sustainable times issue 7

Protecting your data and the environmentThe HP LTO Ultrium Eco Case

Are concerns about electric vehicles justified?

The smarter way to get to work

Cloud computing under the spotlight

Why Fairtrade is to everyone’s taste

How to maximise the return on your

investment in sustainability

AUTUMN 2011

EFFICIENT Save time with the new Neopost DS-35 Folder Inserter.

It professionally and precisely folds, inserts and seals

1,350 items of mail in just 1 hour – 13 times more than a human,

so valuable staff can be free to concentrate on more productive and

profitable tasks.

SMART Simple works better, so the new DS-35 is so easy to set up

and use. With a full colour touch screen and a 15 preset programmable

memory, you can set up and save your most regular tasks then

simply ‘load and go’ at the touch of a button.

RELIABLE We’ve made reliability our number one priority. So we’ve

upgraded nearly half of the components in the new DS-35 for durability,

so the DS-35 delivers outstanding productivity, week in, week out.

MONEY MAKING By folding A4 mail into DL or C5 envelopes the DS-35

can let you enjoy the Royal Mail’s lowest rates - saving 16p on every

1st class item sent. More than capable of handling mailshots and

perfect for adding promotional materials to your regular mailings, the

DS-35 can also help boost sales and let you handle your marketing

in-house, making for really cost-effective communications.

YOU’RE EFFICIENTYOU’RE SMARTYOU’RE RELIABLEYOU’RE GOING TO MAKE ME MONEY

THE DS-35 FOLDER INSERTER. MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU. For more information or to arrange a demonstration,

call 0800 731 1334 quoting DS35A or visit www.neopost.co.uk/ds35S

According to Kyocera’s latest Sustainability survey, office workers printed 40% fewer pages last year – the first fall since the survey began in 2007. This is impressive, but not unexpected: indeed, it’s more surprising that this is the first time a fall has been registered. After all, it is in the interests of everyone (bar printer and paper suppliers) to use less paper. Cutting print volumes, often through managed print services, is popular because it it is at heart a cost cutting measure that also looks good from a CSR perspective. In time the same could be true of renewable energy projects that, according to the Carbon Trust (see story to right), have an average return on investment of more than 10%. The Government’s proposal to slash Feed-in-Tariffs from solar installations by up to 50% makes such projects much less appealing. If they go ahead, the changes could be devastating for the renewable energy industry and deprive small businesses of an exciting way to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

James Goulding, Editor

03 Agenda Sustainability

for offices and office products

09 Cloud computing Cloud computing companies draw fire for datacentre energy consumption

17 Cover story Protecting your data

and the environment

18 Window Film How low-e window film

brings year round savings

20 What’s New The best new green

products for office buyers

Editor James Goulding 07803 087228 [email protected]

Advertising Director Ethan White 01474 824711 [email protected]

Publishing Director Neil Trim 07803 087229 dd 01737 249408 [email protected]

Group Sales Manager Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552116 [email protected]

Sustainable Times is a supplement of Business Info Magazine. It is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 4 New Cottages, Green Farm Lane, Shorne, Kent DA12 3HQ. Tel: 01474 824711. Email: [email protected]

No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2011 Kingswood Media Ltd.

Design: Sandtiger Media – www.sandtiger.co.uk

The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate within internationally recognized standards. The paper is made from Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation.

WINTER 2008/9

22 Sustainable transport As rail becomes a rich man’s toy, how do you make road travel more sustainable?

28 Electric vehicles We examine the most

common concerns

29 Catering What happens when coffee meets CSR

30 Green Marketing

Steve Hewson explains how to make the most of your investment in sustainability

31 Office Lighting What to consider when

designing your office lighting

CONTENTS

greenAgenda

sustainabletimes 03

A match made in carbonA match-making database that brings together UK carbon reduction projects, such as community-owned renewable energy installations, with organisations wishing to support them has been launched by BRE, British Airways, Deloitte and Forum for the Future.

The UK Carbon Reporting Framework aims to overcome barriers that have limited corporate involvement in local projects, principally uncertainty about the carbon reduction benefits that funding organisations can take credit for.

It does this by requiring project developers to use standardised carbon accounting methods to calculate the reductions associated with their projects.

Where these already exist, such as the Woodland Carbon Code, they will be used. Where they don’t, BRE has initiated the development of new methodologies and will work with appropriate sector

expert organisations to develop additional ones going forward.

Jon d’Este-Hoare of BRE said: “Our research strongly demonstrates that UK corporates want to support carbon reduction projects in this country. UK-based carbon reduction projects do not qualify for carbon offsetting schemes, but offsetting is not the only way – or motivation – for companies to support these projects.

“The reasons why companies want to support UK-based projects are many and varied. For some it may be the opportunity to support projects which have a direct impact on the lives of their staff and customers, for others it may be about communication – solar panels on the local school are easier to understand than a carbon offset project overseas.”

Carbon reduction initiatives and community groups can register projects in need of funding at www.ukcarbonreporting.org.

Businesses that invest in renewable energy could make average returns of 11-12%, with the potential for returns in excess of 20%, the Carbon Trust claims in a new report (published before the Government’s latest proposals to slash solar PV feed-in-tariffs).

Analysis by Carbon Trust Advisory indicates that financial incentives, such as the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed in Tariff (FiT); the rising price of energy; and building regulations are combining to create a compelling case for UK businesses to generate their own renewable energy.

Among the most attractive options are anaerobic digestion (AD), wind, biomass heating systems and ground source heat pumps, with AD grid injection and biomass boilers offering the highest average rate of return.

The report warns that returns from renewable energy vary greatly and are influenced by a number of factors such as levels of internal expertise; whether a company purchases or directly generates renewable energy; and whether it adopts on-site or off-site projects.

Carbon Trust Advisory says that the pace is being set by retailers and consumer goods brands, such as ASDA, IKEA, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, which all have a target of moving to 100% renewable energy.

Overall, businesses are taking a mixed approach, sourcing renewable energy both from their own projects and from energy providers. IKEA, for example, now obtains 80% of its total energy use from renewables and has invested in a mix of ground source heat pumps, biomass, solar panels and wind power.

Renewable energy projects generate power and profit

IKEA has spent £4million fitting 39,000 solar panels to the rooftops of 10 IKEA stores and invested in a 12.3 Megawatt wind farm in Aberdeenshire. Photo shows solar panels on its Milton Keynes store.

SustainableEditor’s Choice Award

UK Carbon Reporting Framework

04 sustainabletimes 0870 903 9500

greenAgenda Antalis McNaughton’s closed loop paper recycling service has been highly commended in the third annual European Paper Recycling Awards organised by the European Recovered Paper Council.

Full Cycle collects waste paper from customers’ premises and returns it to Arjo Wiggins mills in France and Denmark where it is made into recycled brands, such as Coccoon, Cyclus and Conqueror, that are then sold back to customers.

Businesses pay to have the waste collected but earn money back in the form of account credits for every tonne of waste paper recycled.

This year’s European Paper Recycling Award winners were:

n Palwaste Recycling, a company set up by Stora Enso Barcelona and engineering firm Alucha to develop a recycling solution for ‘plastic-aluminium laminates’ used in drinks cartons;

n PTS for an online NIR measurement system that improves consistency and economy in de-inking plants for recycled paper; and

n Birmingham City Council and Smurfit Kappa Recycling for increasing the amount of paper recovered from the waste stream from 750 tonnes when they started working together in 1993 to 40,000 tonnes per annum today.

www.paperforrecycling.eu www.fullcyclepaper.com

So says environmental planning consultancy Atmos Consulting, following its analysis of recent statistics relating to roofs that are partially or completely covered in vegetation planted in substrate over a waterproof membrane.

It found that in addition to their environmental contribution (e.g. providing habitat for wildlife, absorbing pollution and reducing the risk of flooding), green roofs can be expected to last 2.5 to 3.5 times longer than standard roofs and insulate buildings to prevent heat loss in winter and heat gain in the summer. According to one study, green roofs can annually save 2 litres of fuel oil per square metre.

Roofs covered in rolls of sedum are the easiest to install and maintain, says Atmos. Biodiversity/brown roofs with flowers, ponds, wildlife towers and even trees have higher development and maintenance costs and can be very heavy, placing load-bearing requirements on building structures.

Green roofs save energy and cash

Office workers break habits of a lifetime as print volumes plummetThe number of pages printed by UK office workers has dropped by a massive 40% in the last 12 months, from an average of 10,000 sheets per year to just 6,000 according to the latest annual environmental survey by Kyocera Mita. This is the first time print volumes have fallen since the survey started in 2007.

Tracey Rawling Church, director of Brand and Reputation at Kyocera Mita, said: “We’ve been hearing about the paperless office for decades, but this is the first concrete evidence we’ve seen that shows office-based workers’ love affair with the printed page is beginning to wane. There is far greater confidence in mobile technology and electronic information, meaning that there is less demand for the comfort of a piece of paper.”

Another factor might be a growing trend for automated systems such as mandatory duplex (up 5% from 2010) and card-controlled access (up 8% from 2010).www.kyoceramita.co.uk/survey2011

BIC is taking over as sponsor of TerraCycle’s schools-based pen recycling scheme and extending it to offices and schools nationwide, creating the UK’s first national scheme for recycling writing instruments.

The BIC Writing Instruments Brigade programme enables offices and schools to collect any make or type of used pen, marker or highlighter in designated collection boxes that, when full, can be returned to TerraCycle at no cost.

TerraCycle will recycle the pens into watering cans, pen pots, waste bins, park benches and other plastic items.

For each pen collected, BIC will donate two points that can either be turned into a 2p contribution to a school or charity or be spent on a range of charitable gifts.

TerraCycle runs separate collection schemes for yoghurt pots, coffee refill packs, baby wipes packaging, baby food pouches, toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes.

To take part in the BIC Writing Instruments Brigade, please register at www.terracycle.co.uk

Loans matched to savings The Carbon Trust and Siemens have launched a scheme to provide UK businesses with finance for green equipment, such as low energy lighting, energy-efficient motors, low carbon air conditioning or biomass heating.

Open to any business, the Carbon Trust/Siemens Energy Efficient Finance Scheme aims to match monthly payments to savings from lower energy consumption.

