Everyone from the UN to the CBI seems to agree a low-carbon economy is the way forward, but how do we get there? Sarah Hone talks to some of the major players making strides towards sustainability in our region.
Soaring fuel prices and the biblical-scale flooding that afflicted parts of Yorkshire last summer are nothing if not sharp reminders of the need to address the huge amounts of carbon we are collectively billowing into the atmosphere.
Despite the government's target in this summer’s Climate Change Bill to reduce carbon dioxide by 60 per cent by 2050, the UK’s carbon emissions remain stubbornly resistant to downward movement, not least because emissions from aviation doubled between 1990 and 2006.
Nevertheless there are signs that some of the region's savvier organisations are leading the field in environmental efficiency.
Emissions from Yorkshire are particularly high, explains Michael Smith, head of sustainable development at Carbon Action Yorkshire, because the bulk of the country's coal-fired power stations are based here. But Drax, the UK’s largest power station, launched a £50m project last month to replace 10 per cent of the coal it uses with biomass, aiming to reduce the station’s annual carbon dioxide output by several million tonnes.
Yorkshire is also involved in some innovative projects at the cutting edge of helping business to cut carbon. At Hull University’s Environmental Technologies Centre of Industrial Collaboration, commercial manager David Calvert and his team are involved in a major national ‘waste swap shop’ scheme for businesses and community groups. The WhyWaste initiative, supported by Yorkshire Forward, is a free online waste exchange, enabling registered members to advertise material they don't want or to advertise for material they do want. “It’s a fantastic initiative,” says Calvert. “One company’s waste is another company's raw materials, so this service will bring substantial benefits to business, whilst making a real contribution to increasing waste recycling and re-use.”
“The awareness about carbon is astonishing now,” says Smith. "It’s getting through to business and really, reducing carbon just makes good business sense.” The message is hitting home in all sorts of areas, from retailers such as Asda to manufacturers such as InterfaceFlor (see our case studies below).
KPMG has had so many requests for advice on climate change and carbon emissions that it has set up its own carbon advisory group in Yorkshire. “Having a structured and coherent policy to reduce carbon emissions makes good business sense,” says the group’s leader Dean Harris. “It may not only reduce costs in a world with seemingly never ending energy price increases but strong green credentials can also help strengthen brands with environmentally discerning customers.”
One industry where some of the most dramatic and meaningful moves towards sustainability are taking place is construction. Buildings in the UK are responsible for more than 40 per cent of all carbon emissions and given that stock is replaced at only 1 per cent per annum, more attention is being focused on improving existing buildings.
“There is lots that can be done to make older buildings more sustainable,” says Jon Lovell, head of sustainability at Drivers Jonas. “Surprisingly perhaps, improving the behaviour of the people who work in a building – making sure they know to turn lights and computers off – can make a big difference. But there is also a case for investment in more efficient lighting, heating and cooling systems.”
In Leeds property company Town Centre Securities is in the process of transforming its headquarters into a modern, sustainable workplace, and has already gained an BREEAM excellent rating for its efforts – the only refurbished building in Leeds city centre to be awarded such an environmental accolade. “It’s a flagship project,” says Town Centre’s development and environment manager Glyn Akesson. “We want our own offices to show what we’re all about when it comes to sustainability.”
Including ingenious features such as waterless urinals, low-energy lighting and a leak detection system in all toilets, carbon produced during the refurbishment process will be offset by donations to worldwide technical environmental projects. “When it is completed in December this year it will say a lot about us as an organisation as well as being a template for future buildings,” says Akesson.