Environment
| Facilitating resource efficiency |
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| Written by Chris Hodgson, Envirowise, 2007 | |
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Chris Hodgson of Envirowise discusses FM's crucial role in delivering environmental improvements to companies, as resource efficiency becomes a higher priority in the business community. What are some of the environmental challenges faced by business?How can employees be encouraged to take more responsibility for waste management in the workplace? It is clear that momentum is growing within the business community for a culture change, pushing environmental issues much higher up the commercial agenda. The Stern Review on the economics of climate change and the publication of the draft Climate Change Bill, in particular, are likely to have a profound effect on the way businesses prioritise resource efficiency during 2007. The FM sector has an influential role to play in helping to facilitate this culture change and support the implementation of effective resource efficiency initiatives. Benefiting from an enhanced understanding of the business's infrastructure and with the potential to build effective relationships with tenants, facilities managers can play an important role in helping to deliver environmental improvements to businesses. For example, organisations across the UK are waking up to the true cost of waste with landfill tax now £24 per tonne and an annual increase of £8 per tonne scheduled until at least 1 April 2010. In the South East alone the commercial sector produces more than five million tonnes of waste each year and, in the face of these rising costs, there are quick wins to be made by taking a creative approach to cutting waste at source. So what are some of the challenges faced by business? Hazardous waste is a good example. New regulations came into force in 2005, expanding the list of waste materials classified as hazardous and introducing new controls for their movement. As a result, many businesses became handlers of hazardous waste for the first time because the revised regulations can also apply to common items such as fluorescent tubes, batteries and computer monitors. Consequently, businesses wishing to implement improved waste segregation processes may need to work with their landlord or FM company and agree an effective system for waste reduction, treatment and disposal. Similarly, the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive will make B2B producers of electrical and electronic items responsible for financing the collection and treatment of their products at their end of life to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. This means that companies can expect WEEE - such as a PC or photocopier - to be collected direct from their business premises using a licensed waste carrier, paid for by the producer. This applies to all new products placed on the market since August 2005 unless, as the customer, you accept contractual responsibility for end of life treatment and disposal of the product. Water usage is another topical area that will increasingly be scrutinised as the summer months approach. However, a business that implements simple and effective water management measures could cut their water and effluent bills by around 30 per cent - helping protect themselves against both rising costs and dwindling supplies. Free online water tools (available at www.envirowise.gov.uk/water) allow firms to record and keep track of how much water is being used, benchmark themselves against competitors and find practical guidance on reducing consumption. The largest controllable outgoing in an office is often energy consumption. Experience shows that simple good practice measures can not only reduce environmental impact, but can easily reduce office energy bills by up to 50 per cent. But perhaps more surprising is the fact that paper consumption in the UK continues to rise annually by around 20 per cent. When you consider that a single office worker can get through up to 100 sheets of paper every day, reducing the amount of paper used in the first place is crucial. After all, for most companies paper purchase is far more costly than disposal. Those businesses or facilities managers who can act quickly and creatively to win the support of staff or tenants in the battle against waste could find they have the most to gain in the long-term. However, Envirowise research on this topic found that individuals who are committed to cutting waste at home often lapse into bad habits once they get into work. In fact a third of those surveyed in the South East said they took no action whatsoever to reduce the amount of resources they use during the working day. Workplace psychology expert Professor Toby Wall argues that employers have the potential to help cure these split personalities. "This is a symptom of our pressurised workplaces where there is often too little time or encouragement for people to take action on waste" he says. "Employers must consider quickly establishing some simple steps to help employees take more ownership of the issue - perhaps by appointing a 'champion' to lead waste-busting initiatives, encouraging greater teamwork or investing in training." The survey respondents agreed by saying that clearer environmental policies from their employer (29 per cent) and greater access to eco-friendly options, such as recycling bins (57 per cent), would help them do more when at work, An example of an effective campaign aimed at encouraging people to do more at work is the annual Envirowise One Bin Day campaign, which took place for the second time in February 2007. Participants in offices across the country were forced to rethink the way they dealt with waste when all but one bin was removed from their workplace for just one day. The results highlighted a growing need for businesses to get their whole workforce involved in taking action on using less resources and tackling waste. Glasgow Airport was one of those to take part this year, having started assessing their office activities in 2006. Charlotte Ratcliffe, Environment & Sustainability Manager, told us: "We began removing the desk bins from our offices in August last year, to encourage more people to use the central recycling facilities available. Improved signage in the office has also helped employees to segregate their waste more effectively. "Overall it has been a real success and allows us to make sure paper, aluminium, plastic, glass and general waste can all be recycled. With more than 50 people working in the airport offices, the long-term impact of this activity will be significant. "Because of our positive experience, we decided to support One Bin Day this year and would urge other organisations to rethink how they deal with office waste - it could make all the difference. "And taking part in the Envirowise initiative is just one small part of our ongoing commitment to resource efficiency. For instance, in February we ran a three-day programme for operational staff who were encouraged to share their experience and discuss new approaches to tackling waste right across the airport. We are also making strong progress with energy reduction and exploring new areas such as rainwater harvesting, which could have real potential to reduce our water usage." Over in the West Midlands, Hawker Electronics was a very different participant. Established in 1964, the company provides level measurement equipment for monitoring and controlling processes across a range of industry sectors. "There is a quite a strong environmental culture within our team already because of the products we provide," said John. "For example, the company is involved in leachate monitoring at various landfill sites so we have seen first-hand the pressures the UK is facing in terms of waste disposal. "At our workplace near Birmingham there are 28 members of staff and we try to ensure we're doing everything possible to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. We are fortunate to have an industrial shredder that allows us to shred used paper and give it a second life as packaging for our products. Scrap metal is also reused where possible and anything left at the end of the year is sold and the proceeds put towards staff entertainment. "We decided to take part in the Envirowise One Bin Day this year to encourage everyone to reassess how they dispose of office waste in particular. After all, we can only reuse paper and other materials if they are properly separated from other waste in the first place. "People found that once their desk bin was removed, they had to think twice about whether the item in their hand was really waste - or could actually be recycled. I'm sure this will add to a growing awareness of the simple steps we can take to be more resource efficient right across the business." Further information To help companies address these issues, Envirowise has developed a CD-Rom based toolkit providing step-by-step guidance to help reduce waste and the use of common resources such as paper, water and energy within the office environment. Any business can request a free Green Officiency CD-ROM Toolkit by visiting www.envirowise.gov.uk/greenofficiency For more information companies can also call the Envirowise helpline on 0800 585 794. |
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