Capital and Regional, Angus Council, PwC UK and Pompeian are the 2016 winners of annual awards presented to top performers across different categories of certified achievements.
The awards were presented at the Carbon Trust Standard Bearers Conference held in Central London on Wednesday 12 October. The event is hosted exclusively for sustainability professionals working with the Carbon Trust, providing opportunities for knowledge sharing and a series of practical workshops.
Delegates also heard keynote speeches from Jill Duggan, the Director of Policy and Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group at the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, and Professor Stephen Belcher, Director of the Met Office Hadley Centre for climate science.
Capital & Regional, a specialist property investment company managing a large portfolio of UK shopping centres, won Best in Carbon Management with a reduction of 27 percent in its emissions over the previous certification period, alongside an impressively high qualitative management score.
This was achieved thanks to considerable investments into low carbon technologies. These included updating inefficient boilers, replacing conventional air conditioning with passive cooling strategies, retrofitting LED lighting and the energy efficient refurbishment of properties. These investments have taken place alongside constant adjustments to operating procedures to improve the management of energy.
"This is a great achievement and we have worked really hard on improving our sustainability credentials year on year. Carbon management is increasingly important to retailers, as it makes shopping centres more cost-effective to occupy, and to shoppers, who are far more environmentally aware. We are pleased that the Carbon Trust has recognised our carbon management programmes which are helping us achieve our economic and environmental goals."
Stuart Laidlaw, National Technical Facilities Manager, Capital & Regional
Angus Council, a local authority in Scotland, won Best in Water Management for a reduction in water use of 22 percent over the previous certification period, as well as demonstrating a robust approach to water management and stewardship.
The council has delivered a series of capital investments focused on water use minimisation, such as urinal controls and improved metering systems for accurate monitoring. There is also an identified list of projects for ongoing and future investment. Responsibility for water management has been integrated alongside energy management and other sustainability activities. The importance of water efficiency has also been highlighted more widely among staff at key sites, through a programme of training and communication.
"Angus Council is delighted to receive this Carbon Trust Award in the Water category. The award reflects the dedication of our water management team and the council’s commitment to reduce our water footprint, in this instance through the introduction automatic metering and other water saving technologies."
Ian Lingard, Senior Energy Manager, Angus Council
PwC UK, a professional services firm, was the winner of the Best in Waste Management award thanks to a reduction in the total waste generated by the firm of 29 percent over the previous certification period, which is the result of a robust waste minimisation programme.
The business set itself a challenging target in 2007 to reduce its total waste generated by 50 percent by 2017, which was achieved ahead of schedule in 2014. Investments have been made across offices to set up user-friendly waste segregation areas. There have been further interventions such as eliminating desk-side bins and setting the printers to double-sided as default. The company also ensures that no waste goes to landfill, working with its waste management contractor to divert general waste to an incinerator that generates energy.
"The Carbon Trust Standard for Waste – along with the other three standards we have achieved – has helped support our sustainability agenda. We are fully committed to reducing our waste streams and the framework of the Standard has increased our focus and helped drive forward waste management to support a circular economy."
Jon Barnes, Head of Building and Technical Services, PwC UK
Pompeian Inc., a US-based food company that sells olive oils, vinegars and cooking wines, received the award for the Best Performance in Product Carbon Footprinting. Over its past two certification periods, the company has delivered an average reduction of 21 percent in the carbon footprint of its olive oils.
Reductions were primarily achieved through improvements to the olive oil extraction and distribution process. This involved a change in the mix of olives used, as well as a reduction in packaging and the weight of the pallets used for transportation.
"At Pompeian, our commitment to quality includes upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility. This includes the ongoing improvement of the sustainability of our fine olive oils, best-selling wine vinegars and variety of cooking wines. So we’re delighted to receive this award from the Carbon Trust in recognition of our success in continuing to cut the carbon footprint of our olive oil over a number of years."
Bill Monroe, President, Pompeian, Inc.
