MAIN FEATURE
commercial/industrial sectors. Neil sees sustainability as a basic principle by which you use the minimum amount of resources to achieve your desired outcome. “UK SMEs account for 47 per cent of revenue to the UK economy and its associated carbon emissions. But if a company like ours can save 136 tonnes of CO2 by taking simple steps, any company can be more sustainable. The actions we have taken so far will save an estimated £73,000 per year on energy and material use. Our products are made from steel, which is largely recycled, and we are recycling our scrap plastic; solar panels will provide around 35 per cent of our power needs, and we have electrified our fork lift trucks. With Innovate UK support and the University of Birmingham, we are part of a £269k spend on research and development. Part of the R&D (exclusively revealed here to Drain Trader readers) will be to generate a digital twin of our product to optimise both design and installation. This includes use of recycled backfills and reducing the amount of backfill needed in trench installations by configuring the trench width using the digital twin; the potential savings are significant.”
The R&D with University of Birmingham is also looking at the role of sensors in pipes. Aside from the embodied carbon in the manufacturing, delivery and installation of the pipe, the other part of the equation is the in- service life. Aquaspira is looking at the role that sensors could play in the maintenance of pipes and system performance. As Neil continued: “We’ve got to have that sense of vision, so looking forward 100-150 years to
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how an asset performs long-term and how it is maintained and disposed of at its end of life. Cradle-to-grave measuring for carbon is essential and we desperately need a standard for embodied carbon. I suspect that a carbon tax is on the way, but how will it work without an agreed process of evaluation? The Government needs to be setting the agenda.”
The Revive Group, based in Ireland, manufactures specialist mobile environmental equipment for the water and wastewater sector. Revive is supported in the UK by Renmak (rental specialist) and Acumec (who assist with distribution, parts and servicing). By remanufacturing some mobile units and providing rental and specialist services to water companies, contractors and civil engineers, Revive supplies drainage and sewerage services widely.
With many mechanically sound units scrapped each year, the production of virgin steel is the main area Revive is keen to focus on; every
| July 2021 |
www.draintraderltd.com
tonne of virgin steel can release 1.9 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. The specialist equipment on many of these previously scrapped units can be revived, reused and remounted to a new chassis to ensure a cleaner, quieter operation, reducing both noise and environmental pollution.
The overall result is a greener, improved unit without the need for unnecessary waste. Using the core message ‘recycle-reuse-regen’ Revive restores, re-manufactures and improves specialist vehicles; saving waste and bringing financial benefits to customers too. Liam Kearney is CEO and he has a passion for a more sustainable future: “Everything we produce is aimed at being more sustainable, from always looking to cut our emissions and limit our environmental impact to small incremental changes like reducing unnecessary business travel and harvesting rainwater at our factories. A Revived tanker can save as much as 20 tonnes of CO2, representing significant
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