate change by supporting this year’s Carbon Literate Organisation Awards as headline sponsor.
As a global leader in vehicle remarketing and recycling, we’ve always been a critical enabler of the circular economy, with the very nature of our operations helping to reduce the environmental impact of new vehicle manufacturing by extending the life of existing vehicles.
It’s very important to us that we continue to lead by example and influence positive environmental change and that’s why we’re proud to help raise the profile of The Carbon Literacy Project and the vital education they deliver.”
Phil Korbel, Co-founder and Director of Advocacy at The Carbon Literacy Project, commented:
“If we’re to maximise our efforts to tackle the climate crisis, then everyone needs to be Carbon Literate.
That’s why Copart’s role both as sponsor and Platinum CLO is so exciting – because they’ve not only excelled in a sector associated with having a high footprint but also committed to communicating that success beyond their company and sector.
This will not only amplify their own work but make it easier for other employers to get on board.”
The 2025 Carbon Literate Organisation Awards will take place on 12th June in Manchester. The event will bring together representatives from organisations across a vast range of sectors to celebrate achievements, share best practice, and inspire further action in the drive to decarbonise society in the UK and beyond.
[1] The Carbon Literacy Project: (www.carbonliteracy.com)
The Carbon Literacy Project (CLP) was created and founded in 2011 and launched publicly in November 2012.
In 2013, The Carbon Literacy Trust (registered charity number: 1156722) was established and took on all Carbon Literacy Project assets, so that the charity’s trustees could oversee the dissemination of Carbon Literacy across the UK and beyond, for the public good.
[2] Carbon Literacy is:
“An awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.”
It is achieved through participation in, and successful testing and certification of individuals as Carbon Literate, at the completion of a day’s worth of learning and action.
