Sustainable Procurement

What is sustainable procurement?

Sustainable procurement is an approach to buying products and services that takes into account the economic, environmental and social impacts of what you buy. Looking for Carbon is about supporting action on climate change and therefore this guide focuses on the environmental impacts of procurement and particularly reducing carbon emissions in the supply chain. The aim is to explore how sustainability considerations complement other key business criteria such as cost, value-for-money and stakeholder preference.

Sustainable procurement means looking at the impacts of the product or service on the environment over its entire lifecycle from creation to disposal. Taking paper as an example, you would assess whether the paper is made from virgin pulp or a form of recycled product, whether it is from a sustainable source, the production process, how it is packaged, how it is delivered to you and whether you can recycle it.

The benefits

Taking sustainability into consideration in purchasing decisions is not merely about being seen to be green, there are many potential business benefits. Recent CIPD research reveals that more than 50 percent of people would prefer to work for a company with a strong environmental policy and clients are increasingly asking their legal advisers to demonstrate their green credentials. Being ahead of the game can give firms competitive advantage, but equally, as more firms build environmental considerations into the procurement process it will drive suppliers to develop more, better and cheaper low-carbon products and services. So it really is a win-win situation.

Business case	Example
Reduced exposure to reputation risk	Strengthened brand, enhanced community relationships, etc
Competitive advantage	Both public and private sector clients assess law firms on environmental credentials
Cost savings	Lower consumption of energy and other resources
Attract and retain talent	Employees are increasingly concerned with firms' environmental credentials
Anticipating legal obligation	Being ahead of the game on legislative requirements to reduce carbon consumption

Feeding in Tariffs - Making them work for you...

The introduction of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs), also known as Clean Energy Cashback, represents a real opportunity for public bodies to create environmental benefit, coupled with a range of economic benefits. In addition to carbon emissions reduction, the installation of renewable energy can create local jobs, reduce fuel poverty and contribute to the local economy.

Toolkit: Making Feed-in Tariffs work for you

The Energy Saving Trust has produced a guide to help make it easier to take advantage of FITs by providing information on the tariffs, as well as finance, ownership issues, a step-by-step guide, and some real life case studies. Whilst there are a number of technologies which are eligible to receive FITs, this document focuses primarily on solar electricity (PV). This technology is well suited to a large scale roll out by local authorities and housing associations.

Download our guide to Making Feed-in Tariffs work for you

Download our FIT PV calculator

Ofgem Feed-in tariff statistics

Ofgem now have a statistics hub for showing the number of FIT installations. This for example can be searched by local authority or technology. See: Ofgem Renewables and CHP Register

Information from our Feed-in Tariff events
The Energy Saving Trust and Friends of the Earth recently held two events about Feed in Tariffs (FITs), providing local authorities with an overview of the FIT scheme and sharing information on how local authorities can use FITs. The slides from all of the presentations and Q&A's are below as well contact details. Please contact your regional Energy Saving Trust teams in the first instance with queries about Feed in Tariffs.

Contact details
Feedback
Consultation
Presentations
Q&A notes
Friends of the Earth: Get serious about CO₂ campaign
Microgeneration online tools

Contact details
Please refer to the list of regional contacts for further information

Feedback
We would value your feedback on the event, and ways we can support your organisation in the future. Please complete our feedback form and email it back to us.

Consultation on allowing local authorities to sell electricity
In March 2010 the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) launched a consultation on allowing local authorities to sell electricity. This consultation closed in June 2010 and DECC have now issued their response which can be found on the DECC website here. The conclusion of the consultation has resulted in local authorities being allowed to sell electricity. Local authorities could previously sell electricity only where this was generated alongside heat. This amendment now allows the sale of electricity generated from renewable sources.

The statutory instruments allowing local authorities to sell electricity generated from renewable sources can be found here:

• For England and Wales
• For Scotland

FITs events presentations

The powerpoint slides for the presentations can be found below:

Introduction to the Feed in Tariff: Rob Lewis, Renewable Energy Strategy Manager, Energy Saving Trust
Arup's research will culminate in a report due for publication shortly. This will be hosted on Friends of the Earth's website.

Finance and Ownership Models for low carbon homes: Justine Prain, Project Director, Home Energy PAYS project, Energy Saving Trust

Green New Deal Briefing: Keith Budden, Manager, Birmingham Environment Partnership

The future of local support: Andy Deacon, Head of Local Delivery, Energy Saving Trust
Videos of these presentations are being edited and will be hosted here as soon as possible.

