Benefits of improving heating system efficiency
In this guide:
- How to use heating and hot water systems efficiently
- Benefits of improving heating system efficiency
- Installing efficient heating and hot water equipment
- Energy assessments for heating and hot water systems
- How to use heating equipment efficiently
- How to maintain heating systems effectively
- Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems
- Checking boiler efficiency
- Installing an efficient heating system - Marine Hotel (video)
Benefits of improving heating system efficiency
Efficient heating systems can save you money, improve your business' image and prepare you for future regulation.
Heating and hot water costs can account for half of a business' energy costs and half its carbon emissions. You can maintain or improve the efficiency of your heating system by using it economically. For example, by turning down your heating just 1°C, you can cut your annual heating costs by up to eight per cent - see using heating equipment efficiently.
By developing your knowledge of energy efficiency, you can make more cost-effective choices when it comes to replacing or upgrading your system - see installing efficient heating and hot water equipment.
Using less energy will reduce your business' carbon footprint and help limit climate change - see cutting your carbon emissions.
Being an energy-efficient business can also help attract customers, employees and investors - see how to market your environmental credentials.
Energy efficient businesses should be better prepared to comply with existing and new legislation. For example, if you propose to carry out building work on a building greater than 1,000 square metres, you may need to comply with building regulation conditions relating to the efficiency of your heating and hot water system.
You can find guidelines for the energy performance of buildings on the Department of Finance (DoF) website.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/benefits-improving-heating-system-efficiency
Links
Installing efficient heating and hot water equipment
Types of energy-efficient heating and hot water equipment and how to choose the best system for your building.
Whether you are investing in a new heating and hot water system for your building, or upgrading an old one, you should make sure your equipment is energy efficient.
When constructing or altering a building, you must ensure that any new heating equipment meets or exceeds the energy efficiency targets in Part F of the Building Regulations.
It may be more efficient to install additional small boilers for use in the summer months. For example, installing a separate water heater will help you save money by letting you switch off the main boiler system during the summer.
Various types of energy-efficient equipment are available, including:
- advanced metering systems
- optimiser thermostats
- zone controls for space heating
- sequencing controls
- heat recirculating units to recycle warm air in roof spaces
Renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating and wood-fuelled boilers, are another way of increasing building energy efficiency. They can also help you reduce your business' carbon emissions - see how to generate your own renewable energy.
You can get advice on the best type of equipment for your premises from the Carbon Trust. Alternatively, you can contact specialist associations, such as the Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association (HVCA) or the Council of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI).
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/installing-efficient-heating-and-hot-water-equipment
Links
Energy assessments for heating and hot water systems
Energy assessments allow you to make informed decisions on heating system upgrades and efficiency improvements.
You could save energy and money by arranging a regular energy assessment of your building's heating system efficiency. This should focus on:
- Boiler selection and system design - do you have the right type of boiler, and are your heating and hot water systems optimised for your property?
- System controls - are they working properly?
It is recommended that you have your system assessed if it has a capacity of more than 20 kilowatts, or is more than 15 years old.
After the assessment, your engineer will give you:
- an energy efficiency checklist
- an efficiency comparison of your existing system compared with a new one
- an assessment as to whether your system is the right size for your building
You can find an accredited energy assessor by contacting specialist organisations such as the Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association (HVCA) or the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/energy-assessments-heating-and-hot-water-systems
Links
How to use heating equipment efficiently
Tips on getting the most out of your heating system to cut energy costs and improve overall heating system efficiency.
To get the most out of your heating and hot water systems, it is recommended that you arrange for an energy assessment of your equipment - see energy assessments for heating and hot water systems.
Ways to use heating equipment more efficiently
You can increase heating system efficiency yourself by taking simple steps, such as:
- setting timer controls to operate heating only when people are present in the building and activate 'frost protection' at weekends and during holidays
- ensuring the hot water is not heated too much - water only needs to be heated to between 60 and 65°C to protect against legionella bacteria
- checking your heating bills regularly - this will help you spot any sudden increases in energy use, which may be caused by changes in the way a building is used
You should also make sure you:
- don't turn up heating unless you really need to
- leave plenty of space around radiators
- don't heat unused space
- keep doors and windows closed, and draught-proof, in cold weather
- ensure thermostats are not near draughts or hot and cold spots
- don't put hot equipment, such as photocopiers, near cooling vents
- maintain equipment properly
- have enough insulation around your hot water and HVAC systems, including; boilers, pipes, tanks and ductwork
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/how-use-heating-equipment-efficiently
Links
How to maintain heating systems effectively
What a professional should check when maintaining heating and hot water systems and regular checks you can carry out.
Regular maintenance of your heating and hot water system helps you maximise its efficiency, improve workplace safety and extend the lifespan of your system.