The Carbon Trust will assess the likely carbon, energy and cost savings of any application for finance and Siemens Financial Services will manage the provision of funding. It expects to provide £550 million between 2011 and 2014.www.energyefficiencyfinancing.co.uk

A separate survey by Lexmark has found that almost three out of four UK workers (73%) are printing fewer emails than one year ago and half (53%) are outputting less general business and marketing material. Four out of 10 businesses expect to reduce expenditure on print by between 5% and 20% in 2011.

www.fullcyclepaper.com

National pen recycling scheme launched


TerraCycle

sustainabletimes 05www.binfo.co.uk

Office Depot has introduced an e-billing system that is expected to save a stack of paper as high as 15 double-decker buses each month. The contract stationer is looking forward to an 80% reduction in the 3.5 million paper invoices it sends to its 200,000 UK customers annually.

This is the latest in a series of waste reduction initiatives introduced by the company globally. In the US, it has started delivering office supplies in paper bags rather than cardboard boxes padded with plastic pillows.

Over the next 12 months, the opt-in GreenerOffice Delivery Service is expected to replace five million cardboard boxes weighing 4.5 million pounds with about 0.9 million pounds of paper. Office Depot claims that wood-based resources saved are the equivalent of over 20,000 trees.

Juan Guerrero, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain for Office Depot, said: “Customer feedback on our new delivery service has been exceptional. Many customers were excited by the convenience the program offers – no boxes to open, no air pillows to deal with and no cardboard to dispose of.”

A spokesman for Office Depot in the UK said that there were no plans to extend the scheme over here, but that the company was considering the use of returnable tote boxes for deliveries. It already uses Cargocycles for central London deliveries, cutting its vehicle emissions in the area by 80%. www.officedepot.co.uk

Office Depot saves paper with new e-billing system

Data security and cost concerns are the main obstacles to the greater re-use of IT equipment, according to a study of 100 enterprises with more than 1000 employees by Vanson Bourne for IT re-use charity Computer Aid International.

Only 14% of companies followed best practice by sending all working computers for re-use and recycling the remainder.

Of those that don’t send PCs for re-use, 63% cited data protection concerns as a reason; 53% stated cost; and 24% suggested that contractual obligations to a leasing company prevented them from doing so.

More than four out of 10 respondents (83%) said they would re-use working equipment if factors such as data protection and cost were addressed.

This represents a lost opportunity as PC turnover remains high, with UK organisations on average replacing base units every 3.7 years and monitors every 4 years. www.computeraid.org greenAgenda…

New bridge a load of old rubbish The first recycled thermoplastic road bridge outside the USA has been built by Welsh company Vertech Limited across the River Tweed at Easter Dawyck in Peeblesshire. Forming part of the John Buchan Way, the 90-foot road bridge is made from 50 tonnes of waste plastic that won’t rust; requires no painting or regular maintenance; and is 100% recyclable.

The project was undertaken in partnership with Dawyck Estates, specialist bridge designer Cass Hayward LLP, Cardiff University’s School of Engineering, Rutgers University’s AAMIPP Department and Axion International, with support from the Welsh Assembly Government.

In 2012, Vertech plans to open a manufacturing facility in North Wales where it will make thermoplastic composite materials that can be used by the European construction sector instead of plywood, MDF and laminates.www.vertechcomposites.co.uk

CPD launches green alternative to PET and PLAA new plant-based polymer that requires less energy to produce and is claimed to compost within weeks has been developed by CPD, a supplier of cleaning and hygiene products, and the University of Sheffield.

Floreon is claimed to have a number of advantages over PET petroleum-based plastics and conventional bio-based PLA plastics:l it requires 62% less energy to make

than rival products that need to be heated to 280-300 degrees centigrade during manufacturing;

l over 90% of Floreon comes from plant materials with a patented PLA blend made from 100% renewable corn;

l PLA is a better recycled material than PET as quality does not decline during recycling enabling it to be recycled into virgin plastic; and

l Floreon biodegrades within just weeks, even in home composting – not just into very fine particles, but into chemicals that exist in soil and can be broken down by bacteria.

The first product to be made from Floreon is a prototype water bottle created by Sebastian Conran Associates (SCA). Floreon bottles are claimed to be tougher, easier to process and slightly more heat resistant than those made from conventional PLA.www.cpd-plc.co.uk

Streamlined deliveriesThe Premier Paper Group has taken delivery of its first pair of aerodynamically designed ‘curving body’ trucks as part of its commitment to reduce costs and environmental impact. The 12 tonne DAF LFs, supplied by Ryders, are fitted with Bevan 21 bodies and are expected to reduce fuel consumption by around 10% with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions. Premier Paper expects to add more of the trucks as older vehicles in its 96-strong fleet are replaced.

Neopost has introduced an ‘eco’ signature to highlight the steps it has taken to make its products more sustainable and to draw customers’ attention to products that exceed market standards for energy-efficiency and CO2 emissions. By adopting an eco-design approach, Neopost has slashed the amount of materials used to make its Energy Star-certified mailing products by 44%. Packaging has been reduced by 7% and is now 100% cardboard. In addition, Neopost runs a free cartridge recycling service and has raised the recyclability of machines to an average of 78%. Energy-efficiency has been enhanced with a sleep mode that cuts energy consumption by up to 50%. www.neopost.co.uk


Floreon


greenAgendaCarbon Trust to provide independent verification of carbon footprintsThe Carbon Trust has launched a new service to provide organisations with independent verification that their corporate carbon footprints are accurate and compliant with the GHG Protocol and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

The Footprint Verification service will help organisations meet growing demand for robust carbon emissions data in CSR & annual reports and support the disclosure of emissions to third party stakeholders, such as shareholders and investors.

Harry Morrison, Director of Carbon Trust Certification, said: “With the prospect of mandatory carbon reporting on the horizon and increasing pressure from shareholders for carbon disclosure, more companies and organisations are seeking independent assurance that their carbon footprint has been measured robustly and accurately.”

He added: “The business case for measuring and reducing carbon emissions stretches beyond internal cost efficiency and improving environmental reputation. Effective carbon management also offers significant rewards for businesses seeking to secure their places on enterprise supply chains, which nowadays increasingly

look to their suppliers to play an active role in cutting emissions.”

Recent research by the Carbon Trust found that 50% of multinationals expect to select their suppliers based upon carbon performance and that 58% of multinationals will in the future pay a premium for low carbon suppliers to reduce their overall corporate carbon footprints.

The Footprint Verification service is a two-stage process, consisting of a gap analysis to identify any omissions or discrepancies in footprint data that need to be rectified, and then full verification of corrected data.

In addition to verification services, the Carbon Trust carries out the carbon footprinting of products and services in compliance with PAS 2050 and the international GHG Protocol Product Lifecycle Standard developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Since 2008, the Carbon Trust has calculated the carbon footprint of 5,000 products and services including Walkers Crisps, Kingsmill and Silver Spoon.www.carbontrustcertification.com

BSI revises PAS 2050The British Standards Institution (BSI) has issued a revision to PAS 2050, a standard used to calculate the carbon footprint of goods and services. The revision aligns PAS 2050’s methodology with footprint methods being developed overseas and was developed in consultation with international stakeholders, such as The World Resources Institute/The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD), ISO and the European Commission. Since it was introduced in October 2008, PAS 2050 has been downloaded more than 35,000 times.www.bsigroup.com/PAS2050

A smart choiceInterxion, a provider of carrier-neutral co-location data centre services, has announced that its data centre on London’s Brick Lane has signed up for 100% renewable energy from SmartestEnergy, the UK’s leading purchaser and supplier of independently generated electricity. SmartestEnergy sources all its power from 500 independent power producers, generating electricity from wind, hydro and biomass, in addition to Good Quality CHP (Combined Heat and Power). It currently purchases more than 10% of all renewable electricity generated in the UK. www.interxion.com

Cover for green energyEco insurance provider Naturesave has launched a new insurance policy covering renewable energy installations for schools, small businesses and community organisations. The Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme for solar PV, wind and hydro turbines up to 750kw provides cover for equipment and guaranteed protection for the revenues they earn in the event of mechanical breakdown or material damage, as well as public liability.www.naturesave.co.uk/

Dr Martin Blake, who as Head of Sustainability at the UK Royal Mail Group led a successful carbon reduction strategy that cut Royal Mail’s annual energy bill by more than £30 million, has set up a new consultancy specialising in corporate energy efficiency programmes. Carbon Zero Solutions (CZS) aims to reduce customers’ electricity bills by 20-30%. www.carbonzerosolutions.com

Turning down workplace heating by just one degree could save over £35m a year in unnecessary energy bills. This is just one of the energy-saving tips included in two Carbon Trust guides designed to help UK businesses make a 30% reduction in the £450 million spent on heating workplaces. The Heating, ventilation and air conditioning and Heating control guides can be downloaded from www.carbontrust.co.uk/expertinenergy

Four former blue-chip CEOs and FTSE Directors with over 100 years’ experience in renewable energy have formed a consultancy to advise individuals and businesses on product choices, system design, installation and financing. EC Energy Solutions (ECES) can advise on all aspects of renewable energy, from basic insulation to the installation of Solar PV or the incorporation of air-to-air or geothermal technology into a heating and hot water system. www.ecenergysolutionsgroup.co.uk

IN BRIEF

The Carbon Trust has launched a new business to help UK companies reduce their energy costs and install greener, more efficient technology. Carbon Trust Implementation services aims to provide UK companies with objective advice on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies; access to accredited suppliers to deliver the work; and help planning funding for projects. The service is funded by a flat rate commission from suppliers and is free to customers.www.carbontrust.co.uk/implementation

The Footprint Verification logo is a sign that an organisation’s carbon footprint is accurate

APPEAL TO THE ECONOMIST AND THE

ECOLOGIST IN YOU

KYOCERA. COUNT ON US.

KYOCERA MITA UK Ltd – Phone: 08457 103 104 – www.kyoceramita.co.uk

More effi cient printing and copying can signifi cantly reduce the use of

energy, paper and consumables, delivering real cost savings as well as

helping you hit your emissions reduction targets.

Find out more on 08457 103 104.


CCS Director Peter Knapp with senior support engineer Giles Falkingham and technical sales manager Nick Ryder.

greenAgenda

BT aims to shave £13 million a year off its energy bills and reduce its carbon footprint by 5% or 60,000 tonnes by introducing a smart energy management system across its offices, telephone exchanges and data centres.

In the 2010/11 financial year, BT used 2,342GWh of energy running its UK networks, data centres and offices, equivalent to 0.7% of all the electricity consumed in the UK.

BT is currently installing more than 22,000 smart energy meters, more than 1,500 building energy management systems and an advanced control network over broadband that will enable it to monitor and control more than 90% of its UK energy consumption.

The integrated energy management system will receive data from smart meters, invoices and building energy management and control systems, enabling BT to monitor energy use and identify where savings can be made. For example, benchmarking Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) across BT buildings will help BT identify the best and worst performing locations and implement actions to improve energy efficiency.

