A GREENER FUTURE
IIE AWARDS PROGRAMME 2021
Inspiring, influencing and sharing environmental best practice
www.iie.uk.com #iiEAwards
Welcome to the iiE Awards 2021 Our aim is to be one of the UK’s greenest law firms
2021 has been a year for climate action, alongside recovering from and adapting to a world shaken by the social and economic impact of Covid-19. This has been a year of setting new baselines, changing patterns of working, and for many – starting to build back better.
Roythornes is working hard to become one of the greenest law firms in the UK. We appreciate that this may be a long journey, but every step will help to reduce our impact on the environment.
This year’s Awards feature a series of 6 online events for you and your team to join, from the 11th-14th October, with a focus on ‘A Greener Future’. We aim to engage individuals and organisations with current green business thinking and future opportunities to help businesses be a part of the solution whilst also becoming more resilient in a rapidly changing world. To meet this challenge, the iiE team are working harder than ever to make environmental management and engagement easier for our member businesses. This year, the iiE criteria changed to enable businesses at all iiE levels to start calculating their carbon footprint. We have produced our first iiE carbon calculator and partnered with Smart Carbon and Forest Carbon to help our members report and act on carbon. Tackling climate change matters now more than ever, and everyone needs to do their part. Thank you to all of our amazing members who have committed to a greener future through meaningful action – from just getting started on the journey to developing robust and impactful ecoinitiatives that are truly inspirational. We are thrilled to be celebrating these steps through another fantastic iiE Awards!
www.roythornes.co.uk
Big skies. Big thinking.
2pm
10am
iiE Awards Programme 11th-14th October 2021 Monday 11th Oct
Tuesday 12th Oct
Wednesday 13th Oct
Thursday 14th Oct
Electrifying Transport Speakers: Ian Achurch, Head of Economy & Strategy at North Northamptonshire County Council; Simon Blaaser, Carbon Mentor & EV Charging Infrastructure Specialist at SaveMoneyCut Carbon; Matt Barbour, Head of Partnerships Sustrans
How your business can make biodiversity net-gains Speakers: Dr Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty Construction UK; Dr Nick White, Principial Advisor (Net Gain) Natural England
How we use water in the future Speakers: Barbara Hale, Head of Water Efficiency Engagement at WaterWise; Ben Earl Director of Sustainability & Water Efficiency at Skewb
Future Green Business Trends: What Next? Speakers: Georgina Wilson-Powell, Founder at Pebble
Winner announced for Sustainable Transport Champion
Winner announced for Natural Environment Champion
Winner announced for Water Saviour
Energy for the Future Speakers: Mark Meyrick, Head of Smart Grids & PPAs at Ecotricity; David Knight, Environmental Consultant at PECT
The Future of Waste Speakers: Paul Fieldhouse, Business Growth Advisor, WLP; Dr Anne Woolridge, COO, Independent Safety Services Ltd
Winner announced for Best Carbon Reduction
Winner announced for Best Waste Reduction
iiE Awards Programme 2021: Meet the Speakers Ian Achurch, Head of Economy and Strategy at North Northamptonshire Council Ian Achurch is a Charter Town Planner and Head of Economy & Strategy for North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) which was created in April 2021. Ian leads the economic development and external funding activities for the council. Simon Blaaser, Carbon Mentor & Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Specialist at SaveMoneyCutCarbon
Winners announced for Overall Outstanding Achievers and Sustainability Influencer
Keynote Speaker: Georgina Wilson-Powell Join us at the iiE Awards to discover this year’s winners and hear from our fantastic keynote speaker Georgina Wilson-Powell. Georgina spent 16 years launching and running magazines for Lonely Planet Traveller, BBC Good Food, Morrisons, Time Out and many more. After living in Dubai and flying all over the world for work, she couldn’t go on carrying around the carbon and plastic waste guilt and wanted to live differently. Back in 2016 it was hard to find out how to do this without sacrificing everything she loved about her life, and so she founded Pebble. Now, Georgina is on a mission to use her career and skills as a force for good, to tackle society’s overconsumption of, well, everything! We can be less wasteful, live greener, be more innovative and support more local and ethical businesses – but often we just need the inspiration and a bit of info to get started. Life’s complicated, time’s short and you want to make the most eco-friendly decision. That’s not always easy.