Heating system maintenance
Professional servicing and maintenance checks on your heating system should cover:
- combustion efficiency
- running repairs
- limescale checks
- advice to owners
- replacing worn or defective parts, such as boilers, water heaters, pumps and air heaters
You can carry out regular simple maintenance checks, such as:
- setting outlet louvres correctly for warm-air systems
- cleaning reflectors for radiant heaters
- keeping air vents clean
- checking for leaks
You should also monitor gas flues for efficiency, temperature and chimney conditions.
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/how-maintain-heating-systems-effectively
Links
Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems
Information about HVAC systems, running and maintenance costs, and how using zone controls can improve efficiency.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems control the temperature, humidity and air quality in buildings, according to a set of chosen conditions. They do this by transferring heat and moisture in and out of the air and by controlling the level of air pollutants by directly removing them or by diluting them to acceptable levels.
HVAC systems vary widely in size and function. If they were designed and installed during the building's construction, they will be larger and a key component of the centralised building services. They will use ventilation to deliver both heating and cooling to the building.
Other systems provide heating through boilers and radiators, with some limited ventilation to provide fresh air or cooling to certain parts of the building.
In many buildings, individual comfort cooling units have been added to address a specific overheating problem that didn't exist originally or wasn't apparent at the time of the original design. For example, the huge increase in the use of computers, which generate a lot of heat, has meant that many older buildings now need additional cooling or ventilation. Comfort cooling units are the most common method of providing cooling to a building when the need arises.
Energy consumption of HVAC systems
There are five important factors that determine the energy use of an HVAC system. These are the:
- design, layout and operation of the building - this affects how the external environment impacts on internal temperatures and humidity
- required indoor temperature and air quality - more extreme temperatures, greater precision and more refined air quality are all factors which lead to the HVAC plant consuming more energy
- heat generated internally by lighting, equipment and people
- design and efficiency of the HVAC plant - which provides heat, cooling and moisture control exactly where it is needed in the building
- operating times of the HVAC equipment and functionality of the controls - these limit operation to exactly when the system is needed
One of the best ways to control the cost of using HVAC equipment is to reduce the need to use it initially. It's important to first take energy-saving measures such as insulation and draught-proofing around your building. Simple measures such as window blinds can reduce the amount of heat entering a building and reduce the need for cooling. Room or zone controls and thermostats allow people control over their immediate environment, although it may be necessary to reset controls to a default setting each day.
Other opportunities for saving energy include:
- the use of passive heating, ventilation and cooling
- night cooling - when cool air passes through a building overnight to remove heat that has built up through the day
Refurbishment and hardware opportunities
If you are refurbishing or putting in a new HVAC system it is worth using the most efficient system available.
The more efficient the HVAC system is, the less expensive it is to run, which is an important consideration as the day-to-day running costs are far greater than the initial costs of installation.
When choosing an HVAC system you should:
- choose the system that is best suited to your needs
- prioritise energy efficiency in the design and installation stages
- implement and maintain good system controls
- set up and maintain the system effectively and consider a maintenance contract
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning-systems
Links
Checking boiler efficiency
Calculating boiler size, checking the boiler efficiency database and information on Energy Performance Certificates.
Heating engineers checking commercial and domestic boiler efficiency can get useful information from several sources, including the:
- Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK) boiler efficiency database
- Council of Registered Gas Installers
- Institute of Domestic Heating and Environmental Engineers (IDHEE)
- Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association
Efficiency ratings (domestic installations)
The energy efficiency of boilers intended for domestic use is rated in bands:
- A - 90 per cent and above
- B - 86-90 per cent
- C - 82-86 per cent
- D - 78-82 per cent
- E - 74-78 per cent
- F - 70-74 per cent
- G - below 70 per cent
Boiler efficiency database (domestic installations)
To check the efficiency of a particular model of domestic boiler, you can consult the boiler efficiency database. This contains efficiency data for current boiler models, and is updated monthly.
Boiler checklists
Step-by-step checklists for monitoring boiler energy efficiency are available online for:
- homeowner gas-fired heating installations - you can download a checklist for domestic gas-fired heating installations (PDF, 501K)
- homeowner oil-fired home heating installations - you can download a checklist for domestic oil-fired heating installations (PDF, 501K)
Gas boilers and space heaters below 100 kilowatts should be assessed every four years. Oil-fired or solid-fuel boilers, and space heaters larger than 100 kilowatts, should be assessed every two years.
Energy Performance Certificates
Boiler efficiency forms part of a building's overall energy performance, which must be displayed in the form of an Energy Performance Certificate.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/checking-boiler-efficiency
Links
How to use heating and hot water systems efficiently
Installing an efficient heating system - Marine Hotel (video)
Claire Hunter of Marine Hotel in Ballycastle explains how they installed an efficient LPG gas zoned heating system.
The Marine Hotel is situated in the Causeway coast resort town of Ballycastle with 31 bedrooms, dining and hospitality areas and large function rooms to heat.
Claire Hunter, the hotel's Director, explains how they moved from an oil fired heating system with hot water tanks to a more efficient LPG gas-zoned heating system.