In 2012, BT plans to implement similar energy management systems globally. BT has a commitment to reduce its carbon intensity by 80% by 2020 (compared to 1997 levels) and to generate 25% of its UK energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2016.

Following the successful trial of its paper milk bottles in Asda stores in the South-West of England, GreenBottle is expanding its range with the introduction of a paper wine bottle that it is marketing to supermarkets and wine producers.

The prototype is designed along the same lines as the company’s milk bottles i.e. with a tough paper casing around a thin plastic bag containing the liquid. When the bottle is empty, the user tears off the paper for composting or recycling and puts the plastic bag in the household rubbish or plastic recycling stream.

Green bottle inventor Martin Myerscough says that a GreenBottle uses less than one third of the plastic of a conventional plastic milk bottle and has just one tenth of the carbon footprint of a glass wine bottle.

Myerscough adds that the results of Asda’s six month trial indicate that

consumers understand the concept: sales of milk sold in GreenBottles more than tripled compared to sales in conventional plastic bottles; and 80% of consumers who tried GreenBottles said they prefer them to plastic ones.

GreenBottle, which sold its 100,000th paper milk bottle last month, is close to unveiling new machinery that will enable it to create GreenBottles more cheaply and in industrial quantities.www.greenbottle.com

Natural coolingInternet service provider CCS has installed an Eco Cooling air conditioning system as part of a £150,000 investment in its new 4,800 server capacity datacentre in Leeds. The air conditioning system, part-funded with a £36,000 grant from the Carbon Trust, harnesses the natural process of evaporation and, unlike traditional air conditioning systems, uses clean fresh air, which allows odours and bacteria to be expelled naturally. In operation, the coolers use just 240v of electricity, the same as a domestic electric fire.

Green bottles break the mould

Saved by the cloudLarge UK companies that use cloud computing could, by 2020, achieve annual energy savings of £1.2 billion and carbon reductions of 9.2 metric tons, equivalent to the emissions of over 4 million passenger vehicles, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) claims. New analysis included as an addendum to the report Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21st Century shows that if large UK companies accelerate adoption of cloud computing from 10% to 70% of IT spend by 2020, as forecast, they could reduce CO2 emissions associated with their IT estate by 50%. The claim is based on an analysis of 457 UK firms with revenues greater than $1billion by Verdantix. www.cdproject.net

HP on topHP tops the rankings in the latest Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, which rates 15 consumer electronic companies across three areas: Energy, Greener Products and Sustainable Operations. The 17th edition of the guide includes new assessment criteria relating to renewable energy use; supply chain carbon footprints; product lifecycle; conflict minerals; and the sourcing of paper. www.greenpeace.org/rankingguide

Waging war on pixelsPretonSaver, which like Tonermiser (see page 20) can reduce a printer’s use of toner by up to 50%, is being deployed by Korea’s Hana Bank to cut annual consumables costs by 25%. The bank is deploying the Enterprise version in its Seoul headquarters and more than 600 branches to control the printing of customer transactions, external reports and internal reference material. PretonSaver uses Preton’s Pixel Optimizer technology to remove unnecessary pixels without impacting print quality and configurable print rules and policies to reduce paper consumption. www.preton.com

IN BRIEF

BT consumes 0.7% of all the UK’s electricity

BT gets smart with its energy consumption


Huge increases in energy consumption mean that global internet and social networking firms need to adopt a more strategic approach to energy and carbon management, Verdantix claims in a new report Carbon Strategy Benchmark: Internet Sector

According to the US EPA, datacentre energy consumption doubled between 2000 and 2006, and could have doubled again by the end of 2011. The Department of Energy estimates that datacentres now consume as much as 3% of total US electricity.

Verdantix argues that a more strategic approach is needed to tackle challenges such as rising energy spend caused by exploding datacentre use; the impact of energy price volatility on financial results; the likelihood of mandatory carbon reporting; and public criticism of sustainability commitments by groups such as Greenpeace (see box) and the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Janet Lin, Verdantix Senior Manager in New York, said: “To remain competitive, the world’s largest internet and social networking firms need to keep energy costs under control and protect the brand with transparent carbon communications.

“Given their stellar growth rates, the 14 firms in this study cannot deliver absolute reductions in carbon emissions through energy efficiency. Instead they should track performance against intensity metrics such as Carbon Usage Effectiveness in datacentres. Risks from ignoring energy and carbon management will grow over time – not shrink.”

The world’s largest The report assesses the energy strategies of the world’s 14 largest internet and social networking firms including Akamai, Amazon, Apple, eBay, Expedia, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Priceline, Salesforce, Yahoo! and Chinese players Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent.

It identifies Akamai, Apple and eBay as leaders in energy efficiency enhancements and disclosure of carbon emissions, but states that positive steps are being made by Salesforce, which has publicised GHG reductions from cloud services, and Google, which recently disclosed its carbon footprint.

Overall, the study exposes a widespread lack of transparency in the sector: just four firms – Akamai, Apple, eBay and Google – disclose GHG emissions from their datacentres on a global basis; and none invest in assurance from a recognised, independent verifier of GHG emissions data such as DNV, KPMG or PwC.

Clearly more efficientGoogle, which recently disclosed the energy consumption of its datacentres for the first time, says that the massive amount of energy used to power its datacentres should not obscure the improvements being made in efficiency and the sourcing of clean energy: Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and is continuing to increase the proportion of renewable energy in its grid from 19% in 2010 to a target of more than 35%.

More important than the overall energy consumption figure, it says, is the fact that in delivering all its services, the company’s servers consume less energy, per user, per month than leaving a light on for 3 hours.

Google adds that the cloud services it offers enable customers to reduce their own energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

It recently compared the carbon footprint of its Gmail cloud-based email service with that of a locally

hosted email system in a small business with 50 employees. The analysis revealed an annual power consumption per Gmail user of 0.25W, working out

at 1.2kg of CO2 emissions per user, per year. The

respective figures for a small business with its own email

server are 30W and 103kg.Earlier this year, Salesforce.com

released a study by WSP Environment & Energy showing that users of its cloud computing services emit 95% less carbon than companies running equivalent software in on-premise applications servers. It also concluded that massively scalable, multi-tenant cloud platforms are on average 64% more carbon-efficient than ‘private clouds’ typically run out of third-party datacentres.

For Costas Galonis, chief technology officer of Cirrus Stratus, this and not the massive energy footprint of datacentres is the real point.

“The sheer scale of Google – which hit a million servers back in 2007 and is currently fêted for processing around 24 petabytes of data every single day – is beyond most IT manager’s comprehension, as it is mine, but the reality for Google and any organisation that uses cloud computing resources is that it both saves money and reduces that organisation’s energy footprint,” he said.

“Cloud computing offers businesses and squeezed public sector organisations, not just a number of key advantages over conventional data centres and allied IT storage platforms, but a fundamentally greener, planet-friendly agenda.”www.verdantix.comwww.salesforce.com/sustainability

Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and is continuing to increase the proportion of renewable energy in its grid...

“

Under a cloudGoogle datacentres may consume huge amounts of power, but cloud computing is still a greener option

Dirty dataIn April Greenpeace released a report, How Dirty is Your Data?, in which it criticised leading IT companies for failing to disclose their energy use and carbon footprint; for being over-reliant on coal power; and for failing to consider the availability of renewable power when choosing the location of its datacentres.

It identified Yahoo! and Google as leaders in these areas, pointing out that Yahoo! had sited near sources of renewable energy and that Google is directly purchasing clean power. Facebook was criticised for being excessively reliant on coal power.

Following the publication of its report, Greenpeace started a campaign to make Facebook ‘unfriend coal’ and embrace renewable power.

Since then, Facebook has announced that it is to build a new datacentre on a five-acre site in Luleå, Sweden, with the option to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. www.greenpeace.org/coolit

10 sustainabletimes 0870 903 95000870 903 9500

WWW.TOSHIBA.COM/DEALERS

THE TOSHIBA CARBONZERO SCHEME.IT’S MORE THAN A GREENERWAY TO DO BUSINESS.IT’S A UNIQUE BENEFIT.WWW.TOSHIBA.CO.UK/IMAGING


Sustainability is tightly embedded within all Toshiba manufacturing processes and the environmental impact of the design and manufacture of its printer and multifunctional products has greatly reduced in recent years. Toshiba products are made in an ISO14001 facility using the very latest resource recovery techniques and all exceed compliance criteria by design.

But research proves that the bulk of the ‘damage’ is done while the device is in use, so Toshiba actively works with its customers to further reduce the carbon footprint. This commitment extends beyond the use of software and other innovative techniques designed to help customers reduce the impact of their printing and copying. In 2009, Toshiba introduced a pioneering initiative – the Carbon Zero scheme.

The Carbon Zero scheme was initially launched in the UK and Eire markets and was expanded to cover most of Western Europe by April 2010.

Separately, Toshiba assessed the lifetime environmental impact of its products in terms of carbon emissions. The calculation covers all associated emissions including procurement, manufacturing and logistics to create a definitive carbon footprint for each device.

While there is no agreed international standard for measuring the carbon footprint of an MFP, the Toshiba methodology works because the data calculations used are based on independent analysis which is in turn independently audited by internationally accredited organisations, ensuring that the offset is total.

Carbon zero printingThe carbon footprint of the products is offset via Gold Standard energy efficient stove projects based in Sub-Saharan Africa and Micro Hydro generation projects in China that take place under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

Carbon offsetting allows for the investment in projects that save the emission of, or absorb, an equivalent amount of CO2 to that of an MFP’s footprint. Through this process, the emissions are balanced to become carbon zero, which allows for positive printing and copying, with no negative effect on the environment.

The African Energy Efficient Stove project, which is run through the independent organisation co2balance, supplies domestic stoves that cut the use of firewood by more than half. Each cooker typically prevents three tonnes of CO2 emissions every year – equivalent to the emissions produced by an average UK car doing 9,000 miles a year.

Four thousand Kenyan households have already switched to this energy efficient method of cooking thanks to Toshiba carbon free MFPs and combined with further innovations in the products themselves it means that carbon savings are made in the UK and in Africa & China.

Additional benefitsCrucially, the scheme doesn’t just benefit the environment; it also helps reduce the 1.6 million deaths each year that the World Health Organisation identifies as associated with smoke inhalation. In fact, the WHO states that cooking on an inefficient 3-stone fire is the equivalent of smoking two packets

of cigarettes a day.Equally, because the stoves that

Toshiba is funding would otherwise not be installed, children and young people who would be out collecting firewood can now go to school.

