As the world becomes increasingly aware of the dangers of climate change, businesses are being urged to take action to reduce their carbon footprint and their emissions. While this may seem like a daunting task, many companies already have the data they need to make meaningful progress towards their emissions goals.
At Creative Building Performance, we aim to empower businesses to achieve their net zero emissions and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals by leveraging smart technologies and existing data.
If you’re a building owner, manager, or operator wondering where to invest to reduce your carbon emissions and ensure a return on your investment, read on.
In this blog, we will delve into a use case illustrating how a manufacturing and logistics firm could achieve a 28% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions with a combined payback of six years.
Case Study
The challenge faced by the hypothetical Health, Safety and Environment Manager, Mark, was to deliver a net zero emission strategy across scopes 1, 2, and 3, for four manufacturing sites, seven distribution centres, and 350 depots.
Marks first task was to identify quick wins and establish the investment required to achieve the 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 that the Board had publicly committed to. The data to demonstrate energy and carbon performance already existed, but the challenge Mark faced was utilising the data to extracting value.
Mark wanted to capture as much relevant data as he could in one place, identify the gaps in the data, and attempt to fill them. He also wanted to effectively communicate the strategy with investment and returns to various stakeholder groups - including the Board of Directors, suppliers, depot operators, landlords, and customers.
Introducing the CBP Insight Platform
Mark decided to test out the CBP Insight Platform offered by Creative Building Performance in relation to collating all of the building related emissions data which accounted for 68% of Scope 1 and 2 emissions. He entered simple building information and energy bills into the platform, which gave him an overview of the various buildings and the total gas and electricity consumption and cost. From there, he and his team were able to select the buildings requiring investment or indeed, divestment.
Using the CBP Insight Platform, Mark was able to engage with the operators of the depots to ensure they understood the implications of turning off lights and equipment during unoccupied periods, thus implementing immediate, no-cost energy-saving measures, supported by the Platform.
The recommendation to switch from gas turbine to biomass CHP for one of the manufacturing sites was taken up, and the installation of solar PV on another manufacturing site was carried out.
How the CBP Insight Platform performed
After monitoring for a period of three months, it was concluded that the selected measures would result in a 28% decrease in the Scope 1 and 2 emissions, with a payback period of six years. These savings from the first phase would be utilised to fund upgrades of other sites in the next phase.
Mark utilised user-friendly dashboards to update various stakeholder groups on progress towards targets. This resulted in an increase in customer confidence. Through frequent interaction on the CBP Insight Platform, he was able to effectively engage depot operators in the pursuit of energy management objectives. Additionally, Mark streamlined the annual reporting process by consolidating all required data in one location.
Looking beyond net zero emissions, the subsequent actions outlined involve integrating circular economy principles into the manufacturing and distribution processes of the company.
Why businesses should act now
In the UK, we already have legislation such as Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), which makes it mandatory for larger businesses to report their energy, emissions and energy efficiency measures on a yearly basis. Other main drivers include the UK government’s commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures.
The focus on climate change risk mitigation is becoming stronger and many organisations are preparing themselves for further legislation. Taking action now demonstrates that your business is engaged and strengthens your position to weather whatever regulatory and market changes lie ahead. The CBP Insight Platform was built to help businesses not only meet their goals, but also manage their reporting processes and engage their stakeholders.
Imagine what the CBP Insight Platform can do for you
Our Platform is a useful tool for businesses, building owners and building managers to achieve their net zero emission and ESG goals. It is critical from an investment perspective to have a holistic view over Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions going forward, particularly as companies grow.
The Platform can be used by businesses to harness the data they already have to identify immediate or easily achievable successes and establish the investment required to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. An added benefit for your business, is the ability to effectively communicate the strategy, with investment and returns, to various stakeholder groups.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what the CBP Insight Platform can do for your business, contact us.