Claire explains how they assessed their energy and heating needs, the support and advice they received, the practical benefits of the zoned system they chose and their annual cost savings.
Case StudyClaire HunterContent category
Source URL
/content/installing-efficient-heating-system-marine-hotel-video
Links
Your business strategy and climate change
In this guide:
How will climate change affect my business?
How climate change may impact your business now and in the future and the impacts of climate change on your supply chain.
The changing climate will bring many challenges for society and business, some which are known now and some which it may be difficult to predict.
Impacts of climate change on business
Climate change is likely to directly impact your business in a number of ways:
- extreme weather and more variable weather
- more flooding events
- water restrictions
- supply chain disruption or collapse
- government mitigation measures
Unpredictable weather can affect your business directly, for example by increasing the risk of water shortages or flooding. This can cause significant disruption to your business and make it more difficult to get insurance. You should take some time to understand how to protect your business from flooding.
Your business may also be affected by measures imposed by the government to help meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. These measures include:
- the Climate Change Levy - a method designed to improve your business' energy efficiency. You may already pay this levy as part of your energy bills. You can reduce the amount of levy you pay by cutting the amount you use and switching to renewable energy.
- climate change agreements - if your business is in an energy-intensive sector you may be eligible for a reduction in the climate change levy by meeting energy reduction targets.
- emissions trading and reporting - if your business is in one of the energy-intensive sectors covered by the scheme, you must report and meet targets to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, or take part in a voluntary reporting scheme.
Reducing your emissions can bring other benefits, such as lower energy bills and improving the way stakeholders view your business. You may also be able to take advantage of related tax breaks.
The most effective way of cutting your carbon emissions is likely to be by using a systematic approach to managing emissions reduction, such as by using an environmental management system.
You can aim to lessen the impact of your business activities on climate change by becoming a net zero business.
Get a free sustainability report
All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-will-climate-change-affect-my-business
Links
Climate change effects your business should prepare for
Different ways in which climate change may affect your business in Northern Ireland and how your business can prepare.
There are a number of reasons why you should adapt your business to climate change. Climate change may have both positive and negative impacts on your business. How your business will be affected depends on many factors including:
- your location
- your business' activities
- the ability of your premises to withstand extreme weather events
- your customer base
- the length, location and diversity of your supply chain
Extreme weather disruption
Climate change is likely to bring more extreme weather that may result in an increase in damage and disruption caused by flooding, strong winds or higher temperatures. Damage from more extreme weather, such as hailstorms, may also become more common. If Northern Ireland experiences exceptionally hot summers, this may result in seasonal water shortages and increased energy costs for cooling.
Your business should have a flood plan, especially if it is in an area already identified as being at risk of flooding. Your flood plan ought to include what action should be taken in the event of a flood and set out measures to minimise the risk of damage if a flood should occur, such as storing stock above floor level.
if your business depends on water you should think about what you would do if there were water restrictions. This could mean changing some of your business processes so they are less water-intensive, or implementing a water recycling or rain collection system.
Staff and supplier disruption
You should consider ways to manage employee absence due to bad weather and putting systems in place, for example home working which can reduce the impact of extreme weather events.
You could also take measures to improve the comfort of your workforce, such as providing clothing for inclement weather, blinds, natural ventilation or insulation. Some of these measures will also contribute to improving energy efficiency.
Even if your business is not directly affected by the impacts of climate change, it is possible that your suppliers or customer base may be affected. If this happens, it will have implications for your business.
You may be able to extend your business interruption insurance to cover you in the event that one of your suppliers is affected by a storm or drought. Think about ways to improve the efficiency and resilience of your supply chain.
Climate change risk insurance
Although you may be able to insure against some of the risks from climate change, you're unlikely to be able to get cover against the indirect economic risks such as the impact on staff.
You may find it cheaper and more effective to change your business strategy in order to reduce and manage the risks in the first place.
For those elements of climate change risk which are insurable, it's important that you choose the right insurance to protect against business risk.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/climate-change-effects-your-business-should-prepare
Links
Your business strategy and climate change
Your business planning process should take into account the impact that climate change could have on your business.
To ensure that your business operates effectively, and continues to do so in the future, you should have both a business plan and a strategic plan. Your business plan should focus on short-term and mid-term goals and define the steps necessary to achieve them. Your strategic plan should contain longer-term objectives and explain the strategies for reaching these.
Climate change in your business strategy
As part of this business planning process, you should think about the impact that climate change could have on your business. You should consider positive impacts such as new opportunities as well as negative impacts such as rising costs, changes in customers' buying habits and risks.
As well as thinking about how climate change will affect your own business, you should also think about how climate change will affect your supply chain and your customers.
You should try to ensure that your adaptation measures are sustainable. For example, consider whether your business' management of climate risks will negatively affect the ability of other people or the natural environment to adapt to climate change. You should also consider if any adaptation measures you implement in the short term will affect your ability to adapt to the effects of climate change in the future.