The Toshiba Carbon Zero scheme enables responsible organisations to improve their sustainable business practices in a positive way. It helps to focus customers and employees on resource management whilst providing a proactive benefit to people in some of the world’s least developed countries by improving their health and welfare.

The scheme is providing tangible benefits and so far has offset around 106,000 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), as a result of providing almost 2,000 fuel efficient cooking stoves to Kenyan households.

The offsetting process enshrined within Carbon Zero is provided to customers free of charge. Toshiba has absorbed the cost of the scheme to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability but also to ensure the widest possible buy in from its clients. www.toshiba.co.uk/imaging

Sustainable printingIt has been well documented that office technology products have an environmental footprint and are the most visible users of energy in the office environment; for Toshiba, offsetting this impact is high on the business agenda.

WWW.TOSHIBA.COM/DEALERS

THE TOSHIBA CARBONZERO SCHEME.IT’S MORE THAN A GREENERWAY TO DO BUSINESS.IT’S A UNIQUE BENEFIT.WWW.TOSHIBA.CO.UK/IMAGING

The African Energy Efficient stoves typically prevent three tonnes of CO2

emissions every year.


Here, Jeremy Spencer, Marketing Manager Toshiba, answers readers’ questions around the latest green innovations in office equipment.

Businesses want to deal with other businesses that maintain a high ethical

stance. As an example, the Co-Op has made a commitment to render its

operations carbon neutral by offsetting its carbon through a programme of

international projects. It is likely that organisations such as these will demand

a similarly responsible stance from their suppliers.

Q. What are the latest trends and innovations in green machines?

A. All manufacturers are reducing power consumption of their machines, particularly when they are in sleep mode. Some machines use as little as 1 Watt when in sleep mode. The use of LED lamps instead of fluorescent tubes is also a big breakthrough. And there have also been some big changes to machines’ paper drives so that they can now more easily handle recycled paper which, until recently, was a problem for most manufacturers.

Q. What green credentials or accreditations should I look out for?

A. The primary one is Energy Star. This is the main accreditation in Europe and USA and encompasses all the best standards. Its strength is that it’s not a static standard – it is revised every 12-18 months and raises the conformance levels continuously, so in order to achieve the standard, manufacturers are forced to innovate.

Q. Aren’t green machines more expensive?

A. Independent research suggests that 70 per cent of people, when offered a green alternative, will always take it – providing the price differential isn’t too large. It’s also a question of responsibility – businesses generally want to be able to demonstrate that they are taking a responsible, green approach. In the main, if prices are at a sensible level and the green figures substantiated, it’s a win-win option.

Q. What are the latest working methods that are encouraging green use of machines – such as powersave, cloud systems or other working practices?

A. Powersave is fine as long as machines warm up quickly, otherwise people will just turn that facility off. However, new fusing technology development has meant this is now possible. Double sided printing is an obvious answer. The tendency where possible is more to read on screen nowadays, rather than print out, and many organisations are optimising their web content so it is easier to understand the content rather than producing hardcopy. However, we do appreciate that a lot of people still like to print information out, so in that case we would always recommend double sided printing.

Q. How can the use of consumables or accessories improve the eco-functions of equipment?

A. If using non-manufacturers toner, the machines will need to be serviced more often, without a doubt, and are likely to become more unreliable, so more visits from the service engineer (adding to your carbon footprint), and it will become more expensive to run. These ‘bad’ toners also require more heat in order to fuse correctly onto the page, so the machine will have to operate at a higher temperature.

In terms of accessories, duplex is a must. In addition, having a quality scan function allows organisations to distribute more electronic documents, again reducing the number of printed pages. This has a significant impact as almost 50 per cent of a document’s carbon footprint comes from the paper, recycled or not.

www.toshiba.co.uk/imaging

Going green is good for business

In the UK around 20,000 organisations from both the private

and public sectors are affected by government initiatives to

reduce carbon emissions and global warming such as the EU

Emissions Trading Scheme and the more recent Carbon Reduction

Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC).


advertorial WWW.TOSHIBA.COM/DEALERS

Order something a bit different from Tetley for all the different folk in your offi ce!

Tetley DecafFollowing a more health-conscious

lifestyle? Cut out the caffeine without compromising on the taste.

Tetley RedbushNaturally caffeine-free and as

thirst-quenchingly hydrating as water, served with or without milk!

Tetley Green Tea with LemonDelicate green tea with the zesty freshness

of lemons in a blend that will make the whole offi ce sparkle.

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Add a selection of Tetley tea to every stationery order, and keep your colleagues topped up with all the fl avours of the Nation’s Favourite brew!

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Want to know where you can buy Tetley for your office? Just email [email protected]

Order something a bit different from Tetley for all the different folk in your offi ce!

Tetley Fruit & Herbal TeasOur Starter Pack is a great way to introduce your offi ce to Tetley’s

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Tetley On The Go 300s Case300 insulated cups, lids and tea bags mean no spills, no washing up and a cuppa that stays hot on your desk!

Tetley 100s Non-Drip Drawstring & 250s Envelopes

One Cup Tea BagsOur traditional black tea is bursting

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Want to know where you can buy Tetley for your office? Just email [email protected]


HP’s new LTO Ultrium Eco Case is made of moulded recycled paper instead of polypropylene, which uses two-thirds less oil to produce. It’s a small thing, but by making the switch, you could make a big difference.

Get your free sample at www.hp.com/uk/ecocase Scan the QR code to fi nd out more about the Eco Case

© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. *For information on how this was calculated and on how to switch to HP LTO Ultrium Eco Case, please visit www.hp.com/uk/ecocase





Protection for your world

Data growth is outpacing storage capacity and companies of all sizes are constantly challenged to manage this growth in the most cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner.

This is why tape retains a vital role in HP’s storage portfolio. It complements the faster read/write performance of disk solutions with numerous strengths of its own: low TCO, huge capacity, minimal energy and power costs, offline protection from viruses and hacking and a 30-year archival life for record retention.

In the second quarter of 2011, the capacity of new cartridge shipments was an astonishing 4,235 petabytes.1 To put this into perspective, that’s the equivalent of 217 billion trees made into paper and printed.2 Or, if you want truly mind boggling, 1 quadrillion pieces of paper printed double sided.3

In a stack 43 million miles high. And this is just in one single quarter!

Clearly, the number of tape cartridges needed to generate these statistics will be a substantial figure in its own right. Overall, the global tape industry ships around 20 million LTO Ultrium tape cartridges a year. Traditionally, these have always been shipped in polypropylene (PP) cases to protect the cartridge in transit and to enable it to remain free of contaminants, even when stored for long periods of time. But as Andrew Dodd, Product Marketing Manager for HP’s Storage Media business group points out; this is a challenge when looking at greener alternatives to plastic cases.

“In lots of other industries, companies are making great progress in reducing the environmental footprint of their packaging materials. For the tape media business, this has historically been regarded as more difficult because the tape container is not just a brand platform, it’s an integral part of keeping the cartridge safe and secure once data has been stored upon it.”

Although consumer video and audio tapes increasingly seem like relics of a bygone age, for businesses, tape storage is going from strength to strength. What’s more, HP LTO Ultrium Eco Cases keep vital business data safe whilst reducing the environmental impact of packaging.

So whilst the tape itself might be relatively inexpensive, the mission critical data it holds is exponentially more valuable.

“Clearly, when you are shipping six million plastic tape boxes a year, you have to consider the environmental footprint of that activity”, explains Dodd. “But although tape itself is a green storage technology, we realised that customers would only support sustainable packaging for the tape cartridges if they believed that their data would remain secure. Any alternative had to be as good as the traditional PP case.”

The LTO Ultrium Eco Case storage media is HP’s answer to this challenge. It’s made from 100% recycled pulp to create a box that is lightweight yet rigid and protects the cartridge from shock, vibration and contamination from dust or debris. The Eco Case is bleach and chemical free and fully biodegradable. Even the information on the case is printed using organic soya ink. When compared to the PP container, the Eco Case reduces oil consumption by two thirds and carbon dioxide emissions by a half during the manufacturing process.

“We’ve calculated that each LTO Ultrium cartridge case made from polypropylene uses approximately one kilogram of oil to manufacture,” says Andrew Dodd. “For our larger customers, purchasing 1,000 cartridges in Eco Cases would save enough oil to drive a 1.1 litre diesel powered car about 4,800 miles.4”

Crucially, however, the Eco Case does not compromise protection

from shock, vibration and debris contamination when compared to the plastic case. Users will never put their data at risk by using an Eco Case to store and archive their data cartridge.

So job done? Well not quite yet. “Whilst it would nice to have Eco Case as the default for all our HP LTO Ultrium tape shipments, the reality is that customers are very risk-averse when it comes to their data. We’ve had a very positive response from our resellers and the customers who have migrated to Eco Case and hopefully, as people become more aware of the benefits of Eco Case, the product will ship in greater and greater volumes.”

And he concludes with one final statistic. So far in 2011, the capacity on the tapes shipped inside the new Eco Case is the equivalent of about a month of output from the BBC’s iPlayer service. Like a certain popular soap drama, HP is hoping that the Eco Case is a story that will run and run.

To find out more about Eco Case, please go to www.hp.com/uk/ecocase.To download a limited edition Eco Case poster and fact sheet, please go to http://www.hpstoragemedia.com/EcoCasePoster/.

The ECO case reduces oil consumption by two thirds

“

Sources: 1. Santa Clara Consulting Group, Quarterly Backup

Tracker Q2 CY112. University of California at Berkeley, School of

Information Management and Systems3. US Federal Bureau of Investigation4. Hewlett-Packard








Energy Saving is for Life, Not Just for Christmas

For many UK businesses, the ENDS Sustainable Business 2011 report makes for uncomfortable reading. Amid findings that carbon emissions, energy intensity and electricity have all increased over the last twelve months, the report concludes that UK business is ‘nowhere near’ its target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Judging by practises currently exhibited by companies across the country, this is not a surprising find.

It was revealed earlier this year that businesses seem to be significantly underestimating the financial benefit of saving energy. This helps to explain why the Carbon Trust found UK businesses are still wasting an astonishing £1.6 billion a year on energy bills.

The energy consumed by UK businesses contributes around 38% of the country’s total carbon emissions, and with better business practices a large chunk of this could be avoided. In a time of slow economic growth, these savings would be a major step towards businesses becoming more efficient, more productive and more profitable.

So why does energy efficiency remain such a low priority for so many organisations? In many cases, changing the attitudes and behaviour of staff is seen as too costly, too time consuming or too difficult. But the advice being given on the most appropriate and cost-efficient steps to take also needs to be called into question. At this time of year, most of that advice surrounds the topic of insulation.

