Reducing our operational impacts
We have defined our operational impacts as being those which arise from our offices, including staff travel.
Office buildings
During the year our Green Office Working Group has had a particular focus on energy consumption. 24-hour energy usage was monitored, and improved use of management controls, timing devices and equipment shutdown has resulted in a reduction in total office energy consumption by 13.7%, down to 2,206 MWh from 2,557 MWh (FY07).
Our annual office buildings gas consumption is about 153 kWh per square metre, lying between the good practice1 figure of 114 kWh/m2/year, and ‘typical’ practice at 210 kWh/m2/year for buildings of this type. The annual electricity use of 143 kWh per square metre is considerably better than the good practice benchmark of 234 kWh/m2/yr.
Water use showed an apparent reduction to seven cubic metres per person per year, but the accuracy of utility meter readings is poor, and during the year we introduced our own monitoring systems.
Transport
In 2007 we set an emissions cap on all new cars in our fleet of 195g/km, down from 225g/km. Our fleet average is now 168g/km, down from 175g/km. Our Chertsey office provides cycle racks and shower facilities. In 2009 we will engage with employees to develop and offer other low-impact transport and travel options, using ideas from our Inspire Scholarship student’s project.
Office waste
Office waste recycling schemes were extended, increasing the proportion recycled from 22% to 29% according to our contractor’s estimates. We are working to improve the robustness of office waste data. We are reducing waste through double-sided printing, choosing reusable instead of disposable items and increasing the recycled content of paper items.
1 The industry benchmarks for ‘air conditioned prestige’ offices are given in CIBSE Guide Part F: Energy
Our performance
| |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
| Total office energy use (kWh) |
2,206,153 |
2,557,552 |
2,134,779 |
| Total office carbon emissions (kg CO2/m2) |
106 |
126 (65) |
106 |
| Office carbon dioxide (tonnes CO2e) |
783 |
933 (485) |
614 |
| Management operations carbon emissions2 Scope 1, 2 & 3 (tonnes CO2e) |
3,217 |
3,658 (3204) |
|
| Office carbon emissions (tonnes CO2 per person) |
4.4 |
4.9 (4.3) |
|
| Car fleet carbon dioxide (tonnes CO2e) * |
1,114 * |
1050 |
1369 |
| Office waste (tonnes) |
182 |
167 |
166 |
| Office waste (kg per person) |
250 |
224 |
210 |
| Office waste recycled (%) |
29 |
22 |
9 |
| Office water Use per annum (cu. metres) |
5,313 |
5632 |
3209 |
| Office water use (cu. metres/person/yr) |
7 |
8 |
4 |
* We have expanded the dataset covering the fuel use of our car fleet this year. For the first time more than 80% of the dataset is data measuring fuel use in both company-owned and employee-owned vehicles. Comparisons with previous years’ data are therefore not meaningful.
Engaging employees
To successfully address climate change throughout our operations it is essential that we clearly communicate our policy to all employees and sub-contractors. We must develop communication strategies that engage a broad audience, are accessible and easy to understand.
A part of our carbon footprint is caused by the activities we require of our employees – typically commuting, or travelling to other places of work. The Sustainability BIW developed a project brief to research and assess initiatives which could help to engage our employees in reducing their individual carbon footprint. The project was completed by Kelly Hamer, our Inspire Scholarship student, and resulted in a number of initiatives to be taken forward by the Green Office Working Group.
During the year we ran a programme of workshops, (see the Employees section) and in 2009 we will be launching a Group-wide communications campaign centred around reduction in carbon emissions from our office based activities.
Read More
How we are gaining a better understanding of our site impacts.
2 WBCSD 2005 Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard – Revised Edition. World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva and World Resources Institute, Washington.