by Brianna Crandall — November 10, 2017 — Five leading organizations have been recognized by the UK-based independent advisor, certifier and developer of low-carbon technologies and solutions the Carbon Trust for exceptional performance in reducing their environmental impact. The awards were presented as part of the Carbon Trust Corporate Sustainability Summit.
AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, the Port of Dover, ABP Food Group, Branston and the Bank of England are the 2017 winners of the Carbon Trust’s annual awards, recognizing the top achievers across all organizations receiving assurance from Carbon Trust over the previous year.
Best in Combined Reduction — AkzoNobel Decorative Paints
AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, the company behind brands including Dulux and Hammerite, was awarded Best in Combined Reduction in recognition of continued success in taking action on carbon emissions, water use and waste throughout its operations.
The company’s new state-of-the-art factory in Ashington, Northumberland, is powered by renewable energy and has adopted a range of cutting-edge technologies to minimize water consumption and improve energy efficiency. AkzoNobel is also moving away from solvent-based paints to lower impact water-based options, as well as offering post-use paint can recycling centers to reduce waste.
Best in Carbon Management — Port of Dover
The Port of Dover, managing a harbor that handles freight volumes of over 2.5 million units each year, was recognized with the award for Best in Carbon Management. The company achieved an absolute reduction of 17.2% in its carbon emissions over a two-year period, despite trade volumes growing to record levels — the Port says it is the busiest ferry port in Europe.
Since 2006, the Port of Dover has been committed to an ambitious energy management program aiming to reduce energy consumption by 5% year on year. Short- and long-term goals to achieve this are reinforced by bespoke (customized) emissions monitoring systems and significant investment in renewables and energy efficiency, buoyed by a staff culture of environmental awareness and sustainability.
Best in Water Management — ABP Food Group
ABP Food Group, a major European food processor working with over 35,000 farmers and specializing in beef, received the award for Best in Water Management. This was achieved thanks to the company reducing absolute water use by 6.6% over the previous two-year certification period, continuing to advance its robust approach to water management.
Improved data collection and strong staff engagement through the use of environmental champions at each site has enabled ABP to identify areas to target for progress. Recent efforts to improve overall water use efficiency included making improvements to boilers, heat recovery systems, and processes used for washing and cooling. The company added that it has cut water usage by 43% since 2008 and is now on track to meet its 50% water reduction target ahead of its 2020 deadline.
Best in Waste Management — Branston
Branston, one of the UK’s largest potato processors and distributers, reduced its absolute waste output by 8.7% to receive the award for Best in Waste Management. This achievement followed multiple successful investments and innovations targeting waste from sludge, soil and packaging, in line with a commitment to continually improve environmental performance.
Branston’s successful investments to reduce waste include a new peeling factory on its Lincoln site that uses smart technology for identifying crop defects. a The sustainable fresh produce business is also working with the Love Food Hate Waste program to help reduce employee food waste. The company has also introduced innovative packaging to increase potato shelf life and reduce product and packaging waste.
Best Performance in Product Footprinting — Bank of England
The Bank of England received the award for Best Performance in Product Carbon Footprinting for the new polymer £5 and £10 bank notes that entered circulation to replace paper bank notes. Over their full 10-year lifecycle, the new £10 note’s carbon footprint is 8% lower than the previous paper version, while the £5 note’s has been reduced by 16% — as well as providing anti-counterfeiting benefits.
This reduction has been achieved through the longer life cycle of the new notes and their improved durability compared with paper notes, meaning the Bank of England is able to manufacture fewer notes in total and use less resources in their production. The Bank of England added that it has set a challenging 20% by 2020 carbon reduction target.
Find out more about the Carbon Trust Standard and Product Carbon Footprint Certification measuring environmental impact, on the Carbon Trust Web site.
