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Comment
Not many Government initiatives win broad support from
business, especially not those that impose extra red tape.
Even so we shouldn’t be surprised by the positive reaction to
proposed mandatory carbon reporting for companies listed
on the London Stock Exchange. Many large businesses already
calculate carbon emissions and even those that don’t must
surely recognise the value in measuring, monitoring and
controlling emissions. In addition to the financial advantages
of doing so, there is growing recognition that sustainability has
clear commercial benefits (see story to right).
James Goulding
, Editor
03 Green
Agenda
12 Cover Story
Kyocera celebrates the 20th
anniversary of ECOSYS
technology
15 Energy management
How Capgemini is monitoring
energy use to reduce its
carbon footprint.
16 Recycling
Banner Business Supplies wins
a National Recycling Award
for its Closed Loop paper
recycling system
18 Managed Print
Services
How Defra and Logica have
slashed carbon emissions from
their printer fleets
Editor:
James Goulding
07803 087228 [email protected]
Advertising Director:
EthanWhite
01732 759725 [email protected]
Publishing Director:
Neil Trim
01732 759725 [email protected]
Group Sales Manager:
Martin Jenner-Hall
07824 552116 [email protected]
Advertising Executive:
Brett Blake-Morris
01732 759725 [email protected]
Sustainable Times is, published by Kingswood Media Ltd.,
Amhurst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT
Tel: 01732 759725. Email: [email protected]
No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission
of the publisher. © 2012 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.
SUMMER 2012
20 Green
Products
Our
selection
of new
products
and
services
22 Electric cars
Demand remains low, but
shortcomings are being
addressed
24 Catering &
Vending
Mars Drinks’ path to
sustainability
26 The Green
Deal
What you need to
know about The
Green Deal
28 CRC
Are you ready for Phase 2
of the Carbon Reduction
Commitment?
29 Green Marketing
What’s wrong with making
a profit?, asks
Steve Hewson
CONTENTS
greenAgenda
sustainabletimes
03
Sustainability vital for future growth
say three out of four businesses
The vast majority of businesses
say that sustainability is vital to
their future prosperity, but almost
half say that margins are currently
lower on sustainable products and
services, according to an international
survey of 250 senior executives by
Accenture.
Four out of 10 respondents (44%)
believe that sustainability is critical to
their business, with 78% considering it
vital for their future growth.
Commercial considerations are
the main motivation for investing
in sustainability: 62% say their
sustainable investments are driven by
customer expectations for sustainable
products and services and 60% by the
opportunity to drive growth. Only 41%
of those surveyed are motivated by
regulatory compliance and just 29% by
the need to reduce energy and material
costs.
When asked if their sustainable
investments were to aid growth or
improve efficiency and cut costs, almost
twice as many pointed to growth over
efficiencies (41% to 22%).
Although the vast majority (83%)
of respondents see spending on
sustainability as an investment rather
than a cost, 56% believe it is more
expensive to be a sustainable business
and 49% say margins are lower on
sustainable products and services.
This could be because almost half
the respondents (47%) think consumers
are reluctant to pay more for sustainable
products and services, compared to 25%
who believe they are willing to pay a
premium.
Even so, 60% admit to charging
premiums. Two thirds of those that do
claim they can charge 5-20% extra and
17% impose premiums of 20-50%.
Despite charging higher prices, over
one third (37%) of businesses surveyed
say they cannot keep up with customer
demand for sustainable products and
services.
When asked what actions they have
taken to respond to rising demand,
44% claimed to have promoted existing
sustainability credentials; 43% have
launched new products and services; and
41% have checked their supply chain
credentials.
www.accenture.com
Erratum:
Our feature on Purple Gossip in the last issue of
Sustainable Times
(Spring
2012, page 18) incorrectly stated that the company collects used mobile phones in
exchange for cash or a charitable donation. In fact, this is the role of its sister company
The Recycling Factory. Purple Gossip only refurbishes and sells used phones. Many
apologies for any confusion or inconvenience that this might have caused.
Trend Controls, the UK market leader in Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS),
is making energy management simpler and more accessible with the launch of new
touch-screen displays that give building occupants instant access to live information
on energy use. Trend Controls claims that 50% or more of the energy consumed within
a building is directly influenced by occupants and that by clearly showing the effect
of actions, such as opening windows, adjusting thermostats or turning on the heating,
publicly located IQView8 displays can reinforce energy-efficient behaviour.
www.trendcontrols.com