CARBON REDUCTION COMMITMENT

TURNING CARBON REDUCTIO

acilities which take a proactive approach to managing their carbon emissions can benefit from significant reductions in energy consumption in addition to meeting the rapidly increasing demand for low carbon properties.

F

Recent research from The Carbon

Trust showed that non-domestic buildings account for 18% of the UK’s carbon emissions. Science is telling us that an absolute reduction of 80% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is required by mid- century to prevent the increasingly severe effects of climate change, and limit the impact on the world’s economy. This is at a time when global emissions are growing at their fastest rate ever. Figure 1 illustrates the massive gap between the ‘business as usual’ global emissions growth path and the ‘stabilization’ trajectory.

How do facilities management companies take responsibility for their carbon emissions, prepare for increasing stakeholder and government demands for reduced emissions and ensure they get immediate business value from the action they take?

By developing an offset inclusive carbon reduction solution, facilities management companies can demonstrate that they are reducing carbon emissions while presenting a competitive environmental solution to customers and adding value by driving down costs. All organisations face a similar challenge: how to grow profitably and reduce carbon emissions.

WHY OFFSET INCLUSIVE CARBON MANAGEMENT?

Such a programme represents: • The most efficient way to reduce emissions beyond a certain point.

• For many, the only way to reach scientifically significant emission reduction targets.

• A cost benchmark against which to measure the efficiency of all internal reduction opportunities.

• A driver of operational behavioural change to adopt energy efficient working practices.

• A cost effective way to present a climate change credential to customers that will drive revenue and to stakeholders that will enhance corporate reputation.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Facilities management companies may wish to take a strong position for their company to differentiate from their competitors, or to offer a carbon reduction solution to their customers which will enable them to drive down energy costs and build a strong environmental credential.

All businesses that successfully execute offset inclusive carbon management strategies must: • Measure baseline emissions. • Set scientifically significant reduction targets.

• Meet the targets most cost effectively through internal reductions and carbon offsets.

• Communicate their activity to stakeholders.

WHAT IS CARBON OFFSETTING?

For every one tonne of CO2

that an

organisation produces, it pays to enable an equivalent amount of CO2

saved is measured and sold as a to be saved

by an offset project somewhere else in the world. At these projects the amount of CO2

Figure 1 – Global Emission Trajectories

Global emissions are increasing at their fastest rate ever despite the need for an 80% reduction in global emissions by 2050.

‘carbon credit’; and without carbon financing the projects would not be viable. Carbon offsetting is often the fastest way to achieve the deepest reductions within an organisation or activity, and almost always, it is the only way to achieve deep reductions in a cost effective manner. At the same time, it often delivers added benefits at the project site such as employment.

USING CARBONNEUTRAL® TO REDUCE ENERGY COSTS

The process to reduce carbon emissions to net zero is the same for organisations reducing the environmental impact of their own facilities management and for those who develop or control facilities for tenants; however the criteria of emissions source may alter. In 2006, The Commercial Group, a leading office services and supplies company offering IT services, interiors, recruitment and print procurement, made a strategic decision to reduce its emissions to net zero to show leadership in carbon reduction to its employees, customers, suppliers and the local business community. To achieve the CarbonNeutral® company certification, Commercial completed a program laid out by The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the global standard for organisations to reduce their carbon emissions to net zero and be certified as CarbonNeutral®. To achieve the CarbonNeutral® company certification, the process involved: • An independent third party assessment of the CO2

emissions

associated with Commercials’ premises, company owned vehicles, business travel, deliveries and employee commuting. For the facility, the carbon emissions were calculated from the electricity usage, heating oil consumed, waste and refrigerants.

• Setting high but achievable carbon reduction targets. Commercial set two 75% targets, the first to reduce the overall carbon footprint and the second to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

• A reduction of CO2 emissions to

net zero through a combination of internal reductions and external reductions in the form of high quality, robust and permanent carbon offsets.

• Communicating the action taken to staff and customers and encouraging suppliers to do the same.

MAKING INTERNAL REDUCTIONS

In order to reach the 75% target Commercial established a long-term reductions programme and invested in new technologies. Simon Graham,

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