News

Carbon: departing from a station near you, soon

Thought I’d post an article that appeared on the University of Exeter blog recently – it’s a little dated now and represents more of a ‘scene-setting’ piece, but is useful for bringing the topic of carbon awareness to a wider audience.  The article has also appeared in the Western Morning News’ Big Green Guide recently.

The ‘Carbon train’ has already left the station and businesses across the South West had better be prepared for the challenges ahead, argues Simon Ramsay, Associate Research Fellow at the Business School.

There’s an old and widely-covered Curtis Mayfield song that starts: “People get ready – there’s a train a-comin’…” Originally attributed with heralding increased Afro-American civil rights, the same lyrics may also hold a more contemporary twist: a general feeling that there is some impending revolution heading towards us which, although undefined, feels unavoidable. I’m not referring to the government’s spending cuts, or to the various-letters-of-the-alphabet-shaped recession, but to “carbon” – the word that has been transformed from representing a chemical element talked about in our school classes to a concept that now seems to permeate most things in our lives, from our news headlines to our supermarket shelves.

Curtis Mayfield. For details of the carbon footprint of nylon trousers, please visit our 'Resources' page and use our 'Show Me The Carbon' tool.

During the last decade, the threat of climate change and the scientific consensus around the need for significant reductions on greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions have grown sufficiently to now be directly informing and influencing public policy at several levels. The setting up of The Carbon Trust in 2001 signalled the start of a more direct attempt by the government to promote a transition towards a ‘low carbon economy’. Since then, the UK has been committed to a long-term, legally binding framework for emissions reductions (with the Climate Change Act in 2008), with a target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. The last few years have seen a relentless, carbon-focused policy activity, with the election of the coalition government further increasing the pressure when David Cameron pledged to build ‘the greenest government ever’. More recently, the Government has launched its Green Deal Energy Strategy; the Carbon Reduction Commitment’s league tables were published and the southwest region was designated as a Marine Energy Park.

The changes have not only taken place at a wider policy level, but have also impacted on how the private sector operates. Last year, several leading industry firms (including Pepsico, The Co-operative, Microsoft, BT, AXA and Aviva) started a petition for signatures to urge the government to announce a firm commitment to mandatory carbon reporting. Behind this concerted action was the recognition of the rewards the move could bring to companies taking a lead in the green economy, its role in supporting investors’ decision-making and, above all, the urgent need for clarity and a level playing field for the private sector. A recent report by Defra found that businesses which have been voluntarily measuring and reporting their emissions have been achieving cost savings and better relationships with investors and customers. Mandatory carbon reporting seems, then, only a question of time.

The fact is that markets have already started moving towards making carbon reductions. Growing public awareness to climate change, public policy developments and consumer trends are all likely to have contributed, but so have market mechanisms and simple bottom-line business sense, as energy prices steadily increase and the supply of commodities becomes less predictable. Big businesses are now not only looking at just their own emissions, but also expecting reciprocity from their suppliers. In the UK, most of the major retailers are announcing ambitious carbon reduction targets for their supply chains. Tesco has declared an aim to achieve a 30% carbon reduction in its supply chain by 2020 – the company, carbon footprinted over 1,000 products and labelled over 500 in UK stores in 2011. Walmart (owner of ASDA) announced the intention to eliminate 20 million tonnes of carbon emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015. Sainsbury’s is committed to reducing its operational carbon emissions, by 30% absolute and 65% relative, by 2020 compared with 2005 – part of their broader target of an absolute carbon reduction of 50% by 2030. Whilst Marks & Spencer’s revised Plan A now includes a dedicated section focused specifically on the reduction of its suppliers’ carbon footprint, listing 33 separate commitments, from energy efficiency targets in its food suppliers to changes in logistics and operations.

So what does all this mean to the mainly rural businesses and communities of the southwest? Well, Mayfield’s song only got it half right on this one: “You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board…” The ripples of the change being produced in the public and private sectors are bound to touch everyone so we are all on board this particular train, whether we like it or not. Sooner or later someone will demand to know about your carbon credentials, if not a regulator than a business client or individual customer. When that happens you will need your best carbon trolley case and, packed inside it, the knowledge, skills and capacity to demonstrate that you can engage in the dialogue and address the challenges expected from you. This train has already left the station, and we had all better catch up because, in the words of Mr. Mayfield again: “there ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner…”.

The Carbon Show 2011 – time to evolve?

