Carbon footprint if a growing and high profile business - rapidly responding to changing market needs

1. Carbon Footprint Management
in action
Helen Joy
Environmental Consultant

2. Carbon Footprint is a growing & high profile
business - rapidly responding to changing market
needs
• Independent & wholly management owned
• Based in UK (South East England)
• Started as web-based business, Feb 05
• First ‘Offset’ product launched, Dec 05
• Full time in March 07
• Growing core team
• Internationally recognised brand by
businesses & consumers
• International presence

3. Conder Structures
Business appraisal, reductions and offsets
Conder Structures – a major steel products construction company
Reason for contacting CFP
• Market pressures -required for tender
• Market advantage –green credentials
• Corporate Responsibility
• Costs
How were Carbon Footprint able to
respond?
• Business appraisal of their operations:
– Site electricity
– Site gas
– GHG usage
– Business transport
– Site fuel consumption
• Appraisal of their external project site
emissions
• Inclusion of their outsourced logistics

4. Conder Structures cont..
Outcomes of the appraisal:
• Provided an overall primary carbon footprint for the company
• Identified the key sources of CO2 emissions made by the company – site electricity,
site gas and haulage (although part of their secondary footprint).
• Detailed travel results demonstrating particular vehicles with the highest emissions.
• Examined the footprint of building projects to provide an estimated project emissions
figure for all projects.
• Included haulage figures and onsite figures to work with partners within supply chain.

5. Conder Structures cont..
Conder embraced Carbon Footprint’s appraisal recommendations
– Onsite energy survey
• Implemented Dezem real time monitoring equipment to monitor energy and
water consumption
• Lighting and Motor Controls surveys completed
• Timers installed on additional heating systems and machinery
– Managing the complete lifecycle from design principles through to recycling
– Key advocates for environmental responsibility in their sector –leading a
sustainability group within the industry
– Implementing a behavioural change programme that will see significant cost &
carbon savings having attending a Carbon Footprint Foundation Course
– Offset to become carbon neutral
– Repeat appraisals – 2007, 2008, current appraisal in progress.

6. Connaught
- Appraisal and operational reductions
Reason for contacting CFP
Connaught Environmental needed to make genuine carbon reductions and
improve their green credentials to support bids - particularly to meet local
authorities’ procurement needs.
How were Carbon Footprint able to respond?
Carbon Footprint helped Connaught by appraising their grounds
maintenance service at their Hillingdon site , providing
– A full process carbon appraisal of the company’s grounds maintenance
service, ( inc energy consumption of the site’s offices & storage
accommodation and vehicle fuel consumption)
– An onsite energy survey to identify possible energy saving installations 50% carbon
(Fassnidge Depot ) reductions &
operational
– An assessment of the company’s secondary carbon footprint – including practices to
emissions produced by the staff commuting & and suppliers as Connaught
wished to influence behaviours of their employees & supply chain
achieve this
identified

7. Connaught cont..
– Quantified operational carbon savings of 50% of current emissions & action
plans to achieve
• Alterations to management/service practises
e.g. Bowling greens – a change in maintenance schedules saved 34% of emissions, time
and money – without affecting the opportunity to play.
• Highlighted areas of excessive carbon spend within contract
e.g. Council requested box collected grass cuttings from housing areas
20% emission savings could be achieved if left as fly cut.
• Opportunities to change vehicles and fuel types
Potential 50% reduction through use of electric and biodiesel.
• Connaught are now
– Evaluating the cost savings of implementing Carbon Footprint’s
recommendations
– Looking to roll out carbon appraisals across the broader business

8. Opportunities for all
• Start with a business appraisal –understand your emissions
• Gain company buy in
– Top level sign up
– Environmental Policy
– Action plan and group
• Identify areas of greatest spend
• Identify potential reductions
– Technology
– Operations
– Day to day behaviour
• Further your impact – supply chain opportunities, sharing and
promoting best practise
• Benefit - lower emissions, reputation, bottom line savings.