The Hot TopicWith winter looming, conserving heat should be high on the agenda for UK businesses. But surprisingly, despite a wave of government-backed schemes including the Renewable Heat Initiative and the Green Deal, there remains no funding incentive for companies looking to invest in insulation measures. Any organisation that truly sets energy efficiency as a priority will have to bite the bullet and cover the costs themselves.

Ian Penfold explains how low-e window film brings year-round savings in energy costs.

Whilst cavity wall insulation is a positive step to take, and helps to prevent heat loss to a certain extent, businesses appear to be ignoring another surface that takes up a huge percentage of their wall space: windows.

The outside walls of an office often consist more of glass windows than they do anything else. This fact becomes important when the relative U value of each surface is taken into account.

U-Value? U-what?The U-value of a material defines the level of heat that can be transmitted through it. In other words, the higher the U-value, the more affected your building will be by changes in the weather. In most buildings, you only have to reach out and touch the surface of your windows to know that an untreated glass surface has a far higher U-value than an un-insulated wall. Therefore in terms of insulation, windows should be seen as the number one priority for energy-conscious companies this winter.

The most logical step, many believe, is to install low-emissivity (low-e) glazing. By absorbing a significant amount of energy created by heating

systems inside the building, low-e glazing is extremely effective at preventing heat loss and keeping energy bills down as a result. However, low-e glazing requires a set of new windows to be installed, a very expensive and un-environmental investment that will make a significant impact on financial and energy ROI.

Fortunately, it isn’t the only option that facilities managers can choose from. A new product has emerged onto the market that gives existing windows a superior performance to low-e glazing, and at a fraction of the cost of replacement windows. Yet despite the major difference it can make to business energy performance, low-e window film may currently mean very little to you.

Savings All Year RoundWindow film is a retrofit product so can be applied to existing windows. This eliminates the need for a ‘rip and replace’ upgrade that requires old windows to be thrown away, contributing to landfill and harming your company’s environmental responsibility. This is not just an easier option; it’s also around 80% cheaper, and by reflecting 63% of interior heat back into the room, there’s no compromise on performance either. Additionally, with window film the promise of energy saving extends beyond the winter months, allowing for reduced consumption when the sun comes out, too.

Unlike most low-e glazing, low-e window film is able to keep the office warm in the winter and also cool in the summer. By blocking a significant amount of solar heat from entering the building when temperatures are high, interiors remain at a stable temperature and the need for air conditioning is reduced. Coupled with its insulation benefits, the result is year round comfort and a greatly reduced energy burden no matter what season it is. This can only be positive news for a business’ efficiency targets and, more importantly, its bottom line.

For businesses that are jaded with the mainstream energy-saving options currently being made available to them, it’s time to bring lesser-known alternatives out from the cold, and start turning our carbon emissions targets into reality.

Ian Penfold is Architectural Manager at Solar Gard UK. 01905 640 400 [email protected] www.solargard.co.uk

Why does energy efficiency remain such a low priority for so many organisations?

“

Newpackaging

discovery-paper.com

Europe’s best selling 75g.m-2 paper

Lighter weight,more eco-efficient.

Discovery: another perspective on looking after the environment. We take a low grammage paper made from a high quality, high bulking wood (Eucalyptus globulus), made in Europe’s most modern equipment, and you get a paper using up to 37% less wood and producing up to 13% less waste. Not to mention jam-free performance. Discovery – the real eco-efficient paper.

Spicers Show 7/8 December (Everything for the Office Show: EFTOS) voucher promotion and free paper for the first 15 visitors to the stand on each show day.

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what’s new... Greener deliveries

Free water on tap – and onlineA campaign to improve access to free drinking water and reduce the public’s consumption of bottled water has been launched by entrepreneur Guy Jeremiah, inventor of the Aquatina collapsible pocket water bottle. The Find-a-Fountain project will record all publicly accessible drinking water fountains via an interactive website that will allow people to search for their nearest free water supply and update it with details of unlisted fountains. Maps on the website also include data provided by tapwater.org, a not-for-profit organisation that shows the location of indoor taps where you can refill your Aquatina water bottle for free. www.findafountain.org www.aquatina.com

Less is moreTONERmiser from NewField IT is a great way to make your printer consumables last longer and in doing so significantly reduce print costs. A more economical and, NewField would say, better alternative to printers’ built-in draft printing modes, it uses patented technology to preserve print quality while reducing the amount of toner used by as much as 50%. TONERmiser can be administered centrally and applied automatically or it can be selected by the user on a per job basis, with the ability to adjust savings via the TONERmiser slidebar. www.tonermiser.com

News that Amazon is planning to establish locker banks in major shopping centres comes as no surprise to logistics company ByBox. It pioneered the delivery-to-locker concept in the UK more than a decade ago, initially for field service customers and then in 2009 for consumers, with the launch of myByBox. Its network of 18,000 drop boxes in 1,350 locations across the UK overcomes the hit and miss nature of conventional home deliveries, by enabling deliveries to be made at any time of day or night to a ByBox locker nominated by the customer. The ability to consolidate deliveries into single drop-points is claimed to result in an average of 0.1 miles driven per delivery compared to 0.5 miles with a conventional model.www.bybox.com

On the moveTo mark the launch of its Galaxy Tab 1.0, Samsung UK commissioned bike manufacturer 14 Bike Co to create a custom-made road bike with detachable carbon fibre tablet holder. The hand-built steel frame pedal bike reflects the Galaxy Tab’s colour scheme with black paint on one side and white on the other. www.14bikeco.com

Past and present If you can’t recycle wrapping paper, what about re-using it? Just in time for Christmas, Oxfam has launched an exclusive new range of memo pads, notebooks and sketchpads made from reclaimed wrapping paper. They cost from £3.99.www.oxfam.org.uk/shop


TONERmiser


Recycled mouse The Canon X MARK I MOUSE Slim combines the functions of a wireless laser mouse, personal calculator and numeric keypad for a PC. Environmental credentials include a smaller body size than its predecessor, a part-recycled case and auto power-off after a set period of inactivity.

From PCs to the cloudCitrix’s new virtual desktop solution, VDI-in-a-Box 5, aims to help smaller businesses move from the PC to the cloud era by delivering centrally managed virtual desktops and apps as a service to any user, on any device, in any location. Purpose-built for SMBs, it has a simple all-in-one architecture that is claimed to eliminate over 60% of VDI costs – including management servers and shared storage (SANs) – by creating a grid of off-the-shelf servers with direct-attached storage. Citrix VDI-in-a-Box 5 deploys on a single server and includes everything Windows administrators need to deliver centrally-managed virtual desktops – for less than the cost of new PCs. A free trial is available at www.citrix.com/vdi-in-a-box/try-it.

Printer envyYou’ll become the envy of your friends with HP’s stylish new all-in-one for the home and executive offices. The HP ENVY 110 e-All-in-One printer features all the flexibility and convenience you could hope for, including wireless printing from any device, direct web access, a wide choice of print-related apps and automatic two-sided printing. It is also one of very few PVC-free printers on the market, giving it added appeal for eco-conscious buyers. www.hp.co.uk

Turns print jobs green

If you want to promote responsible printing without alienating staff, GreenPrint Advisor from GreenPrint Technologies could be just what you are looking for. This clever piece of software redirects print jobs from inefficient printers to the most economical ones in as sympathetic and unobtrusive

a fashion as possible. The software categorises all printers in an organisation as red, yellow or green. If a user tries to print to a red or yellow printer when a green one is available, a message pops up recommending an alternative device and the savings that can be made. The user can then continue or switch printer with just one click. www.printgreener.com

Kick and ride SwiftyONE, a folding kick scooter for adults, could save commuters as much as £3,000 a year, according to Manchester-based inventor Jason Iftakhar who co-designed the scooter with his wide Camilla.

He said: “If commuters drive and pay for parking at the train station, they could be paying around £3 per day to park their car. That’s £15 per week or about £3,000 a year. SwiftyONE could save them this!”

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that the £450 scooter is anything like the small, bumpy scooters beloved by children.

“SwiftyONE has large 16inch pneumatic wheels, allowing users to cruise around with ease and at surprising speed,” explained Jason. “The responsive steering and low rolling resistance makes a really fun ride, and the fact that it

can be folded down to take onto any bus, train and folded flat against a wall or under your desk, is another winning feature.”www.swiftyscooters.com

A great DiscoveryIf you have tried 75 or 70gsm printer paper in the past and found it lacked thickness, stiffness and opacity, then you probably didn’t choose Portucel Soporcel’s FSC-certified Discovery brand. Launched in 1995, and now the best-selling 75gsm office paper in Europe, Discovery offers better quality than some 80gsm grades thanks to the short, thick fibres of the Eucalyptus globulus tree. Portucel Soporcel claims to be able to produce 48% more reams of 75gsm paper from the same quantity of wood as a competitor 80gsm paper – and 58% more reams of 70gsm Discovery.www.portucelsoporcel.com


Smarter commuting

Train travel has boomed, as commuters have become more eco-conscious and driving more difficult and expensive. Figures published by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) show that over the financial year 2010/11 a total of 1.34bn journeys were made on the railways. Passenger numbers grew by 4.8% in the first three months of 2011, taking growth over the entire financial year to 6.6%.

From an environmental perspective, travelling by train is the next best thing to walking or cycling, producing 60g of CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre, compared to 89g by bus and 133g for the average car. However, it still accounts for a tiny proportion of the daily commute.

Analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows that outside London, most people (71%) drive to work, with 10% walking, 7% catching a bus, 5% getting a train and 3% cycling. Within London, 35% of those who work in London drive, and half of all workers take public transport: 20% train, 18% Tube and 12% bus.

The Government’s announcement that it is changing the formula for calculating fare increases, from the rate of inflation according to the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 1%, to RPI plus 3% means that train travel’s share could become even smaller.

With July’s RPI remaining unchanged at 5%, season ticket holders are looking at a hike in fares of 8% in the New Year. And because this figure only has to be an average, passengers on some routes could face even higher increases. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond responded by saying that the railways have become a ‘rich man’s toy’.

If that is the case and train travel becomes unaffordable what are the alternatives for those who can’t walk to work? And what can be done to lessen the environmental impact of journeys?

As the railways become a ‘rich man’s toy’ what are the alternatives for the hoi polloi

The CarPeople who revert to car travel can reduce the financial and environmental consequences of their decision by being a bit smarter about their choices:

1. Choose a car with a smaller engine or lower carbon dioxide emissions, as these qualify for environmental discounts on road tax and, in some cities, on parking permits. Find out more at www.direct.gov.uk.