The 2011 Carbon Show took place in late October beneath the vaulted ceilings of the old Royal Agricultural Hall (or “The Aggie” as it was known by locals) – now resplendent as the Business Design Centre.  A hardened posse of Clear About Carbon delegates made the journey to the capital to learn more of the event’s outcomes: present were the (ever-sartorially floral) Paul Holmes from the Eden Project along with Fernando Correia and Simon Ramsay from the University of Exeter Business School.

Source: The Carbon Show, October 2011

Modernising Public Procurement Conference

A couple of weeks ago I attended the European Commission conference on Modernising Public Procurement. The conference reviewed responses received to the recent consultation on the modernisation of the EU Procurement Regulations which govern all public procurement in the member states. Currently, these regulations are thought by many to restrict the advancement of sustainable, green and low carbon procurement primarily due to the restrictions they place on both market engagement and the questioning of production processes. For the EC this modernisation is about balancing the core principles of the EU – fair trade across a single market, transparency and the aspirations outlined in the Europe 2020 Strategy which aims to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. In the conference, a number of key areas were explored:

• Simplification
• Legal clarification
• SME engagement
• Flexibility
• Thresholds
• Public to Public Procurement
• Self declaration (procurement passport)
• Professionalisation
• E-procurement
• Negotiated procedure and competitive dialogue

One of the most interesting areas which was explored, summarised perfectly by Joost Van Iersel when he said ‘correct implementation is the best form of simplification’, is the varying interpretations of the regulations within member states. The status of different national policies which support the EU regulations are questionable and allow for different amounts of flexibility, this also provides a barrier to cross-border procurement.

Contrary to my thoughts when I went in, the private sector tended to fight hard against significant changes to the regulation. Word on the ground with many of the organisations the project has worked with over the last 2 years has been around the unnecessary complexity of the current system. However, the private sector representatives at the conference had a good point; do we really want another 10 years of building case law? Another 10 years of uncertainty….

What was dissapointing for me and colleagues who I knew at the conference was the lack of representation from the procurement sector on the panels. Public procurement officers are the people who work within these regulations on a day to day basis. Surely this makes them an important stakeholder group in the modernisation process?

The view I went away with at the end of the day, having listened to some highly informed speakers was that we need evolution, not revolution. It was agreed by all stakeholders that the process is not quite right at the moment, but, providing legal clarity, especially around supplier engagement and manufacturing process, will enable public sector authorities to strive for the Europe 2020 goals in a far more effective manner.

David Morgan, Project Officer, CDC

Clear About Carbon training adopted by government department

Exciting news! Carbon Literacy for Procurers, one of Clear About Carbon’s modules, has been adapted into a national Defra programme with 19 accredited trainers across the UK.

The government department will launch the e-learning programme later this summer, which includes modules on climate change; the greenhouse effect; legislation and regulation; renewable and low carbon energy sources; carbon accounting for organisations and projects; product footprinting and low carbon procurement.

Carleen Kelemen, director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, told Business Cornwall Magazine: ‘Environmental sustainability is an integral part of the drive to strengthen the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. By becoming savvier about issues such as procurement, businesses can not only save themselves money and time but can lower their greenhouse gas emissions.’

Eden co-hosts Construction in the Green Economy conference

Industry experts from the south west are gathering at Eden on 11 May for a special conference on sustainable construction.

The Institution of Civil Engineers event focuses on how the sector can deliver building projects sustainably within the context of climate change legislation and financial constraints. Discussions will centre on what the government’s green agenda means for engineers, designers and constructors, as well as look at practical ways to gain funding and to minimise energy and materials.

There’ll also be an opportunity to hear from Eden experts on what we’ve learnt over the last decade about sustainable construction [right].

One of the speakers, Caron Thompson, who led Eden’s pioneering regeneration work at White River Place in St Austell, says: ‘One of Eden’s aims as a leader in the field of sustainable construction is to share the learning from our projects both on and off site and to stimulate and encourage discussion from other practitioners in the industry.

‘The ICE conference has an exciting range of speakers that offers the opportunity for participants to consider how inspiration and innovation, backed with an understanding of the practicalities of delivering a project, can work together as a driver for more sustainable projects.’

Key speakers include representatives from CIRIA, Network Rail and North Devon Homes, and the day will culminate in a guided tour around the Eden site.

The Construction in the Green Economy conference takes place on Wednesday 11 May from 9.30–4.00 at the Eden Project, Cornwall. The cost of the day is £125 excluding VAT per delegate, and will include the opportunity of a guided tour around Eden Project site. To find out more about the conference visit the ICE website. To book a place and for any enquiries please contact Charlotte Snooks on 01752 896749 or email charlotte.snooks@ice.org.uk

 Check out how Eden has built its iconic, sustainable buildings.