1.  About This Document

This Climate Action Plan sets out Buckinghams Retinue’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. It has been adopted voluntarily by the group’s membership as a public statement of our values and intentions.

This plan is a living document and will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and ambitious.

2.  About Buckinghams Retinue

Buckinghams Retinue is a voluntary re-enactment group. We have no permanent premises, no owned vehicles, and no regular suppliers. Our activities involve members attending events and displays, with occasional hire of vehicles for the transport of equipment and incidental purchases of materials and consumables.

As a small voluntary organisation we are not subject to mandatory carbon reporting obligations. However, we recognise that climate change is a shared challenge and that all organisations — however small — have a role to play.

3.  Our Emissions Profile

Greenhouse gas emissions are commonly categorised into three scopes. Our position under each scope is as follows.

Scope 1 — Direct Emissions

Scope 1 covers emissions from sources that are owned or directly controlled by the organisation, such as fuel burned in owned vehicles or gas heating in premises.

Buckinghams Retinue has no owned vehicles and no premises. Our Scope 1 emissions are therefore zero.

Scope 2 — Purchased Energy

Scope 2 covers emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat, or steam consumed by the organisation.

As we occupy no premises and purchase no energy supply, our Scope 2 emissions are also zero.

Scope 3 — Indirect Emissions

Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions arising from our activities. This is where our entire emissions footprint lies, and it consists of two categories:

• Volunteer travel — members travelling to and from events by private vehicle or other means.
• Hired transport — occasional hire of vans or other vehicles for the movement of equipment to events.

We do not currently calculate the precise tonnage of these emissions. Given the small scale of our activities, we consider a qualitative approach to be proportionate. We commit to reviewing whether quantification would be practicable and beneficial at future annual reviews.

Wood Fires at Events

At events, Buckinghams Retinue cooks on wood fires. In line with standard carbon accounting methodology — including UK government guidance and the approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — the combustion of sustainably sourced wood is treated as carbon neutral. This is because the carbon released during burning was recently absorbed from the atmosphere by the growing tree, and sustainable forestry ensures that equivalent carbon is re-sequestered through replacement growth. Unlike fossil fuels, sustainably sourced wood does not introduce new carbon into the atmosphere.

We are committed to sourcing wood fuel from certified sustainable or verifiably managed sources, and will seek certification (such as FSC or equivalent) where this is practicable. On this basis, our wood fires are recorded as contributing zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

Black Powder — De Minimis Disclosure

In the course of our re-enactment demonstrations, we use small quantities of black powder (gunpowder). Our typical usage is approximately 2 kg per year. Black powder combustion produces carbon dioxide as one of its products; however, at this quantity the associated CO₂ emissions are estimated at less than 1 kg per year — equivalent to driving a petrol car for approximately three to four miles. This is below any recognised materiality threshold in carbon reporting.

We disclose this source in the interests of transparency. In accordance with standard carbon accounting practice, we treat these emissions as de minimis and do not consider further quantification or offsetting to be necessary or proportionate at current usage levels.

4.  Our Approach to Suppliers

Buckinghams Retinue has no regular suppliers. We make occasional purchases of materials, consumables, and equipment in support of our activities. Given the irregular and low-value nature of these transactions, we do not consider it proportionate to require carbon or sustainability disclosures from suppliers at this time.

Where a meaningful choice exists between suppliers, we will favour those who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, all other things being equal. We will keep this position under review as our purchasing patterns evolve.

5.  Our Commitments

The following actions represent our practical commitments to reducing our Scope 3 emissions over time:

Volunteer Travel

• We will actively encourage carpooling and the sharing of lifts to events, and will facilitate this through member communications.
• We will share information with members about lower-carbon travel options where these are available.

Hired Transport

• We will keep the hire of vehicles to the minimum necessary to support our activities.
• We will seek to consolidate equipment movements to reduce the number of vehicle journeys required.

Purchases and Consumption

• We will seek to reuse, repair, and repurpose equipment and materials rather than purchasing new where possible.
• We will consider the environmental credentials of suppliers where a meaningful choice exists.

6.  The Wider Policy Context

Our plan sits within a broader UK policy framework that will drive significant reductions in transport-related emissions over the coming decades.

UK government policy provides for the phase-out of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans. As this policy takes effect and the national vehicle fleet transitions progressively to zero-emission alternatives, emissions associated with volunteer travel to our events are expected to decline over time without the group needing to take specific action.

We welcome this policy direction and note that our net zero target of 2050 is consistent with and supported by this national trajectory. We will monitor relevant government policy and update our plan accordingly.

Vehicle Electrification — Our Most Significant Pathway to Net Zero

Because Buckinghams Retinue has no premises, no owned vehicles, and negligible consumable emissions, volunteer travel and hired transport together represent virtually our entire carbon footprint. The progressive electrification of the UK vehicle fleet is therefore the single most significant factor in our journey to net zero — and one that will largely occur through national policy and individual members’ purchasing decisions, rather than through any specific action by the group.

The trajectory is clear. The sale of new petrol and diesel cars is to be phased out under UK government policy. Electric vehicles produce zero direct (tailpipe) emissions, and as the UK electricity grid continues to decarbonise — with an increasing share generated from renewables — the lifecycle emissions associated with electric vehicle use will continue to fall. By 2050, the vast majority of vehicles on UK roads are expected to be fully electric, meaning that the emissions arising from members travelling to our events, and from any hired transport we use, should by that date be close to zero as a matter of course.

This does not mean we consider our role to be passive. We will continue to encourage carpooling, support accessible venue choices, and promote awareness of lower-carbon travel options. However, we explicitly recognise that vehicle electrification — driven by government policy and wider market forces — is the primary mechanism through which Buckinghams Retinue will achieve net zero, and we consider our 2050 target to be both credible and achievable on this basis.

7.  Our Net Zero Target

Buckinghams Retinue commits to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the United Kingdom’s national net zero target.

This target encompasses all emissions arising from our activities, including Scope 3 emissions from volunteer travel and hired transport. Given that our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are already zero, our efforts will focus entirely on progressively reducing our Scope 3 footprint.

We recognise that net zero does not necessarily mean eliminating all emissions, and that residual emissions may need to be addressed through recognised offset mechanisms as part of a long-term strategy. We will consider this further as our approach matures.

8.  Governance and Review

Responsibility for this Climate Action Plan rests with the membership of Buckinghams Retinue collectively. Day-to-day encouragement of our commitments is the responsibility of the group’s committee.

This plan will be reviewed annually. The review will consider:

• Progress against the commitments set out in Section 5.
• Whether quantification of our Scope 3 emissions is now practicable.
• Any relevant changes in government policy or best practice guidance.
• Whether the net zero target date remains appropriate.

Updated versions of this plan will be published on our website or made available to members on request.

9.  Adoption

This Climate Action Plan was adopted by Buckinghams Retinue in March 2026.