Simon is now a specialist in the EV field advising on the design and specifications of charging solutions for a wide range of customers including leading hospitality brands and public sector organisations. He also heads up SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s solar project management and design service. David Knight, Environmental Consultant at Investors in the Environment (iiE) David joined iiE in 2015. Carrying out resource efficiency audits with businesses, he identifies opportunities to implement behavioural change, technology improvements, and the addition of renewables in order to improve resource efficiency and help organisations save money. Matt Barber, Head of Partnerships, Midlands and East, Sustrans Matt is Head of Partnerships for the sustainable transport charity Sustrans. The organisation brings people together to create places with clean air and green spaces, and cities and towns where everyone can thrive without having to use a car. Mark Meyrick, Head of Smart Grids & PPAs at Ecotricity Mark’s main efforts are concentrated on enabling grid scale battery storage deployment, aggregated with other assets in a virtual power plant so as to enable Ecotricity to be able to flex its power position in response to the needs of the Grid, and the market. Ben Earl, Director of Sustainability & Water Efficiency at Skewb Ben is Director of Sustainability, Energy & Water Efficiency for utility consultancy Skewb where he is leading on key partnerships across various sectors.
Dr Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty Construction Julia has designed and implemented Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for a variety of infrastructure developments, including large and small scale for the transport, housing and power sectors. Julia is the lead author for the UK’s Good Practice Principles on Biodiversity Net Gain, and a co-author for the Practical Guide on BNG. Dr Nick White, Principal Advisor (Net Gain) at Natural England Nick works across Government, and with developers, NGOs and academia to advance policy, practice and standards around net gain. The current focus of his work is on biodiversity net gain legislation, the biodiversity metric and biodiversity net gain standards and guidance. Paul Fieldhouse, Business Growth Advisor, WLP As a management consultant, Paul works with SME business owners and management teams to help deliver sustainable growth. His work for Ramco UK, one of the UK’s leading surplus asset management companies, started in 2017 where he leads on strategic marketing and heads up business development in the £130bn food service & hospitality sector. Dr Anne Woolridge, Chief Operating Officer, Independent Safety Services Ltd Dr Anne Woolridge is Chief Operating Officer of ISSL, a technical consultant, and has a wealth of research and practical experience of healthcare waste management and waste treatment processes at all levels. She is a practicing dangerous goods safety advisor and waste consultant, as well as advising on waste strategy and policy. Barbara Hale, Head of Water Efficiency Engagement at WaterWise Barbara Hale is the Head of Water Efficiency Engagement at the UK’s leading water efficiency NGO WaterWise. She is part of the team behind WaterWise’s most successful campaigns including the annual Water Saving Week and the creator of the Pledge 2021 water saving challenge.
Taking impactful climate action with iiE Investors in the Environment (iiE) is a national environmental certification scheme for organisations. It is designed to help organisations save money, reduce their impact on the environment, and get recognised for their green credentials. To become certified, each business is audited and awarded a certification level of either Bronze, Silver, or the highest award, Green. The certification levels reflect where an organisation is on their environmental journey. The differences between them include scaled reductions in resources and waste, the number of environmental projects undertaken, and action on carbon emissions and accounting. Each year iiE members are supported in working towards acheiving certifcation on both a one-to-one and one-to-many basis, with individual help from their support officer, webinars and member events.