Managing climate change risks
Climate change risks can be managed like any other business risks. Approaches to assessing and mitigating risks may include business continuity planning, risk management and strategic planning. These can help you to:
- assess your strengths and weaknesses
- identify and manage any significant impacts
- secure cost savings and internal efficiencies
- provide benchmarks for improvements and intended benefits
In order to manage the risks your business faces from climate change, you should consider doing the following:
- identify what the risks are
- identify which elements of the risk you have control over or can influence
- implement a plan to avoid the risks where it is possible and cost-effective to do so
- where it is not possible to avoid a risk, you should take measures to minimise the chance of the event occurring
- take steps to minimise the severity of a loss should the event occur
To best integrate your climate change plans into your business processes, you should consider using an environmental management system.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/your-business-strategy-and-climate-change
Links
Changing business priorities in response to climate change
How your business can adapt and respond to opportunities presented by climate change in Northern Ireland.
Environmentally responsible businesses will be trying to prevent climate breakdown by reducing emissions and energy use. It is also prudent to plan for how your business may have to operate in a changed climate. Here are some examples of new business directions you could take:
Consumer demand
Climate change may increase demand for certain goods and services, such as water management products and equipment and clothing for extreme weather conditions. Renewable energy generation will become more attractive to businesses looking to increase their energy security.
Farm diversification
Changing weather patterns may mean that Northern Ireland farmers may have to diversify into other crops that they do not currently grow. In some areas there may be an extended growing season. Using land for business activities other than traditional farming can increase income - this is known as farm diversification.
Changes for tourism businesses
Warmer summers could also extend the local tourist season and make certain local tourist destinations more attractive. Outdoor leisure facilities could see an increased demand. Similarly, increased rainfall may make investing in indoor facilities important for a more diverse range of tourist activities.
The climate impact of air travel may mean changes to the volume of overseas visitors or an increase in demand of eco tourism options. Businesses in the leisure and tourism sector should plan and prepare for these changes to their business model.
Construction standards
The construction industry may be experience an increase in workload as people and businesses will want to change their premises to adapt to climate change. This will increase demand for new and altered premises and offer opportunities for repair, maintenance or clean-up contracts. There may also be the chance to develop new construction products and services for buildings.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/changing-business-priorities-response-climate-change
Links
Adapt your business to climate change
Reducing our carbon footprint - City Hotel Derry
How City Hotel Derry reviewed their waste and energy overheads, set targets for action and delivered cost savings.
The City Hotel Derry is a four star hotel on the banks of the River Foyle in the centre of Derry~Londonderry. The hotel was built in 2002 and caters for business and leisure guests in its 158 bedrooms, as well as functions such as weddings and conferences. There is also a bar, restaurant, fitness gym and pool/spa, which is also open to membership of local residents. The site is a detached building with eight floors and a basement garage. The building's gross floor area is approximately 14,400 m2.
As part of Chardon Management environmental management system, a review of all energy and waste streams was initiated in late 2007. The hotel set an annual target of 3 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and 10 per cent for reduction waste. Its ultimate goal is zero carbon emissions and zero waste to landfill.
What we did
City Hotel approached the Carbon Trust in 2007, who carried out an audit of the hotel revealing many energy and resources issues. The benefits of energy audits were realised through further engagement with Invest Northern Ireland and the Carbon Trust at a workshop later in the year. The developing relationship has given City Hotel access to current energy efficient measures and to local, sustainable resource outlets. This helped it to reduce its carbon footprint, and resulted in significant cost savings.
The hotel implemented various energy efficiency measures, such as conversion of the site to run on natural gas, installing LED lighting, updating its BMS system and the installation of automatic window openers. The hotel has also being training its staff in energy efficiency and environmental awareness issues, culminating in the creation of a green team and energy champion. Staff segregate all the waste for recycling, this minimises the cost of disposal of the remaining material.
What the benefits were
City Hotel has diverted a reduction in CO2 emission from utilities of over 31 per cent, equating to 580 tonnes per annum. The hotel is also working with Invest NI to continually seek the most cost beneficial methods of reducing all its energy and waste streams. By recycling and having the food waste converted to compost, City Hotel now avoid sending over 90 tonnes of material to landfill.
This has delivered annual savings of over £67,000 from reductions in utilities and waste. A continual review of energy efficiency best practices and the process of waste reduction, including water, has helped minimise the impact of utility price rises. These measures will further reduce the company's carbon footprint and increase its profitability, sustainability and environmental credentials.
City Hotel Derry's Energy Champion Clare Campbell said "Carbon and waste reduction is becoming increasingly beneficial and necessary in the current economic climate. These measures have assisted us towards our goal of zero carbon emissions and have helped us achieve zero waste to landfill. For our efforts we have been awarded the Green Tourism Gold Award and the Zero Waste Gold Award for 2013."
