Changes to our reporting in 2026
Updated carbon impact calculations
What’s changed any why
When we adopted our original carbon estimates, organisations typically relied on bespoke calculations or academic studies that were not directly comparable. Since then, WRAP, working on behalf of DEFRA, has developed the CarbonWARM methodology, which is now widely recognised across the UK waste sector.
We have updated our approach to align with CarbonWARM2, which provides standardised carbon factors for wood recycling and energy‑from‑waste. This brings our reporting into line with current best practice and improves comparability with other organisations.
What this means for your reports
- Collections up to 31 December 2025 continue to use our previous calculation.
- Collections from 1 January 2026 onwards use the new CarbonWARM‑based calculation.
- Reports covering both periods apply the appropriate method to each and show a combined total.
Because the calculation method has changed, figures before and after 1 January 2026 should not be compared directly on a like‑for‑like basis.
Changes to jobs and training measures
What’s changed and why
Time‑based measures are more consistent, and work better for reporting at different levels, such as individual sites, monthly periods, or full years. They have also been suggested as a possible improvement in client feedback. We have therefore updated how we report jobs and training outcomes.
How we report these measures now
- ‘Volunteers trained’ is now reported as weeks of training.
- ‘Jobs created’ is now reported as weeks of paid work.
On client reports, these figures continue to be based on national average social outcomes per tonne collected. We now use a rolling 12‑month average rather than a fixed annual average, which makes the figures more responsive to change. All Social and Environmental Impact Reports now use these updated measures, including reports for previous periods, which have been updated to the new template.