2. Drive smarter. The Energy Saving Trust says that driving more carefully can cut fuel bills by £250 per driver, per year and that the first 15,000 drivers to complete its smarter driving training course achieved an average 15% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Find out more at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.

3. Join a car club. Car clubs remove the need to own a car and replace an average of 24.5 private cars per club. Members typically pay an annual membership fee to an operator who provides and maintains a fleet of vehicles in their area, plus a per mile/per hour usage fee. If you drive less than 6,000 miles per year, a car club could save you up to £3,500 a year. Find out more at www.carplus.org.uk.

4. Car share. Sharing your car with one or more passengers has many benefits: it saves money on petrol,

has a lower carbon footprint, makes boring solo journeys more sociable and can even reduce stress. There are many schemes in the UK. Find out more at www.jbgb.com, www.liftshare.com and www.gocarshare.com.

On your bikeCycling to work is a cheap, green and healthy alternative to shorter car journeys, yet only one in every 100 journeys in the UK is by bike, compared with 27 in the Netherlands and 18 in Germany. Many people are put off cycling by fear of traffic and a lack of changing facilities in their workplace, but attitudes are changing.

1. The Cycle to Work Guarantee Scheme. The Department for Transport’s voluntary scheme encourages employers to make their business more bike-friendly though the provision of changing facilities, bike parking spaces and the tax-free loan of cycles. Find out more at www.dft.gov.uk, www.cyclescheme.co.uk, www.cycletoworkguarantee.org.uk.

2. Bike buddies. Conquer your fear and get back into the cycling habit by finding a bike buddy to share all or part of your journey. A number of services exist to match you up with others going on the same route, including www.bikebudi.liftshare.com and www.thecyclingcommuter.com.

Just because you can’t afford to travel by rail, doesn’t mean you can’t be green.Today, there are plenty of alternatives that can save you money and shrink your carbon footprint.

...season ticket holders are looking at a hike in fares of 8% in the New Year.

“

H2 Bike Run is a new commuter club for people who cycle or run to work in the West End of London. Located in Dufours Street, Soho, it provides commuters with bike parking spaces, servicing and repairs, luxury changing facilities and a gym. It is even open to users of Boris Bikes, the bike hire scheme operated by TFL, who can make use of the club’s showers for an introductory price of £2.50. TfL is aiming to increase the cycling rate in London by 400% by 2025. www.h2bikerun.co.uk

Advice for BusinessThe National Business Travel Network (NBTN) is a dedicated business-to-business network promoting sustainable travel and flexible working. NBTN enables companies to share best practice and promotes the financial, environmental and social benefits of reducing the negative impacts of work-related travel. Its website has loads of guidance, advice and resources for businesses to download. www.nbtn.org.uk

MultiCopyGreatGreat

Great

Great

Great

To claim your free MultiCopy frog (while stockslast) and for more information on the MultiCopyrange, environmental details or point of salesupport; please contact us at [email protected]

BrandEstablished and instantly recognisable; MultiCopy has an excellent reputation.

Point of Sale AppealThe attractive green wrapper of MultiCopy Original is not onlyeye catching but clearly communicates a green commitment tothe environment.

RangeMultiCopy comes in a wide range of grammages and sizes.There are also options, in the MultiCopy range, that have beenspecifically developed for optimum performance on colourinkjet and colour laser machines.

PaperMultiCopy deserves its reputation as a reliable paper and runsthrough machines effortlessly. When it comes to making greatpaper, attention to detail is the key; each sheet of MultiCopy isprecision cut and then vacuum cleaned before being packed.

For FrogsMultiCopy has a great environmental story to tell. Nordic Swan,EU flower, FSC, ISO14001 and EMAS are the certificates thatare testament to the environmental credentials of MultiCopy.

But the story goes on…l Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels used in the manufacture of MultiCopy are 0kg per tonne. l The energy used to produce MultiCopy is primarily generated from renewable biofuel (waste

products from the mills pulping process)l Excess heat from the mill is used to heat around 3,000 homes and civic buildings in

surrounding towns. l All other emissions are kept to the absolute minimum and the process is totally chlorine free (TCF)

Great for the environment – and frogs

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Multi GREAT ad A4 5-11 12/05/2011 11:51 Page 1


Olivetti products deliver real energy savings and environmental responsibility

Energy efficiency is an absolute requirement for our customers and a key part of Olivetti’s commitment to the environment. All Olivetti products have been specifically designed to reduce the amount of energy they use and comply with leading energy-efficiency standards including Energy Star.

The Energy Star label was established in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy and to make it easy for consumers to identify and purchase energy efficient products that offer

Olivetti has noticed a fundamental shift in procurement managers’ priorities as businesses seek to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. As Olivetti product manager Wayne Snell says, “The phone calls I receive are no longer about features and functionality, but more about energy consumption, noise levels and our recycling policy.” Here, Wayne explains how Olivetti has addressed these concerns by ensuring that its products exceed the highest standards for energy efficiency.

green notepads

savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features and comfort.

Olivetti’s range of Energy Star-accredited colour multifunctional products (MFPs) offers up to 60 per cent lower energy consumption than the benchmark set for their respective speed class by Energy Star. Over a five-year period, customers who choose Olivetti devices over some competitor models could save several hundred pounds in energy costs per machine (dependent on energy supplier and tariff). In fleet environments, this could add up to a significant sum indeed!

A reduction in warm-up times and first print-out times over the last few years has meant that office products don’t consume unnecessary electrical resources while users wait for the machines to become ready. Typically, warm-up times have improved from around eight minutes in 2004, for a large colour copier, to less than 45 seconds today. First page out times have fallen from an average of 20 seconds to six seconds or under.

Lower TEC valuesOlivetti aims to ensure that every newly developed Olivetti MFP doesn’t just comply with the latest environmental regulations, but exceeds them.

A good example is the TEC (Typical Electricity Consumption) value used for the Energy Star certificate. The TEC value is measured in KW/h per week and is based on ‘real-life’ patterns of copying, printing, scanning and faxing in a typical office environment, including fluctuations throughout the day. This gives a very accurate measure of a device’s energy consumption.

For instance, the Olivetti d-Color MF651 has a TEC value of just 7.15, which is over 70 per cent lower than the standard average rating of 24KW/h. This information is available in the public domain to allow users to make an informed choice and there are various software tools available to calculate the rating of each machine

Innovative technologiesOlivetti machines are also designed to achieve a quieter working environment – to be seen and not heard. Many hard-working gears within Olivetti devices have been replaced by much smoother running drive belts; and solenoids within the engines have had dampers added to cushion their action and reduce sound emissions when in use. In addition, the document feeder and


finishers for the d-Color MF551 and d-Color MF651 operate more quietly than their predecessors.

Olivetti goes a long way to ensuring our products conform to stringent environmental directives. In particular, long-life drums and developers in copiers and printers are highly reliable and productive, reducing service intervals, maintenance costs and user downtime. Low cost, high yield toner cartridges deliver more pages for less money and when the toner runs out all that needs changing is an easy-to-replace cartridge and not the drum, as these are now separate units.

Technologies employed to achieve low energy consumption include the use of polymerised toner, which has a considerably lower fusing temperature when compared to conventional pulverised toners. As the fusing process accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total power consumption, the adoption of polymerised toner can secure considerable energy savings for the customer. In addition, the production of the polymerised toner itself delivers a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 compared to the former pulverisation process.

Olivetti’s colour high speed devices such as the Olivetti d-Color MF451, d-Color MF551 and d-Color MF651, also utilise state-of-the-art Induction Fusing technology which delivers heat both quickly and efficiently during the fusing process. Customers who enjoy the benefits of using induction hobs at home for their cooking will understand just how quick and efficient this technology can be. In fact, these high speed MFPs are ready for action from cold in just 45 seconds, and can be ready to print from sleep mode in just 12 seconds!

Power save modeAll Olivetti d-Color MFPs offer power saving modes to reduce energy consumption in idle phases. These modes activate automatically depending on the time setting programmed by the customer’s administrator. The MFP system will restart automatically from sleep mode when the user operates a key on the control panel or a print job is incoming. To maximise energy savings, incoming faxes will not restart the machine but are stored in secured memory until the machine is restarted by another action.

Low Power and Sleep Mode can also be controlled by a daily, weekly and date-based timer. The administrator can set a start and end time for regular business days and programme a machine to shut down completely on weekends and holidays.

In Sleep Mode, our fastest machine, the d-Color MF651, draws only 12W of power.

Environmental care policyOlivetti applies its environmental care policy across its entire product range. All Olivetti products adhere to global standards of responsible packaging, which is recycled and recyclable, and are manufactured according to the ISO 14001 standard.

The latest range of A4 MFPs has been designed to comply with the new RoHS regulations. The biggest change is that cold-cathode fluorescent lights used for scanning have been replaced by energy saving LED lights. This has an impact on a business’ monthly power bill and contributes to a TEC value that’s around 8 per cent lower than previous models.

User documentation for setting up the machines can be downloaded

Eco-friendly calculatorsOlivetti’s eco-friendly range of professional calculators is available with antiseptic keypads that help to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria or micro-organisms to users. The calculators deliver impressive quality, performance and reliability levels; improved energy efficiency; and are made from recycled and easily recyclable materials. To help save energy, the calculators automatically switch off their displays after three minutes of inactivity, retaining current calculations in their memory.

via the internet or on CD to reduce printing; and all models are able to handle 100 per cent recycled paper, further reducing a customer’s environmental footprint without affecting output quality or warranty.

Today, manufacturers have to prove their worth in more than output capability. The environment needs to be cared for and the responsibility for that rests with producers. By supplying products that exceed industry standards for energy efficiency and resource utilisation, Olivetti is reducing our environmental impact and that of our customers. www.olivetti.co.uk


When it comes tosaving energy, Olivetti’s d�Color MFRange is a breath offresh air!

Olivetti is able to show its customers real and tangible energy saving benefits due toinnovative technologies, such as polymerised toner, requiring less fusing temperature, andinduction fusing which is both super fast and more energy efficient.

Olivetti’s range of A3 d-Color MF machines undergo stringent environmental tests and have been provento use between 50% to 70% less energy than the highly prized Energy Star standard.

In fact, the Olivetti d-Color MF651 uses just 50% of the energy that some of its competitors do, forprinting the same weekly volume! This translates to significant energy savings per machine over theinstall period.

In addition, the carbon reduction, due to this reduced energy use, is equivalent to the annual amountabsorbed by 67 trees*.

Imagine, the total savings when replacing your fleet of equipment!