Our Impact
From Bronze to Net Zero In 2019, the UK became the first economy in the world to introduce a 2050 net zero target, with the intention of ending its contribution to global warming. In order to achieve this, businesses of all sizes, charities, universities and schools will need to play their part and reduce emissions. The Together for our Planet campaign pulls all of these groups together to join the conversation around climate change and create a mass movement of green steps in the run up to COP26. Businesses that join the commitment will be recognised by the UN Race to Zero campaign, the largest ever global alliance committed to reaching net zero by 2050. It is also increasingly evident that consumers are becoming more socially and environmentally aware and are more likely to engage with businesses that take environmental responsibility seriously. Setting a net zero target is also a great way to engage and inspire staff to get involved with green actions across the business. Targets to halve emissions by 2030 or achieve net zero are much more
An overall travel reduction of
In order to measure the collective impact achieved by our members, the resource measurements for members audited between October 2020 and October 2021 have been converted into carbon equivalents and compared with the previous year’s iiE audits. Through their amazing work over the last year we have seen huge overall resource reductions, with: An estimated
10,858 tonnes of carbon saved
likely to resonate with staff and unify teams to work towards a specific goal. Although halving emissions by 2030 may seem like a challenging target, as an iiE member you have already started this journey through commitment to a minimum of 2% annual improvement on direct carbon emissions. By building on the progress you have made throughout your accreditation journey, halving emissions can become an achievable target with support and guidance from our team. Your iiE support officer can help you to set annual targets in line with achieving a 50% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This will not only help you to achieve the first stage of the SME Climate Commitment, but also exceed performance for your iiE certification. As an iiE member you have already established a baseline, began to measure and report on emissions and set an action plan for the reduction of key resources, putting you in a great position for the SME Climate Commitment.
Much of the work you have already completed with iiE such as having an environmental policy in place, measuring key resource use and setting targets through action plans will seamlessly feed into an SME commitment. The completion of your annual audit for iiE certification will greatly aid and feed into your progress reporting, and as you move towards Silver and Green level further actions such as carbon footprint calculation and reduction targets, travel plans, and additional projects will further increase annual reductions towards the 50% target. As an iiE member you have already shown your commitment to promote positive environmental action. Now is the time to take the next step as the world gets serious about tackling climate change and communicate this to your staff, stakeholders and customers by joining the SME Climate Commitment.
251,917 miles
and 53,202 litres of fuel which equates to another 400,000 miles - enough to drive around the Earth 26 times. An overall gas reduction of
8,095,993kWh 950
Around trees saved with an overall reduction of 9,495,371 sheets of paper. An overall electricity reduction of
13,034,757kWh A water saving of
67,730m3
equivalent to 27 Olympic size swimming pools.
Get your business seen,
go green
Accredited organisations for 2021 A massive congratulations to all our members who achieved and maintained their certification this year – you are all doing fantastic work!
There’s an easier way to achieve your sustainability targets and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. The biggest and simplest thing you can do to green up your business is switch to 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutralised gas with Ecotricity – Britain’s greenest energy company. An average business using 30,000 kWh would reduce its carbon footprint by 6 metric tonnes simply by switching to us. We’re not for dividend, so we invest our profits back into building more sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar and the UK’s first geothermal contribution to the national grid.
Get a business quote at ecotricity.co.uk/business Alternatively, call us on 0345 600 1994 or email business.sales@ecotricity.co.uk.
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•B ritish Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) •C inque Ports Vets •C romwell Tools Ltd •D ick White Referrals Veterinary Specialists Centre • Donnachie & Townley Veterinary Centre • F erryhill Town Council •G eorge Veterinary Group •G reatwell Homes • I TI Network Services Ltd • L earna Ltd – Diploma MSc • L ida Vets • L innaeus Group •M asteroast Coffee Company Limited •M ayne Veterinary Clinic •P aragon Veterinary Referrals •T he Institution of Engineering & Technology •V et4Life •V eterinary Vision •V etoquinol •W ear Referrals Veterinary Hospital •W estover Veterinary Centre - Small Animals
• Alliance Leisure Services Limited • British Veterinary Association (BVA) • Cave Veterinary Specialists • Crick Software • Crowshall Veterinary Services LLP • ETC (Stockton College) • Gateshead Council • IPM Global Mobility • Minster Veterinary Practice • Nene Park Trust • North Downs Referral Specialists • Old Hall Vets • The Webinar Vet • Vets4Pets Milton Keynes • Westover Veterinary Centre - Large Animals • Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service
•A thene Communications •B GL Group •B uckles Solicitors •B udget Paper Supplied Ltd •C ambridge & Counties Bank •C ity of Lincoln Council •C ross Keys Homes •D aventry District Council •D avies Veterinary Specialists • J CS Fish •H ull City Council •H unt & Coombs Solicitors •K ingstown Works • L eeds Environmental Design Associates (LEDA) •M ilestone Infrastructure •N orthampton General Hospital NHS Trust •P erkins Engines •P eterborough College •R ocketmill Digital Marketing •R oythornes Solicitors •S ellickRail •T he GBN Limited •U niversity of Northampton •W alters Ltd •M anchester University NHS Trust •E cology Building Society
Reinventing the wheel Without doubt, the largest challenge facing the global community is climate change. Whilst it may not feel as immediate as the recent Covid pandemic, its impacts are and will become more disruptive and destructive. Substantial progress should be made in November at COP26 – certainly our political leaders’ guidance to a successful outcome presents an invaluable opportunity to make Britain great again in the eyes of the global community. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, actions, however small, must be taken by each individual, organisation, community and governing body; together we can make a significant difference. This week’s webinars on Transport, Energy and Future Green Business Trends will be packed with inspirational content to help your organisation plan its next low carbon action. Listen in and take notes. Climate change’s siblings, resource depletion and waste, are also threats with which we must grapple. Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that same year. In 2000, it fell in late September; in 2021, it fell on July 29; this has happened during a period when the world has been cognisant of the fact that we have been over-consuming resources – a reinvention of how we do things is required.
