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East Sussex catering company
Zebedee’s Lunch Box has made savings
worth thousands of pounds by taking
advantage of free advice and services
provided by Low Carbon Essentials, an
EU-funded project designed to help
businesses in the South-East reduce
waste, cut energy bills and shrink their
carbon footprint.
Funded by the European Regional
Development Fund (until December
2012) and delivered by a consortium of
partners in the South East led by business
development company BSK-CiC, Low
Carbon Essentials is open to businesses
based in the South East Euro Region
(excluding London) that have fewer than
250 employees and a turnover of less than
€
50 million.
Its range of free services includes
advice, networking events, feasibility
studies and energy audits.
After consulting Low Carbon Essentials,
Zebedee’s Lunch Box, which provides a
‘meals on wheels’ service for the childcare
and education sectors, implemented a
number of green initiatives that have
helped it reduce energy consumption and
even generate revenue by selling on the
250 kilos of cardboard waste it produces
each week.
These include a £750 investment on a
tin crusher and cardboard baler that had an
ROI of six months; an air-water heat pump
that heats water by extracting excess heat
from the kitchen and then circulates cool
air to make the working environment more
comfortable (saving more than £5,000 per
year); and energy efficient light bulbs and
motion sensors in the toilets and stock
rooms (saving £1,500 per year).
08457 226655
www.lowcarbonessentials.co.uk
10
sustainabletimes
01732 759725
greenAgenda
New forum to measure carbon
impact of consumer goods
WRAP is bringing together
80 retailers, suppliers,
environmental charities,
academics and government
bodies to work together to
reduce the environmental
impact of everyday
consumer goods, from dairy
products and DIY materials
to soft drinks and tinned
groceries, that collectively
are responsible for 30%
of global greenhouse gas
emissions.
The Product Sustainability
Forum (PSF) will measure the
lifetime impact of products across a range of sustainability
targets (e.g. carbon, water, use of raw materials, energy and
waste) and identify how to make them more environmentally
friendly.
According toWRAP, on average for every tonne of products
we consume, 10 tonnes of fuel and materials have been used,
rising to 100 tonnes if we include water.
WRAP chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin, who is chairing the
new forum, said: “The scale of the challenge is enormous. For
example, the British Retail Consortium estimates that the retail
sector alone accounts for around 3.5% of the UK’s carbon
emissions, and the retail supply chain for more than 30%.”
She added: “Many companies already measure the
environmental impact of their products but until now this has
always been done in isolation and the methodology and results
have not been shared. By working together we have a real
opportunity to minimise the effect our activities have on the
planet.”
The PSF is currently identifying grocery and DIY products
that have the most potential for improved environmental
performance. The next step will be the publication of a report
outlining an action plan.
www.wrap.org.uk/psf
Free support helps
Zebedee’s slash
carbon footprint
WRAP loan fund to support new business ideas
WRAP has extended the support
packages it provides businesses,
local authorities and third sector
organisations looking to prevent
waste or increase re-use and
repair capacity across England.
One element is the £1.5 million
Waste Prevention Loan Fund,
which offers loans of between
£100,000 and £1 million to
businesses wanting to develop new
opportunities that prevent waste or
use less product to deliver a service.
Examples of the sort of
initiatives supported include
changing from product sales to
service delivery (e.g. leasing) or
creating customer incentives to
return products for re-manufacture,
re-use or recycling.
To qualify, solutions to waste
issues must be proven but require
finance to scale up to a commercial
level.WRAP is particularly interested
in the re-use and repair of textiles,
electrical items and furniture, but
will consider plans for any material
stream.
In addition to loans,WRAP
can provide grants for equipment;
business development support
e.g. marketing and financial
planning; and can help identify
finance partners that might
have a better understanding of
new business opportunities than
traditional sources of funding.
Matthew Broadbent, Head of
Financial Mechanisms at WRAP,
said: “Finding smart ways to prevent
waste arising in the first place and
then to re-use or repair what is
created makes pure business sense.
We know there are lots of creative
ideas out there so we’re looking
for opportunities to scale these up
to really make a bigger difference,
driving green growth further and
faster.”
www.wrap.org.uk/content/wplf
Mandatory carbon reporting for UK
The UK has become the first country to
make it compulsory for companies to include
emissions data for their entire organisation in
annual reports.
Under plans announced by the Deputy Prime
Minister Nick Clegg, all businesses listed on the
Main Market of the London Stock Exchange will
have to report their greenhouse gas emissions
starting next financial year.
The new regulations will be introduced from April 2013 and will be reviewed in 2015,
before ministers decide whether to extend the approach to all large companies from 2016.
Emissions reporting is seen as an important first step for companies in their quest to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nick Clegg said: “British companies need to reduce their
harmful emissions for the benefit of the planet, but many back our plans because being
energy efficient makes good business sense too. It saves companies money on energy bills,
improves their reputation with customers and helps them manage their long-term costs.”
The UK is committed to cutting UK carbon emissions to 50% of 1990 levels by 2025.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/economy/business-efficiency/reporting/.
Retail focus: Dr Liz Goodwin