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According to Kyocera’s latest Sustainability survey, offce
workers printed 40% fewer pages last year – the frst fall
since the survey began in 2007. This is impressive, but not
unexpected: indeed, it’s more surprising that this is the frst
time a fall has been registered. After all, it is in the interests of
everyone (bar printer and paper suppliers) to use less paper.
Cutting print volumes, often through managed print services,
is popular because it it is at heart a cost cutting measure that
also looks good from a CSR perspective. In time the same
could be true of renewable energy projects that, according to
the Carbon Trust (see story to right), have an average return
on investment of more than 10%. The Government’s proposal
to slash Feed-in-Tariffs from solar installations by up to 50%
makes such projects much less appealing. If they go ahead,
the changes could be devastating for the renewable energy
industry and deprive small businesses of an exciting way to
save money and reduce carbon emissions.
James Goulding, Editor
03 Agenda
Sustainability
for offces
and offce
products
09 Cloud computing
Cloud computing
companies draw fre
for datacentre energy
consumption
17 Cover story
Protecting your data
and the environment
18 Window Film
How low-e window flm
brings year round savings
20 What’s New
The best new green
products for offce buyers
Editor
James Goulding 07803 087228 [email protected]
Advertising Director
EthanWhite 01474 824711 [email protected]
Publishing Director
Neil Trim 07803 087229 dd 01737 249408 [email protected]
Group Sales Manager
Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552116 [email protected]
Sustainable Times is a supplement of Business Info Magazine.
It is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 4 New Cottages,
Green Farm Lane, Shorne, Kent DA12 3HQ.
Tel: 01474 824711. Email: [email protected]
No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior
written permission of the publisher. © 2011 Kingswood Media Ltd.
Design: Sandtiger Media – www.sandtiger.co.uk
The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who
operate within internationally recognized standards.
The paper is made from Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is
sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation.
WINTER 2008/9
22 Sustainable
transport
As rail becomes a rich
man’s toy, how do you
make road travel more
sustainable?
28 Electric vehicles
We examine the most
common concerns
29 Catering
What happens
when coffee
meets CSR
30 Green
Marketing
Steve Hewson explains
how to make the most
of your investment in
sustainability
31 Offce Lighting
What to consider when
designing your offce
lighting
CONTENTS
greenAgenda
sustainabletimes 03
A match made in carbon
A match-making database that
brings together UK carbon reduction
projects, such as community-owned
renewable energy installations, with
organisations wishing to support
them has been launched by BRE,
British Airways, Deloitte and Forum
for the Future.
The UK Carbon Reporting Framework
aims to overcome barriers that have
limited corporate involvement in local
projects, principally uncertainty about
the carbon reduction benefts that
funding organisations can take credit for.
It does this by requiring project
developers to use standardised carbon
accounting methods to calculate
the reductions associated with their
projects.
Where these already exist, such as
theWoodland Carbon Code, they will be
used.Where they don’t, BRE has initiated
the development of new methodologies
and will work with appropriate sector
expert organisations to develop
additional ones going forward.
Jon d’Este-Hoare of BRE said: “Our
research strongly demonstrates that
UK corporates want to support carbon
reduction projects in this country. UK-
based carbon reduction projects do not
qualify for carbon offsetting schemes,
but offsetting is not the only way – or
motivation – for companies to support
these projects.
“The reasons why companies want
to support UK-based projects are many
and varied. For some it may be the
opportunity to support projects which
have a direct impact on the lives of their
staff and customers, for others it may be
about communication – solar panels on
the local school are easier to understand
than a carbon offset project overseas.”
Carbon reduction initiatives and
community groups can register projects
in need of funding at
www.ukcarbonreporting.org.
Businesses that invest in renewable
energy could make average returns
of 11-12%, with the potential
for returns in excess of 20%, the
Carbon Trust claims in a new report
(published before the Government’s
latest proposals to slash solar PV
feed-in-tariffs).
Analysis by Carbon Trust Advisory
indicates that fnancial incentives,
such as the Government’s Renewable
Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed in Tariff
(FiT); the rising price of energy; and
building regulations are combining
to create a compelling case for UK
businesses to generate their own
renewable energy.
Among the most attractive options
are anaerobic digestion (AD), wind,
biomass heating systems and ground
source heat pumps, with AD grid
injection and biomass boilers offering
the highest average rate of return.
The report warns that returns
from renewable energy vary greatly
and are infuenced by a number of
factors such as levels of internal
expertise; whether a company
purchases or directly generates
renewable energy; and whether it
adopts on-site or off-site projects.
Carbon Trust Advisory says that
the pace is being set by retailers and
consumer goods brands, such as ASDA,
IKEA, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer,
which all have a target of moving to
100% renewable energy.
Overall, businesses are taking a
mixed approach, sourcing renewable
energy both from their own projects
and from energy providers. IKEA, for
example, now obtains 80% of its total
energy use from renewables and has
invested in a mix of ground source
heat pumps, biomass, solar panels and
wind power.
Renewable energy
projects generate
power and proft
IKEA has spent £4million ftting 39,000
solar panels to the rooftops of 10 IKEA
stores and invested in a 12.3 Megawatt
wind farm in Aberdeenshire. Photo shows
solar panels on its Milton Keynes store.
Sustainable
Editor’s Choice Award
UK Carbon Reporting Framework