Case StudyCity Hotel DerryContent category
Source URL
/content/reducing-our-carbon-footprint-city-hotel-derry
Links
Care when using pesticides and biocides
In this guide:
- Pesticides and biocides
- Types of pesticides and biocides
- Approval and labelling when supplying pesticides and biocides
- Approved pesticide and biocide products and qualifications
- Care when using pesticides and biocides
- Good practice for storage and sustainable use of pesticides and biocides
- How to get approval for pesticides and biocides
- How to dispose of pesticides and biocides
- How to deal with pesticide and biocide spills
Types of pesticides and biocides
Types of pesticides, the differences between pesticides and biocides, and examples of uses for these products.
Pesticides and biocides are chemicals or organisms used to control pests such as harmful or unwanted animals, plants, fungi, viruses or bacteria which cause damage.
Pesticides and biocides can harm human health if you do not store and use them properly.
Pesticides and biocides can cause significant water pollution and land contamination if there is an accident or if they are not used in a responsible way. If they enter surface water or groundwater, even in very small amounts, they can have devastating effects.
What is the difference between pesticides and biocides?
Pesticide is a general term that covers many substances, including biocides, that are used. to prevent, destroy, repel, attract or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests.
More commonly the term pesticide is used to refer to plant protection products that are specifically used to protect crops against harmful pests and diseases, influence the life processes of plants, or to control unwanted vegetation such as residential or agricultural weeds and invasive species.
Biocides are typically not used on plants or crops, but are used to protect humans, animals, materials or articles against harmful organisms like pests or bacteria.
Examples of pesticides and biocides
Pesticides and biocides include:
- fungicides
- insecticides
- herbicides
- plant growth regulators
- rodenticides (rat and mouse poisons)
- animal and bird repellents
- mole control products
- wood and masonry preservatives
- disinfectants
- human and veterinary medicines
- anti-fouling products
- molluscicides (snail and slug pellets)
- algaecides
- earthworm control agents
Common uses of pesticides and biocides
Businesses that use pesticides and biocides include those involved in:
- agriculture - arable, vegetable and fruit growing, pasture, livestock and poultry
- aquaculture - fish and shellfish farming (veterinary medicine)
- forestry and woodland management
- horticulture
- wood and masonry preservation
- managing invasive species and removing bracken
- pest control
- weed control, such as on pavements, industrial complexes and alongside roads and railways
- marine anti-fouling painting and coating
- gardening and landscaping
- managing parks and golf courses (amenity sector)
- food storage and preparation
- healthcare
- care of domestic pets
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/types-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
Approval and labelling when supplying pesticides and biocides
How to apply for approval to sell pesticides and biocides, and information you must provide to customers.
If you supply pesticides or biocides you must check that the pesticides or biocides you sell have been approved for sale and use in Northern Ireland and that your products are labelled correctly. You may need to provide a safety data sheet (SDS) for your customers.
Apply to place pesticides and biocides on the market
Before you place a new pesticide or biocide product on the market, you must gain approval for that product before you market it. You must apply to the relevant registration authority and supply them with all the data and information they need to evaluate your product.
Once an approved product is on sale you should monitor it. If you find out about adverse effects of the pesticide or biocide on human health or the environment, you must tell the registration authority as soon as possible. You should also tell them about any unwanted effects on what is being treated.
If you place a biocidal product on the market for the first time, you may need to provide certain information to the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS).
Provide information for customers of pesticides and biocides
If you market or sell pesticides or biocides you must ensure that all packaging, labelling and advertising meets the requirements in the product's authorisation. In some cases, it must also meet the requirements of the Chemical Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulations.
If you supply pesticides or biocides you may need to use a hazard warning label or provide an SDS. This is now a requirement of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation - see storing chemicals.
If you sell, supply or store to sell plant protection products, you should follow the 'Code of Practice for Suppliers of Pesticides to Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry' (the Yellow Code). This statutory code of practice covers storage, training requirements, transport, waste disposal and how to deal with spills - download the Yellow Code (PDF, 915K).
If you sell or supply plant protection products, you must ensure that there is sufficient staff holding specified certificates available at the time of the sale to provide adequate information to customers on use of the products, health and environmental risks and safety instructions.
You can find a full list of certificates relating to the sale and supply of pesticides that are considered to meet legal requirements (PDF, 208K).
The Yellow Code will also tell you who needs a certificate of competence for the job they do. You should ensure your staff keep their training up-to-date.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/approval-and-labelling-when-supplying-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
Approved pesticide and biocide products and qualifications
Check if your pesticide or biocide is an approved product, qualifications for fumigation and POPs phase out.
Before you use any pesticide or biocide, you must make sure that it has been approved by the correct regulating body:
- the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) - part of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) - regulates plant protection products and biocidal products
- the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines and products used on humans, such as anti-headlice treatments and certain skin disinfectants
- the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regulates veterinary medicinal products, including sheep dips and other products used to treat animals
You must not use any banned pesticides or biocides.
You must only use the product in accordance with the conditions set by their authorisation and as specified on the product labelling.