Question and answer notes
Download the notes from the question and answer session in London.
Download the notes from the question and answer session in Manchester.

Friends of the Earth: Get serious about CO2
A briefing note on the campaign is available to download. If you would like to contact Friends of the Earth about any of the issues they raised, please use the below contact details:

David Powell, Lead on LA Finance
Economy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth
mailto:%20David.powell@foe.co.uk, 020 7566 1615

Liz Hutchins, Lead on local carbon budgets
Parliamentary Campaigner, Friends of the Earth
mailto:%20Liz.hutchins@foe.co.uk, 020 7566 1728

Dave Timms, Lead on FITs policy
Energy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth
mailto:%20Dave.timms@foe.co.uk, 020 7566 1615

Microgeneration online tools

For more information on our microgeneration online tools visit the microgeneration section of our website. To discuss this in further detail please speak to your regional contact.

Invitation - Low Carbon Construction, 14th September 2011, UEA

Invitation In the first of a regular series of events on low carbon construction Promoted by UEA’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre and InCrops Enterprise Hub we focus on PassivHaus developments in the region.  These events will be of interest those involved in construction. PassivHaus principles are a key methodology for building low carbon homes, resulting in minimal heating demand. The PassivHaus standard can help achieve high levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes, BREEAM and significantly reduce heating bills. This event considers the issues around design and performance. 14 September 10:00 -13:00, Sportspark UEA, Norwich The event is FREE to attend. Registration If you would like to attend please contact Julia O’Rourke, InCrops events co-ordinator: j.orourke@uea.ac.uk, tel.: 01603 591765. Please state your preference if you wish to go on one of the tours.

Programme Registration and coffee from 10:00. Presentations to start at 10.30. Hear about BREEAM, the Code and PassivHaus -Jennifer Hardi, Low Carbon Futures and Refurbishment at Building Research Establishment (BRE) UEA Exemplar Building: PassivHaus, BREEAM and bio-based materials -Ben Binns, InCrops Enterprise Hub Wimbish PassivHaus Project: the Vision -John Lefever, Regional Head of Development,  Hastoe Housing Low Carbon Construction and Performance: the Wimbish PassivHaus project -Martin Ingham, Associate Consultant, Low Carbon Innovation Centre 12.15 Questions and discussion - close at 13:00 Optional extra: Tour of Thomas Paine Building and UEA Biomass Power Plant . Places strictly limited to 10 per tour – please book and state your preference. Click here for more information about this event.



Enabling the Green Economy

The government's vision that sets out the policy landscape over the next decade must specify actions as well as warm words

 

The notion that climate change can present business opportunities is old news. The debate is moving on. With unprecedented private and public sector funds pouring into environmental projects around the world, business leaders are asking which country is leading the green economy race and which markets offer the most attractive returns at least risk.

While the UK's economy has strong green foundations on which to build, it is rapidly losing ground to developing nations and other competitors. This trend is directly related to aggressive regulatory and fiscal policy packages that countries are putting into place, such as China's new five-year plan that seeks to underpin a "clean revolution" in its economic development.

Ministers recognise that the UK must do better and have recently announced a plethora of policies aimed at taking the handbrake off. These include reforms to the energy market and frameworks to incentivise energy efficiency in homes and businesses.

However, in the global sprint towards sustainability, legislation alone will not be enough. In a recent report the Aldersgate Group sets out the case for a comprehensive green growth strategy. The report argues that the strategy should include robust regulation to reduce polluting activities and policies that address market barriers (such as access to bank finance and reforming planning laws). It also argues there should be incentives to accelerate growth in dynamic sectors where the UK has the skills base and know-how to succeed on the global stage.

The central message is that green growth is not just about boosting traditional environmental technologies but the transformation of the whole economy.

Policy-makers increasingly recognise that green growth is relevant to all industries. This will be reflected in the next few days when the government publishes its vision, entitled Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy, for how it can work together with business. Aimed at corporate decision-makers, it will set out the policy landscape over the next decade, including the likely economic impacts and implications.

At its heart, the vision seeks to boost the confidence of senior business executives to invest in going greener. This should be welcomed and is a step in the right direction. Businesses are increasingly perplexed by the wide range of overlapping regulations, perverse incentives and endless acronyms. A beginners toolkit will help time-pressured sustainability professionals get their heads round the green policy labyrinth and help sell business strategies to the board.