*Comparison of typical energy consumption using Energy Star Database

For more details contact us now on:01908 547980or email: [email protected]

Document Management and Digital Postal System for use with the Cloud

Featuring Olivetti’s proprietary software and touch screen technology, The OliTouch System enables the scanning, storing and retrieval of up to 20,000 documents, which is ideal for SME customers.

Plug and playThe OliTouch System is able to receive scanned images from most networked or locally connected MFPs or scanners and it comes preconfigured with index fields for around 20 commonly used types of document covering most aspects of business filing. These include, Invoice, Incoming and Outgoing Mail, Purchase Order, etc. This eliminates the lengthy set up, installation and training costs that are usually associated with document filing systems and means you can be efficiently storing and retrieving documents within minutes.

Organise your fileOnce the document has been scanned into the system, the whole page is displayed on the screen as an OCR document. The operator then simply selects the type of document that they wish to file and the appropriate index fields will also be displayed.

Some data for index fields, such as date and invoice number could be automatically filled in as the Semantic

The new entry-level Olitouch System is a key part of Olivetti’s ongoing strategy to launch a most diverse range of products and services to complement and expand upon its core business equipment market.

Analyser of the OCR engine is able to recognise them on the document. To enter data into the other index fields the operator simply touches the index field then touches the text on the screen to transfer it. This will eliminate typing errors that could otherwise occur.

It is also possible to group together documents in virtual folders. For example, you may wish to set up a folder containing all of your correspondence with a customer. Once a folder has been created, all newly scanned and saved documents for that customer will be automatically routed to the folder.

Document retrievalDocument retrieval is via a web browser interface and documents can be retrieved either while at the OliTouch Terminal or from any PC on your intranet. The documents can be retrieved by either searching the index data or by typing in any word contained within the document. The web browser will then display a hit list containing brief details of each document. This format will be very familiar to anyone already using a web browser for searching the internet.

Hybrid Mail Service From the system, users will be able to view and print their stored documents. It is even possible to access the optional Hybrid Mail Service. The system can be linked to an international mailing house, with outlets in every country, which will print the document, place it in an envelope and post it to the users

chosen destination. This system is run on a credit-per-document basis with the user buying credits in advance.

Use in the CloudThe software is delivered pre-installed into the touch screen and is based on a licence per machine price, rather than per user. Typically, the software allows documents to be stored and accessed on a local network but it can also be switched to the Cloud, where the system is automatically stored, backed-up and supported at no additional cost, until more than 10,000 are stored and then there is a nominal charge for this service.

By saving to the Cloud, users can access their documents from anywhere in the world. The search engine acts as a web browser so all documents can be searched for in a Google-style listing and accessed from the screen in the same way. Many users from the same company can link into the cloud and treat the OliTouch System as one very big filing cabinet.

The OliTouch System is just one of many exciting new products, that Olivetti will launch over the next few months and links very conveniently into any office environment where a multifunctional printer/scanner/copier is located. The opportunities for connectivity and productivity are so diverse but the ease and simplicity of these systems are outstanding.www.olivetti.co.uk

advertorial


When it comes tosaving energy, Olivetti’s d�Color MFRange is a breath offresh air!

Olivetti is able to show its customers real and tangible energy saving benefits due toinnovative technologies, such as polymerised toner, requiring less fusing temperature, andinduction fusing which is both super fast and more energy efficient.

Olivetti’s range of A3 d-Color MF machines undergo stringent environmental tests and have been provento use between 50% to 70% less energy than the highly prized Energy Star standard.

In fact, the Olivetti d-Color MF651 uses just 50% of the energy that some of its competitors do, forprinting the same weekly volume! This translates to significant energy savings per machine over theinstall period.

In addition, the carbon reduction, due to this reduced energy use, is equivalent to the annual amountabsorbed by 67 trees*.

Imagine, the total savings when replacing your fleet of equipment!

*Comparison of typical energy consumption using Energy Star Database

For more details contact us now on:01908 547980or email: [email protected]


Down on the range

Consumers across the globe expect electric vehicles (EVs) to be able to go further, on less charge time, for a lower price than car manufacturers are currently able to offer, according to a report from the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Global Manufacturing Industry group.

The report, Unplugged: Electric vehicle realities versus consumer expectations, surveyed 13,000 consumers in 17 countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe and found that the driving range and charge times of pure EVs continue to fall short of consumer expectations. As a result, DTTL believes that fewer than 2% of consumers will have adopted battery electric vehicles by 2020.

Siegfried Frick, an automotive partner with Deloitte Germany, said: “Consumers expect EVs to be able to go an average of 320 kilometres, but current technology permits most EVs to cover an average of only 160 kilometres between charges. There is a divide between consumers’ expectations of EVs and the actual technologies that are available in the market today.”

As Craig Giffi, DTTL Global Automotive sector leader explains, this extends to charge times too. “Most of the consumers surveyed expect an EV to recharge its battery in two hours or less. Only a small majority viewed up to eight hours – the actual time it can take to recharge the typical electric vehicle battery in vehicles today using a level 2 charger – as acceptable,” he said.

The driving range of EVs is a common complaint, but are car users right to put so much emphasis on it?

Are concerns about the driving range of electric vehicles misplaced?

Early findings from Europe’s largest trial of ultra-low carbon emission vehicles, launched in the UK by the Technology Strategy Board in December 2009, aren’t definitive. The trial involving 340 vehicles, 110,000 journeys, 680,000 miles and 20,000 battery recharges has been largely positive, with 83% of participants stating that the vehicles met their daily needs. Yet, range remains an issue.

Private drivers and fleet drivers said the range they required for daily trips was 92.12 and 120.64 miles respectively, which might explain why after three months, two thirds of private drivers were still more concerned about reaching their destination with an EV than their normal car (down from 100% at the start of the trial).

One of the eight consortia involved, CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators), has already analysed 12 months’ worth of data from 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and 20 smart fortwo electric drives and found that over time drivers travelled longer journeys, indicating increased confidence in vehicles’ range.

Even so, most journeys (77%) lasted less than 20 minutes and the majority used less than 2kWh of power (around 12% of the charge). Only 2% used more than 50% of the battery, so in almost all instances a return journey could be made without the need for recharging.

Brian Price from Aston University, which analysed data obtained from each vehicle’s on-board telemetry, said: “The battery range of electric vehicles (EVs) more than covers most users’ needs, with most drivers finishing their daily journeys with over 40% charge remaining. Typical users only need to recharge every 2-3 days and choose the convenience of a home charge overnight or at their

Swap and GoSustainableTIMES recently visited Paris to see Renault’s new Z.E. Electric Live concept in their flagship showroom on the Champs Elysées.

The exhibition began with a collection of everyday objects modified with tiny 2-stroke engines – a shaver with an exhaust pipe, a kitchen whisk with a tiny cylinder head and a chip and pin machine with a filler cap and minuscule petrol can for refilling – magically brought to life in an accompanying video.

The message was clear: why use a dirty, noisy engine when an electric alternative is so much cleaner and more convenient.

Few would argue the point over shavers and whisks, but it’s an entirely different matter when it comes to electric vehicles (see main story): many would argue that the petrol engine still has a monopoly on convenience.

Even if you only ever drive your car a few miles to and from work, you still want the freedom to make longer journeys, without worrying about running out of power or having to make lengthy stops to recharge.

One solution being considered by Renault is to give drivers the option of swapping a run-down battery for a fully charged one. In this scenario, a driver would pull into a ‘Battery Switching’ station; park up in a designated bay; release the suitcase-sized car battery; and insert a fully charged replacement. According to Renault, the whole process takes 3-5 minutes, i.e. no longer than it takes to fill a car with petrol today.

This is an attractive solution, especially for fleet operators, but is currently only being planned in Israel, Australia and Denmark. www.renault-ze.com

The all-electric Renault Fluence Z.E. four-door saloon is due to be launched in the UK in mid-2012. It has a range between charges of 50-125 miles depending on driving style, terrain and weather conditions, and is best suited to stop-go urban driving as it consumes almost no energy when stationery at traffic lights and will recover energy under deceleration.

Renault claims the purchase price will be competitive with a diesel car once the Government’s £5,000 Plug-In Car Grant (PiCG) is taken into account (£22,850 - £5,000 = £17,850); and that users will benefit from energy costs that are 5-10 times lower than a petrol/diesel car (approx. £3 for 115 miles).

However, savings are much, much lower when you take into account the cost of the compulsory battery hire (inc. breakdown cover), which for an annual mileage of 9,000 adds an extra 11p per mile to running costs (based on a monthly hire agreement of £81 over 3 years).

Users face an additional cost of £799 if they install the recommended Chargemaster wall-mounted charging point, offering a 6-8 hour

recharge time. The Fluence Z.E. can be connected directly to a 240V home supply, with a charge time of 10-12 hours, but

Renault suggests this only be done occasionally.Other PiCG eligible EVs are the Chevrolet Volt (early

2012); Citroen CZero; Mitsubishi i-MiEV; Nissan Leaf; Peugeot iOn; Smart fortwo electric drive; Tata Vista (TBC); Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (early 2012); and the Vauxhall Ampera (early 2012).

place of work over 85% of the time. Public charging points provided as part of the trial are proving popular, but are less necessary than originally thought, as users gain confidence in the range capability of the vehicles.”


Everyone’s cup of tea

No one who spends any time in supermarkets can have failed to notice the boom in ethically sourced coffees, teas, sugars, bananas and chocolates carrying Fairtrade and/or Rainforest Alliance certification.

Last year, UK sales of Fairtrade products rose by 40% to an estimated retail value of £1.17bn compared with £836m in 2009; and the number of producer groups selling into the UK Fairtrade market increased from 496 to 560.

In a GlobalScan survey for Fairtrade, 40% of UK consumers said they would prefer to buy Fairtrade tea if a Fairtrade option were available and 39% would prefer to buy Fairtrade coffee.

The Rainforest Alliance also made ground, with a 31% increase in sales of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee; a 53% increase in the production of Rainforest Alliance tea; and a 319% increase in the production of Rainforest Alliance cocoa.

Overall, 768 new companies registered to buy and sell goods grown on Rainforest Alliance-certified farms, 24% more than in 2009, bringing the total number to 2,416.

A common goalFairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance may have different priorities, but they both aim to make the world’s production systems and value chains more sustainable. Both are members of the ISEAL Alliance, the global association for social and environmental standards, that also numbers the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Marine Stewardship Council among its members.