Training and certificates for using plant protection products
If you use pesticides or biocides as part of your job you must have the correct training, instruction and guidance. For advice on training requirements, you can read a code of good agricultural practice.
If you employ someone else to apply plant protection products for you, make sure they have the appropriate qualifications to do the job. If you use someone who isn't qualified, you may have to pay to clean up any pollution incidents they cause.
Be qualified to fumigate
Fumigation is a potentially hazardous process which uses toxic gases to kill pests.
Professional users of pesticides products are required to hold a specified certificate of competence. There is no requirement for a specified certificate of competence for those using a professional biocidal product, although everyone who uses biocides is responsible for using them correctly and safely.
If you employ someone else to carry out fumigation, check that they are qualified.
Find a list of UK designated bodies and recognised specified certificates (PDF, 208K).
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/approved-pesticide-and-biocide-products-and-qualifications
Links
Care when using pesticides and biocides
Using pesticides and biocides - aerial application, using pesticides and biocides near water, dealing with spills.
You must not use pesticides and biocides in or near water unless they are specifically approved for that use - find a register of approved plant protection products.
If you are planning to use a herbicide in or near to water, you must contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Water Management Unit on Tel 0300 200 7850.
- Find maps showing the location of water bodies in NI.
- Find maps showing protected areas of nature conservation interest in NI.
Rules for aerial application of herbicides and biocides
To apply pesticides from aircraft (aerial spraying) must have a permit, and permission will only be granted in limited circumstances. The application of pesticides by drone is considered to be aerial spraying and so is also subject to the permitting arrangements. Permits are issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on behalf of the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Find more information on protected areas in NI.
Before you apply a pesticide by aerial application, you should also notify:
- local beekeeper groups, at least 48 hours before application
- the local council, 24 to 48 hours before application
- occupants or owners of property within 25 metres of the area to be treated, 24 to 48 hours before application
- the person in charge of any school, hospital or other institution within 150 metres of the flight path, 24 to 48 hours before application
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/care-when-using-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
Good practice for storage and sustainable use of pesticides and biocides
Storing your pesticides and biocides to prevent spills, and alternatives to using pesticides and biocides.
Store all chemicals in an area where you can contain spills. Keep chemical containers within an impermeable secondary containment area that will hold liquids if the main containers leak or break.
Secondary containment areas include bunds, bunded or spill pallets, sump pallets, bunded storage units and storage cabinets with integral sumps.
If you have one storage container in a bund, the bund should be able to hold at least 110 per cent of its volume.
If you have more than one container, your bund should be able to contain at least 110 per cent of the volume of the largest container or 25 per cent of the total volume you are likely to store, whichever is greater.
Download guidance on storing pesticides (PDF, 97K).
Manage your pesticide use
Keep an inventory of the pesticides and biocides you have on site, and details of when you received them and when you should dispose of them if you don't use them up. This will help you to avoid having more than you need, and therefore reduce your waste.
Check the pesticides register of approved products to see if products you use are going to be withdrawn - the register gives details of product approval, revocation and withdrawal.
Producers, suppliers, distributors, importers, and exporters of plant protection products are legally required to keep records of the plant protection products they produce, import, export, store or place on the market for at least five years.
A professional user of plant protection products must keep for at least three years, records of the plant protection products they use, containing the name of the plant protection product, the time and the dose of application, the area and the crop where the plant protection product was used.
Alternatives to pesticides and biocides
It's a good idea to only by the amount of pesticides and biocides that you need. Think carefully whether you really need to use a pesticide at all. If you use a pesticide when you don't need to you:
- will be wasting money
- will increase the possibility of pests becoming resistant
- could damage the treated area
You can use techniques that reduce the use of pesticides and biocides, including biological and cultural control methods, and using disease-resistant varieties of plants. Cultural control methods include crop rotation and techniques to maintain crops in peak health so they are less susceptible to pests. This is known as integrated pest management (IPM) - find more information on reducing pesticide use.
IPM is a key element in using pesticides sustainably. The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has produced a guide on IPM, primarily to assist farmers with understanding the requirements, however the general principles must be implemented by all professional users of pesticides.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/good-practice-storage-and-sustainable-use-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
How to get approval for pesticides and biocides
The types of pesticides and biocides which require regulatory approval, and who you should apply to for this approval.
Pesticides and biocides must be approved before you can import, use, sell, store, supply or advertise them. Pesticides and biocides are approved depending on the product's use.
Biocidal products are approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD). This covers products including:
- disinfectants
- insecticides (not for use on crops or plants)
- fungicides (not for use on crops or plants)
- algaecides
- pest/rodent control
- preservatives
- other products used for food storage and public hygiene
Plant protection products (PPP) are also approved and regulated by the CRD. This covers products including:
- herbicides
- insecticides
- fungicides
- molluscicides (snail and slug pellets)
- plant growth regulators
Human medicinal products are approved and regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This covers products used on humans such as anti-headlice treatments and some skin disinfectants.
