FEATURE
this is relatively easy to achieve as the scale is so small. In contrast, idverde was recently awarded a contract by Warwick District Council, which will see the authority’s street cleansing and ground maintenance work become carbon neutral by 2025. This covers 28 sq km of public spaces and parks and is one of the largest contracts of its type within the UK.
Creating genuine results As with the TPI report, the focus on carbon-neutral contracts should also be around creating meaningful and ‘genuine measures to ensure environmental targets are actually achieved. Nobody has an interest in greenwashed results.
“Companies can (and
should) directly influence stakeholders to create
impactful climate-friendly outcomes that permeate through the supply chain.”
It is worth considering that a 2020 poll by sustainability consultancy South Pole found that while the number of businesses setting net-zero commitments has grown, only 10% of companies have set science-based targets to ensure they’re aligning with climate science.
In the UK, The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Corporate Standard provides us at idverde with the framework and methodologies for calculating emissions. We use this standard to calculate a contract’s carbon footprint and report its emissions as part of the Government’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting scheme (SECR). This process provides independent third-party validation of the results, giving confidence that the measurements are accurate and complete.
Influence that permeates As more corporate strategies focus on sustainability, many organisations have adopted green policies that make quick and easy gains such as switching to a green energy contract, less energy-intensive lighting, better recycling policies, improved staff and labour policies, and new insulation methods. However, once you go beyond these relatively easy wins, new climate-friendly gains can be harder to find.
To achieve these further carbon reductions, companies need to look beyond their own actions and ‘hands-
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on’ operations. Companies have great influence and resources beyond their own organisations, particularly during procurement processes, and can (and should) directly influence stakeholders to create impactful climate-friendly outcomes that permeate through the supply chain. Carbon-neutral contracts are one such tool.
A shared goal FM contracts, tender submissions and longer-term development agreements often have components that exceed the direct work itself, for example, clauses on community schemes or the revitalisation of public spaces. It is in this spirit that carbon neutrality can spread its wings.
The benefits of this for awarding bodies is that the carbon reductions achieved have the potential to be huge. By way of example, idverde expects carbon reductions for Warwick District Council to be in the region of 160 tonnes each year (or around 2,500 tonnes of carbon over the contract length) – and that does not take into account further reductions throughout the supply chain.
For the contractor, who would normally be taking on much of the heavy lifting, contracts are typically longer and achieve a secured income to offset against investment. Our contract with Warwick was, in part, driven by idverde’s £400,000 investment in electrification and zero- emission assets for the 16-year agreement.
Major carbon reductions for the awarding body and long-term security for the contractor creates an enviable alliance that makes commercial and sustainable sense.
The practical aspects of
carbon neutrality Talking about reducing carbon is one thing, achieving it in a carbon-intensive sector like grounds maintenance is another. A significant amount of praise must go to our manufacturers who are pioneering new battery-powered equipment - from the likes of Stihl, Husqvarna, Mean Green, Pellenc and Bosch – which allows for green spaces to be managed without traditional petrol motors.
We are also utilising other technologies to work more to need rather than the frequency of rotas (which will see work done not because it is needed but because it is scheduled). We use low emission vehicles, GPS mapping, drone site inspections, robotic mowers, laser cutting, alternative weed control and AI that offer preventative actions based on footfall and actual requirements, all of which play a part in carbon reductions.
The future As companies begin to further develop their role in carbon-transitioning, so too does the opportunity to create partnerships that provide mutual benefits to both parties and also to the community and the environment. By creating these standards, and ensuring they are genuine, we will start to create a culture and a way of doing things that will permeate across the economy.
www.idverde.co.uk/ TOMORROW’S FM | 49
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