SMEs COUNTING THE COST OF GOING GREEN
The costs involved in going green are putting many SMEs off instigating environmentally friendly initiatives, according to a survey by entrepreneur think tank the Tenon Forum. In the past year entrepreneurs have spent £3.1billion on green initiatives, but more than a quarter believe the expense outweighs any business benefits. Nearly a half of SMEs have not implemented any measures to date, while a fifth have no plans to do so in the future. The research suggested many ownermanagers are cynical about the recent ‘greenbudget’, and believe the UK tax regime should be used to encourage green practices among businesses.
GOLD LISTING FOR GREEN WORKSTATION LINE
IT company Hewlett Packard has been awarded gold for its entire personal workstation product line, becoming the first in the category to do so in the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). According to HP, their workstation line was designed with the environment in mind, and has several environmental features, including low energy consumption, use of environmentally sensitive materials and recycle-friendly design. HP Workstations are used by a diverse range of industries, from graphic arts, broadcast/video post, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), engineering, finance and oil and gas exploration. HP now has the largest number of EPEAT Gold registered products in the industry.
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ENERGY PERFORMANCE FOR BUILDINGS
A public consultation has been launched to give the European Commission insight and input for its recasting of the 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The aim is to have the Directive recast by the end of 2008. Stakeholders are being asked to give their views through an online questionnaire so the EU can clarify how best to help improve the energy performance of buildings. The construction sector is cited as a major player to have on board if the EU can hope to meet its energy targets. It has a 40% share of EU energy use, and is so far lagging behind its 28% by 2020 energy efficiency potential. Action is therefore crucial. The deadline for stakeholder views is the 20th June 2008. The questionnaire can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/demand/consultations/buildings_dir_en.htm
EU EMISSIONS ARE UP
CO2 emissions in Europe showed a small increase in 2007 suggesting the region would have difficulty meeting its CO2 reduction commitments on time, according to Euractiv, the EU information website. EU industrial installations published data on their CO2 emissions in 2007 and revealed an overall rise of 1.1%, with Germany having a 2% increase in emissions, and the UK emitting 85 million tonnes more CO2 than it was supposed to. Analysts however believe this may begin to drop in the next few years as restrictions on emissions grow tighter. In October 2007 the EU Commission cut CO2 allowances by 20%, and the price of one tonne of CO2 is set to rise dramatically. The EU has set a target of reducing its overall CO2 by 20% by 2020, against 1990 levels.
CARBON TRUST GUIDE TO HELP CHARITIES REDUCE ENERGY BILLS
The Carbon Trust has launched a free guide to reducing carbon emissions and cutting energy use in association with the Charity Commission. This new guide has been published to help the 190,000 registered charities in the UK, particularly those without a designated carbon manager, take action to save up to 20% on their fuel bills through low cost or no cost energy-saving measures. The new guide shows organisations how to
increase their energy efficiency and is tailored to suit the diversity of the sector, taking into account the range of unique properties from which charitable organisations operate – including museums, hospices and commercial offices.
JOHN LAING HELPING STAFF TO BE GREENER
In a bid to help their staff behave in a more environmentally friendly fashion, infrastructure investment company John Laing has ordered 700 environmentally friendly starter kits known as greentomatokits. Providing energy, water and waste-saving products, the kits are used to help households to live greener lives. Greentomatokits are estimated to save households 400kg of CO2 emissions and £50 – £100 in bills a year. John Laing could save their employees up to 280 tonnes of CO2 and £70,000 a year. The kits are part of the company’s Mayday Pledge to reduce the impact its staff has on the environment. It will also start benchmarking environmental performance.
RACE IS ON FOR ZERO-EMISSION CARS
Car giants Renault-Nissan have announced their latest plan to sell electric vehicles in Denmark, marking a further step forwards towards the mass marketing of greener cars. The move is being run in conjunction with Project Better Place, a company dedicated towards promoting the infrastructure necessary for electric vehicles, and follows an earlier announcement at the beginning of the year to produce electric cars for the Israeli market. The cars will be 100% electric, produce zero-emissions, so making them a far greener alternative to their gas-guzzling equivalents. They are expected to be on the market in 2011. Renault will develop the cars to 2011 European standards, while Nissan, in conjunction with NEC, has developed a lithium-ion battery pack. Project Better Place believes electric cars are the answer to fume-clogged cities and dwindling oil reserves. They claim a market for electric cars will provide new business opportunities, both in the development of the vehicles themselves and the necessary infrastructure.
TOOL HELPS IN BENCHMARKING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
The British Safety Council has launched a free, new online environmental assessment tool to help companies who want to benchmark their environmental performance and to move towards pursuing greener ambitions. The tool gives companies a current rating and indicates their position on compliance, pollution prevention and waste management. This will then allow companies to assess how they can improve their environmental impact. The BSC points out that financial, as well as environmental savings are to be made with improved environmental performance. They also have a health and safety diagnostic tool aimed at SMEs.
PEPSICO WINS ENERGY STAR AWARD FOR SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
PepsiCo has been recognised as a world leader in managing energy by the 2008 Energy Star Awards. It is the first time the company has been recognized with a Sustained Excellence Award. Achievements of PepsiCo in the past year include beating its 2007 energy saving target of 4% from 2006 levels with almost double the savings, resulting in more than $20 million in energy bill savings. PepsiCo has also refined its energy management program following EPA’s Guidelines for Energy Management, making each of the company’s plants accountable for contributing to the overall corporate energy goal. The company has established a wellrecognized strategic business partner outreach program through which it requires all large vendors, bottlers and contract manufacturing operations to establish energy efficiency programmes.
EXECUTIVES WILLING TO MAKE A GREEN SALARY SACRIFICE
Nearly three-quarters of executives surveyed by Korn/Ferry International say they are willing to give up a percentage of their salaries to fund their companies ‘green’ initiatives. According to the report 73% would be willing to forgo at least one per cent of their salaries, with 40% willing to give up between one and two per cent, and 3% upwards of 10 per cent. More than a quarter, however, would be unwilling to give up any portion of their salary for sustainability efforts. The report was based on a global survey of executives with respondents from more than 50 countries and representing a wide range of industries. Executives also responded to questions about their current employer’s ‘green’ initiatives, with almost half saying their company had allocated existing staff or hired new staff to oversee environmental initiatives.
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