Veterinary medicines are approved and regulated by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). This covers products used on animals such as sheep dip, worming and flea treatments.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-get-approval-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
How to dispose of pesticides and biocides
How to ensure that your waste pesticides and biocides are disposed of correctly and transported safely.
You are legally responsible for ensuring that all waste your business produces or handles is stored, transported and disposed of safely - this is your duty of care.
Pesticides and biocides are likely to be classed as hazardous waste. You will have to separate this from other waste.
You must ensure that anyone you pass your waste on to is authorised to take and transport it, and that they take it to an authorised disposal site.
Keep copies of waste paperwork
As the waste producer, you must ensure that all waste leaving your site is covered by a waste transfer note, or a consignment note if it is hazardous waste.
You must keep copies of waste transfer notes for two years and consignment notes for three years.
For more information on moving, transporting and disposing of hazardous waste, see dealing with hazardous waste.
Deal with dilute pesticides, biocides and wash water
You should treat water used for washing down equipment or rinsing empty containers as dilute pesticides or biocides. There are different disposal options for dealing with dilute pesticides, biocides and wash water:
- Use a licensed waste contractor.
- Dispose to land. You must get a groundwater authorisation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
- Dispose to biobed. You must register an exemption from waste management licensing with the NIEA.
- Dispose to sewer. You must get a trade effluent consent from Northern Ireland Water.
You may need to register an exemption from waste management licensing to dispose of wash water from pesticide and biocide containers - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.
Deal with concentrates and ready-to-use formulations
You must transport and dispose of concentrates and ready-to-use formulations as hazardous waste. You must use a waste contractor.
You should never dilute concentrates or ready-to-use formulations to dispose of them as dilute pesticides or biocides.
Rinse packaging and containers correctly
Check product labels to see if your waste containers and packaging should be rinsed. You must never rinse or clean containers of hydrogen cyanide gassing powders or aluminium, magnesium or zinc phosphates as they react with moisture to produce a poisonous gas.
If your containers and packaging can be rinsed, you must follow the product label instructions and rinse the container, the lid and foil seal. Place the rinsed foil seal inside the container. You can dispose of containers that have been triple-rinsed and drained as normal waste.
If your containers cannot be rinsed, you must handle them as if they contain pesticides or biocides. You must dispose of them as hazardous waste.
Reduce waste pesticides and biocides
Reducing your use of pesticides will also reduce the amount of waste pesticide and empty containers you produce, saving your business money. Reduce your waste pesticides and biocides by following the guidance in the Code of Good Agricultural Practice and Section 5 of the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-dispose-pesticides-and-biocides
Links
How to deal with pesticide and biocide spills
How to deal with incidents involving pesticides and biocides, and how to report any pollution incidents.
You should know how to deal with incidents involving pesticides or biocides. Incidents include:
- spills of pesticides or biocides to the environment
- adverse reactions or illness caused by exposure to pesticides or biocides, for example respiratory problems
- pets or wild animals being poisoned due to irresponsible or illegal use of pesticides or biocides
Prepare for pesticide pollution incidents
If you use pesticides and biocides as part of your job you must be trained in emergency procedures. Your emergency action plans should be kept up to date to cover new equipment or new ways of working. Many product labels will have specific advice on what to do if there is an incident. This information is always on the manufacturer's safety data sheet, which you should be able to get when you buy the product.
Make sure that your staff are familiar with emergency procedures and know how to implement them. If you store lots of pesticides or biocides - for example, if you have a warehouse - you may need to install a spill alarm so that you can evacuate the building if there is an incident.
Keep a spill kit nearby
You should ensure that you have a spill kit close to where you might need it. Your spill kit should contain absorbent materials such as sand or cat litter, and other containment equipment suitable for the type and quantity of pesticides and biocides you store and use on your site.
Try to prevent liquid spills from entering drains or watercourses. For example, use earth to block the flow of large spills, or use sand or a commercial spill kit to soak them up.
You should never hose down a spill, as you could cause a much worse pollution incident. If you store pesticides or biocides in a vehicle, you should also carry a suitable spill kit.
Use bunds and drip trays
You should store all pesticides and biocides in an area where you can contain spills. This should be on or within a secondary containment system such as:
- an impermeable bunded area
- a bunded pallet or spill pallet
- a sump pallet
- a bunded storage unit
- a drip tray
See our guide on storing chemicals.
Prevent environmental damage from pesticides and biocides
Water pollution can be classed as environmental damage in some circumstances. You must prevent and remedy environmental damage that occurs from water pollution or land contamination caused by your business activities. If anyone else reports environmental damage as a result of your activities, an enforcing authority will have to investigate - see preventing water pollution.
Report pesticides and biocides pollution incidents
You should report any pollution incidents as soon as they happen to the NIEA Water Pollution Hotline on Tel 0800 80 70 60.
If you suspect that your health has been adversely affected by pesticides or biocides, you should report it to the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) - download pesticide incident notification form (PDF, 171K).