Fairtrade’s main aim is to tackle poverty and empower growers in the world’s poorest countries by stipulating a minimum price that must be paid to producers plus an additional sum, the Fairtrade Premium, to invest in community projects. Separate Fairtrade standards exist for smallholders working together in democratic structures, such as co-operatives, and for producers that use hired labour who must meet minimum

Sales of ethical products continue to rise despite the economic climate

standards of worker welfare. The Rainforest Alliance, easily

recognised by its Green Frog logo, is primarily a conservation organisation committed to protecting tropical forests from clearance for agriculture or intensive forestry. It encourages farms (large and small) and co-operatives to manage their land in a sustainable manner by addressing the three pillars of sustainability – environmental protection, social equity and economic viability.

In order to achieve Rainforest Alliance certification, farms must meet standards set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network. So far, Rainforest Alliance certification has been achieved by 250,000 organisations and 25 types of crop covering more than one million hectares in 30 countries.

Multiple certificationsMany producers have dual Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certification – some organic products, like Sodexo’s Aspretto filter and espresso coffee and Café Nueva’s Triplo instant coffee, are accredited by the Soil Association, giving them triple-certified status.

Multi-certified products are likely to become more common as different schemes work together to advance the agenda of fairness in the tea, coffee and cocoa industries. Earlier this year Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance/Sustainable Agriculture Network and another scheme – UTZ Certified – announced that they were co-operating to reduce the level of complexity and cost for farmers by developing tools that would enable them to adhere to multiple standards.

In addition, industry body the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) has signed agreements with the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) to reduce duplication of monitoring and auditing activities so that it becomes easier for ETP members to work towards both standards.

Ethical vendingIncreased support for ethically produced products extends to the vending industry, where there is an ever wider choice of sustainable drink options. Growth is being driven throughout the supply chain by both commercial and CSR considerations. Indeed, the two have

Mars Drinks had a stated aim to source 30% of its products from sustainable sources by 2010

PG Tips is fully Rainforest Alliance-certified

By 2016 all Tetley tea bags and loose leaf tea products will use Rainforest Alliance-certified tea

become increasingly hard to separate as sales of certified products have grown.

Last year sales of Fairtrade coffee increased 16% in volume to just over 14,000 tonnes; and sales of Fairtrade tea grew 5% by volume.

A survey of 2,700 shoppers in Britain, France, Germany and Spain by international food and grocery analysts IGD revealed that half of consumers expect to buy more ethical food and drink in the future, including food produced locally, to high animal welfare standards or according to Fairtrade principles. Three out of 10 shoppers in the UK (31%) said that they expect to buy more Fairtrade products.

For business buyers, choosing certified products for the workplace cafeteria or vending machine is a small price to pay for the PR benefits that can come from ethical consumption.

Four out of five consumers questioned by GlobeScan, as part of a survey for Fairtrade International, said that they expect companies they deal with to help in reducing poverty through the way they do business; and 80% had a desire for companies to contribute to community development programmes – up from 73% in 2010.

Offering Fairtrade and/or Rainforest Alliance drinks is an easy and affordable way to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to such aims.

Nestle Professional is meeting rising demand for Fairtrade products with its Nescafe Partners Blend range


Marketing a Green Investment

Recent reports in the press have made much of U turns and empty promises relating to environmentally sustainable products or services. The London organising committee for the Olympic and Paralympics games, LOCOG, recently caught the sharp end of criticism for its decision to scale down some of the environmental commitments put in place at the time the bid was won. Despite the fact that this will still be the best ever games from an environmental perspective, the message out at the moment is about broken promises.

Marketing a product on the basis of its sustainability or environmental benefit requires careful planning to get the very best out of your investment. You need to be clear about your proposition to your customer and place it within a context that makes it easy for people to understand and increases their desire to purchase.

If your product is aimed primarily at the consumer market then your message should emphasise the value that being sustainable adds to that product. This message will appeal strongly to the 70+% of customers who regularly choose a more environmentally responsible product, even one that has a modest price premium. But remember, that premium is limited, especially on a commodity product: if the gap grows too wide, many consumers will forget their scruples and buy on price regardless of their stated values.

In the second in his series on implementing a carbon management strategy, Steve Hewson, sales and marketing director of co2balance, explains how to maximise the return on your investment in sustainability

Explain your concept simply and openly in your communications with customers. Include associated branding, such as standards, on packaging and where appropriate provide a link to more information on your website. Avoid charges of “Green Wash” by not overstating the case and stick to reliable claims and evidence. Business-to-businessWhen selling in a business-to-business environment, the appeal of a product is not limited to the environmental benefits or social health and welfare improvements. Compliance, too, is a factor – and not necessarily in the legal sense; often a buyer will need to comply with an internal code of conduct or an aspiration for the business, such as a publicly stated environment policy or CSR statement.

Remember that a product or service you are supplying may have a transferrable benefit to the buyer. For example, selling a CarbonZero printer also improves the environmental credentials of the company operating it. A business that hires environmentally responsible services from you effectively lowers its own business or carbon footprint, which it can then promote to its clients.

Many large companies are looking for ways to improve their environmental impact and increasingly those in the supply chain are challenged to deliver all or part of that improvement. By offering credible sustainable goods or services to your customers, you not only make your business more attractive as a supplier, but offer real value in the relationship with your customer by differentiating both yourself and them from the competition.

Good communicationHowever good your proposition, it is vital that you support your campaign by paying attention to the following areas:

Internal education. Your staff are one of your best marketing assets: make sure they know what you are doing and why. Staff engagement in environmental projects can be a significant boost for morale, but if they are to work it’s vital to get leadership teams on board so that they can set an example and inspire the rest of the organisation.

Press Release. Tell the world and your customers what you have done and why; how your actions will make a difference to your products; how you should be perceived; and what you expect to come out of this new commitment.

Promote leadership. If you are the first in your sector to address the sustainability of your business or products, take the initiative and position yourselves within your industry and associated press as a leader in the field. You can be sure that if your program succeeds others will try to follow, so create some distance and make sure you are seen as the Green option early on. Target relevant publications and online discussion groups to get your voice heard.

Revive the campaign on a regular basis. Whenever you have a new announcement to make, include your sustainable status on company reports and be sure to remind your customers you are an environmentally active business or service.

Provide information. Be open with your information and display it clearly on your website with links to external material supporting your claims.

WARNING! If you are positioning your business to take advantage of a strong environmental message, it is vitally important not to let failure in by the back door. Your staff, customers and the press will very quickly see through a proposition that looks good but fails to address significant poor practice or leaves other issues unresolved.

Marketing and selling a product that genuinely delivers sustainability benefits and provides help for others in the global community is a very rewarding experience. It can lead to improvements in your own company, too, like enhanced staff engagement and motivation, not to mention greater sales and profitability. Done well, it will help retain key customers and recruit new ones eager to do business with people who care about more than just the bottom line.


Replacing energy inefficient lighting with green alternatives improves light quality, has an immediate impact on energy use, CO2 emissions and the environment. While much can be done in the home to save energy from lighting, even more opportunities are available in the commercial environment.

Legislation is a major driving force. Part L(2) of the Building Regulations for non-domestic premises in England and Wales and the new Scottish Building Standards both demand action to reduce the wattage output for lighting per square metre of building.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for non-residential buildings found that energy efficient lighting is one of the measures with the largest potential and the cheapest mitigation options. The Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (ECA) allows businesses to claim 100% of their capital tax allowances on selected energy efficiency products in the first year. In addition, the Action Energy Programme provides interest free loans of up to £100,000 for small and medium-sized businesses.

The green light

Seeing the lightWith the lighting industry bringing out more efficient lamps, better fittings to focus the light where it is most needed, and more effective control gear and control systems to better manage light switching and/or dimming: it’s little wonder that many businesses find the issue of lighting confusing.

Ken Bundy of Claremont Group Interiors says that lighting design needs to be taken more seriously. “Lighting can often be left too late in the design process. So when and if budget becomes increasingly tight, this can lead you to focus on accepting the norm.

“Cost is obviously an important factor – the fluorescent tube is cheap and reasonably effective for a number of tasks. But the fact remains that you should use different types of light and different light levels to create a feeling of well being and as a way of structuring interior space,” says Bundy.

Morgan Lovell, which designs and builds sustainable office interiors, says first and foremost it’s important to meet appropriate maintained luminance

levels (in lux), as per building regulations. Sustainability expert Sophie Hutchinson says that being smart with your lighting can make a huge difference. “You can reduce the need for energy-hungry artificial lighting by making the most of the available natural daylight. This can be achieved through the use of light colours for walls and other surfaces and by installing light fittings with built-in daylight sensors and infra-red motion detectors for automatic lighting control.

“Other energy saving measures include installing zoned lighting with separate controls or timers to shut off lighting on weekends and at night; fitting high efficiency fluorescent lights; incorporating task lighting which provides better light for detail work and offers more control to individuals; or considering LED lighting (a standard 40W incandescent bulb has an expected lifespan of 1,000 hours while an LED can continue to operate for more than 50,000 hours – 50 times longer). These can all have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line and carbon footprint.”www.carbontrust.co.uk www.ipcc.ch www.claremontgi.com www.morganlovell.co.uk

On average, 25% of an organisation’s electricity costs come from lighting. It’s not surprising therefore, that in the drive to reduce energy consumption, this area has attracted a great deal of attention. According to The Carbon Trust, energy efficient lighting can cut energy costs by up to a third and improve the working environment for staff.

Legal Ombudsman in Birmingham by Claremont,

showing a balance of natural light

and with different types of lighting for

different working environments.

Stylish low energy light bulb British designer Samuel Wilkinson and product design company Hulger have won the Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2011 award for their stunning redesign of the low energy light bulb.

Low energy light bulbs have never been regarded as a stylish product; the Plumen addresses this by creating an aesthetic bulb which works just like any low energy bulb. By bending the glass tubes of a light bulb, Plumen have designed a product that uses 80% less energy and lasts eight times longer than an incandescent bulb.

The Plumen was lauded by chairman of judges Stephen Bayley, as ‘a good example of the ordinary thing done extraordinarily well, bringing a small measure of delight to an everyday product’.www.hulger.com

All of the beans KENCO buy for its full coffee range are now 100% from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms, protecting the environment, the workers and their families.

We know brands are a sign of quality assurance, credibility and trust and that’s why we offer a number of coffee solutions to suit every operational situation allowing you to maximise every commercial opportunity.

OV5471

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Quality is at the heart of the Kenco brand.

That’s why all KENCO beans go through rigorous quality checks throughout their journey, from harvesting, roasting and blending through to packing, ensuring whatever format you need, Kenco coffee reaches you in perfect condition.

for details visitwww.kencoprofessional.co.uk

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sustainable times issue 7

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