So, let’s imagine what a resource perfect world could look like… It is a world where everyone understands that nearly all resources are in increasingly short supply and that the impact of global consumption over the past 50 years is threatening the biodiversity in our own gardens as much as far-away rainforests. The ‘make do’ mentality drives an understanding that any product should be bought to last, that clean drinking water is a luxury, and that the natural environment is a place for all to enjoy and appreciate. Raw material costs properly reflect their full environmental and social impact and producers design their products to minimise waste during production and so they can be easily recycled at the end of their lives. In many cases, business models have been reinvented so that ownership remains with the producer, not the consumer; the ‘lease, repair and return’ approach has replaced that of ‘consume and dispose’. Cleverly devised market mechanisms incentivise minimal use of packaging which is all environmentally considerate (being repeatedly recyclable or dissolvable), if circular delivery and purchasing systems have not eliminated its use entirely. It is a world where all materials are appropriately valued by consumers – noone considers wasting them or allows them to litter our landscapes or oceans; many single use items have become a thing of the past. Environmentally ‘good’ behaviours are rewarded and all consumers make informed choices about the social and environmental impact of the products they buy. Guided by the clear and comprehensive instructions on each product label, consumers also understand what to do with each product and packaging once they’ve finished with them and are able to carry out the instruction as each home and business is being served by the same reuse and recycling service. The sector responsible for the collection, refurbishment, reuse, reprocessing and remanufacturing of goods is an economic
powerhouse – creating economic activity and employment opportunities in the areas that need them most. Reprocessed materials and goods are sold into neighbouring markets, shortening supply chains, reducing logistical risk and transport related carbon emissions. And there is no more food waste. Further innovation in distribution and allocation systems ensure that the 10 million tonnes of food and drink that were being wasted annually post UK farm gate are redistributed to those that need them most. It means that some plates are not quite so full, but fewer people go hungry. Innovation in resource use efficiency is supported through public sector funding; technological developments and lessons learned are shared within the global community to help to achieve the same aim.
A pipe dream or a step back in time? There are probably elements of both in what is written here, but the content is primarily based on the UK’s Waste And Resources Strategy, published in 2018. It describes what should become increasingly evident in the coming years - the Circular Economy. Attend this week’s webinars on waste, water and bio-diversity to find out more about it. The Covid pandemic has demonstrated that our community at large can adapt to overcome an unexpected challenge, and demonstrate resourcefulness and innovation in the process. It is now time to use that initiative again to create a world in which man and nature can comfortably co-exist.
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Keeping in the loop with the circular economy What do Elon Musk’s rockets, charity shops and LEGOLAND cafeterias all have in common? They have all identified current waste streams as valuable materials and therefore have gone circular.