Nevertheless, actions speak louder the words. Regulation is required to address market failures where actors who damage the environment do not bear the costs of that damage. What matters is the effectiveness and ambition of environmental policies rather than raising awareness about them.

The biggest test of the vision will be whether it can genuinely increase policy certainty. Will it provide businesses with the confidence to accelerate the greening of their operations? Can it reassure investors that there won't be some nasty policy shocks or ministerial U-turns in a few years time? What can be put in place now to ensure that the next government wont change course?

Above all, the vision must play its part in a broader green growth strategy that is the envy of the world. This is vital if the UK is going to gain share in emerging markets and build competitiveness through adopting more resource efficient practices. Get this right and the prize is more jobs and greater prosperity in a resource-constrained world.

This article first appeared on the Guardian Online on 4th August 2011 and was written by Andrew Raingold. Andrew is executive director at the Aldersgate Group, an alliance of leaders from business, politics and society that drives action for a sustainable economy and he gave a talk at Southend on Sea Borough Council's 'Funding a Green Future 2011'.

Temperature-Regulating Building Material sucks up excess Heat

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Aug 2, 2011

Simply set your walls to your desired temperature and sit back as they cool your room.

These days--apparently realizing that paying for heating and cooling costs money--building owners take energy use seriously: extensive insulation, natural light and cross-ventilation, and intelligent temperature controls are just some of the ways that LEED and other energy-efficient buildings keep costs down. Now Chinese researchers have come up with another tool in the energy-saving arsenal: a building material that can release and retain heat on command.

Developed at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), the material can be set to absorb any extra heat in a room--so if, for example, a user decides they want to keep the temperature at 70 degrees, the material can absorb any extra heat above that temperature. This doesn't mean the end of the air conditioner; the device can still help control air movement and humidity. The building material just soaks up extra heat.

"There are quite a few of these materials on the market but they all have limitations. When it comes to releasing the heat in a short period there is a time lag... [and] in the past when we've tried to improve on the thermal response, you lose some capacity to store the original amount of energy," explained project leader Jo Darkwa in an interview with the The Engineer. "The challenge was how to overcome these two barriers, making it more responsive but retaining its original abilities. We’ve been able to do that and manufacture samples at very low cost and using local material."

There are still hurdles to overcome before the material can be commercialized. The temperature at which the material starts absorbing heat is currently set during manufacturing, but the researchers want consumers to be able to set the temperature once the material has already been applied. Simply set your thermostat and watch as your walls absorb heat out of the room.

Once the material is ready to go, it will probably end up in China first. The country is experiencing a massive building boom, and developers in Ningbo (UNNC's home city) are required by the government to include at least one "sustainable" energy technology in all new buildings. A low-cost heat-regulating building material seems as good a choice as any

Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme Launched

The Government has launched the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme to help householders across the country with funding towards the cost of installing renewable heating systems. The new £15 million initiative, which opens to applications today, will support up to 25,000 installations

Approximately 4 million householders in the UK do not have mains gas and have to rely on more expensive, higher carbon forms of heating, such as heating oil and electric fires. The scheme will mainly focus on these households.

The following technologies will be available through the scheme:

• Ground Source Heat Pump - £1,250 grant (for homes without mains gas heating).
• Biomass boiler - £950 grant (for homes without mains gas heating).
• Air source heat pump - £850 grant (for homes without mains gas heating).
• Solar thermal hot water panels - £300 grant (available to all households regardless of the type of heating system used).

The Government will also provide, for a significant sample of participants, additional meters for their heating equipment.

£3 million of the overall £15 million will be set aside for registered social landlords to improve their housing stock. Details of how to apply for these funds will be announced at a later date.
Householders will need to ensure they have basic energy efficiency measures in place before applying.

Management of the scheme will be undertaken by the Energy Saving Trust and from today an information line and website will go live to provide people with more information. Householders can call 0800 512 012 or visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/RHPP

Grants will be available on a first come, first served basis and the scheme will close on 31 March 2012.

Video from Funding a Green Future 2011

The above clip was taken from Southend on Sea Borough Council's Funding a Green Future 2011 - a two day national conference for the public sector designed to provide key information about how they can take a proactive approach to the UK's transition to a low-carbon economy. The event included speakers from the Committee on Climate Change, the Environment Agency, the Carbon Trust, 10:10, the Energy Saving Trust and the event's charity partner Carbon Leapfrog.

The event proved a great success and will return on the 13th and 14th March next year from 'Funding a Green Future 2012'.