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Proud sponsors
LEADING THE WAY in sustainable practice for vets
Davies Veterinary Specialists is the first veterinary practice to have achieved the Investors in the Environment’s (iiE) Green accreditation. We are committed not only to improving our own environmental and social sustainability, but also to supporting other veterinary practices to improve theirs, so that together we can all adopt a more sustainable way of working. Since achieving our Green accreditation in August 2019, we’ve taken further steps to improve our environmental sustainability by decreasing waste and paper usage, introducing lower-flow anaesthesia protocols, switching to a100% green energy provider and offsetting our carbon. We continue to share the experience and knowledge we’ve gained by running Sustainability CPD events and publishing resources for other veterinary practices via our quarterly sustainability newsletter and on our website: vetspecialists.co.uk/sustainability
For more information, please contact Rachel Evans (Green Group Coordinator) at: sustainability@vetspecialists.co.uk To find out more about why the iiE accreditation and sustainability is so important to us, visit vetspecialists.co.uk/case-studies-post/sustainability
SpaceX rockets are the first reusable rockets, charity shops use unwanted items as the premise of their business models and selected LEGOLAND cafeterias are using second-hand appliances with thanks to Ramco. With the pressure on businesses to become more sustainable and take ownership of their products at the end of their life, Circular Economy (CE) business models are being implemented globally. Alongside changing consumer habits and pressure, regulatory changes are also coming into place in the UK. New and upcoming policies such as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on packaging and the Right to Repair law mean businesses now need to ensure their products last longer and own responsibility for post-consumer disposal.
CE models are a solution, aiming to ‘design out’ waste across all stages of the business. From the supply and design of the product or service (improving longevity and recyclability) to the production, (eliminating virgin materials or using current available waste streams) and most importantly, considering what happens to the product at its end of life (return and repair schemes). Switching from a linear business model to a CE model is no easy feat, but it can be profitable and rewarding. With many businesses already making the switch, it’s a good business decision in the long haul. The BLUEPRINT to a Circular Economy project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme. As part of the project, a library of solutions is currently being created to enable others to replicate projects that are implementing sustainability and circularity into their manufacturing processes. If you are or would like to nominate a business to be featured, please get in touch at blueprint@pect.org.uk.
CAMPAIGN CALENDAR 2022 3 March
22 March
World Wildlife Day
World Water Day
Earth Hour
May
7 May
16-22 May
National Walking Month
World Fairtrade Day
National Vegetarian Week
5 June
8-16 June
World Environment Day
National Bike Week
22 September
1 November
World Car Free Day
World Vegan Day
26 March, 8.30pm
28 July World Nature Day
28 November -6 December National Tree Week
22 April Earth Day
1-7 June Volunteers Week
5-9 September Zero Waste Week
Just getting started? How to adopt an Environmental policy Are you just getting started on your environmental journey and wondering where to begin to get the whole organisation to move forward? You should consider adopting an environmental policy and use it to back up clear goals and environmental targets. The intention is to take your understanding of your environmental impact and turn it into action. The policy should link to high-level objectives, and direct clear pathways to action across the business. From legal compliance to tackling environmental risks and opportunities to going further and developing a policy that complements your corporate social responsibility goals, the policy should highlight the direction of travel. Implementation of a sound environmental policy will help to reduce the environmental impact of your work and offer an opportunity to encourage more widespread sustainable practice amongst clients, colleagues, and suppliers. Your environmental policy should include a focus on continual engagement as a priority. Enabling your staff to develop their sustainability knowledge and apply it to their own work will create the necessary change to meet your targets and help staff genuinely feel like a positive part of your shared journey. The policy should include top commitment to continual improvement; the context of the organisation and scope (including sites, contractors, or suppliers); environmental objectives (reducing consumption, preventing environmental harm); benchmarking your progress (e.g., cutting emissions in half by 2030); and a brief on how these will be achieved (environmental management system, accreditation, audits). Key areas to tackle include taking efficiency measures and good stewardship of resources such as energy (in most
offices this is often lighting and heating), water, transport (of staff, customers, and goods/services), waste, and greenhouse gases. Procurement of other resources should also be carefully considered. In fact, the biggest environmental impact of your business may actually be defined by your spending decisions. An environmental policy may be your first step in setting your top-level commitment; once you’ve had a chance to understand your environmental and sustainability performance you may look to taking the next step and developing this further into a longer-term strategy. This next step should take into consideration alignment to the appropriate sustainable development goals (SDGs) that help you think more broadly about your social impact. The article is adapted from our piece published earlier this year by the British Veterinary Assocation (BVA), an accredited iiE member
Thank you to our 2021 Awards sponsors and supporters
Thanks also go to • Our speakers • Our iiE member businesses
Get in touch Don’t forget to tweet your achievements @iiEUK with #iiEAwards
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