If you suspect wildlife has been harmed by an incident involving pesticides or biocides, you should call the police at Tel 101 or in an emergency call Tel 999. Information can also be given anonymously through the Crime Stoppers Charity at Tel 0800 555 111.
If you suspect a domestic animal has been harmed by an incident involving pesticides or biocides, you should call the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on Tel 0300 200 7840.
Local councils are responsible for enforcement of the Welfare of Animals (NI) Act 2011, as it applies to non-farmed animals such as domestic pets.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-deal-pesticide-and-biocide-spills
Links
Purchasing carbon offsets
In this guide:
- Cutting your carbon emissions
- How to cut carbon emissions from energy use
- How to cut carbon emissions from business travel
- How to cut carbon emissions from business buildings
- How to source and design low-carbon products
- Tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency
- Purchasing carbon offsets
- Avoiding carbon credit scams
How to cut carbon emissions from energy use
How you can cut your greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of energy used in your business.
Reducing energy use is one of the simplest ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your business and help reduce the effects of climate change.
All businesses can reduce their energy use, benefitting the environment and their bottom line. Saving energy can also have other benefits, including boosting employees' morale and an improved business reputation.
There are many changes your business can make to cut carbon emissions from energy use - find ways to reduce energy use in your business on the Carbon Trust website.
The changes you make can be as small as turning electrical equipment off overnight or changing your light bulbs to energy-efficient ones. Traditional light bulbs can waste up to 95 per cent of the energy they use as heat. Energy-efficient bulbs are much more efficient than traditional bulbs and each bulb could save you up to £15 per year, as well as reducing your carbon emissions - find out more about buying energy efficient lighting.
You may want to consider larger measures where the financial benefits are more long term, such as investing in new energy-saving plant or machinery.
You may also be eligible for tax breaks, if you invest in certain energy-saving equipment - see tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency.
Buildings can be a major contributor to carbon emissions, often through inefficient energy use - see how to cut carbon emissions from business buildings.
For information on reducing energy use in your business, read our guide on how to save money by using energy more efficiently.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-cut-carbon-emissions-energy-use
Links
How to cut carbon emissions from business travel
Cut your carbon emissions from business travel by reducing journeys and making better travel decisions.
Transport is a significant - and growing - cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Some businesses, such as those in the transport sector, will be able to cut carbon emissions to a larger extent than others, but there are actions that all businesses can take.
The first step in cutting your emissions is to evaluate the impact of your business travel on the environment. This includes:
- travel to and from meetings and other out-of-office appointments - whether this is by car, plane or train
- journeys that employees make to and from work
- the way your business makes and receives deliveries
You can work out the carbon footprint of your business, including the impact of business travel.
Once you have examined your business travel, the next step is to look at ways to reduce or minimise the impact of these journeys. You might consider encouraging your employees to:
- book several appointments in the same area on the same day
- work from home
- use methods of transport with less environmental impact, such as walking, cycling and trains
- use low-emission vehicles and alternatively powered vehicles
- drive vehicles more efficiently
If you transport goods as part of your business, you should ensure that you do this in the most efficient way.
For further information on reducing the environmental impact of your business travel, see workplace travel planning and zero emission vehicles and alternative fuels.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-cut-carbon-emissions-business-travel
Links
How to cut carbon emissions from business buildings
Some of the measures you can take to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from your business premises and buildings.
Buildings are responsible for around 40 per cent of the United Kingdom's carbon emissions, with business properties accounting for around half of that.
There are plenty of simple, low-cost measures you can take to cut energy use within your buildings and lower greenhouse gas emissions. These include installing movement-sensitive light sensors in toilets and other little-used areas and turning down the thermostat by a couple of degrees - see how to save money by using energy more efficiently.
There may be additional things you can do - such as installing double-glazing and improving roof insulation - to help make buildings more airtight - see energy performance of buildings.
Energy efficient building regulations
If you are having new premises built, or you are making structural changes to your existing premises, you must make sure they meet the requirements of Part F of the Building Regulations - see conservation of fuel and power under building regulations.
All commercial buildings require an energy performance certificate (EPC) when they are bought, let or sold. An EPC indicates how energy efficient a building and its services are. An EPC also contains recommendations for cost-effective changes that can be made to improve the building's energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions. See our guide on energy performance of buildings duties: an overview.
You must make sure you comply with the requirements of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. These include getting your air-conditioning systems regularly inspected and obtaining an energy performance certificate when you construct, sell or rent buildings.
You may be eligible for a number of tax breaks if you introduce energy efficiency measures - see tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-cut-carbon-emissions-business-buildings
Links
How to source and design low-carbon products
How to design or find suppliers of low-carbon goods and materials to benefit the environment and attract new customers.
Designing your products and services so that they produce less carbon is not only good for the environment, it will also make them more appealing to more environmentally-aware customers.
It can also help your business to win contracts, such as government tenders, where the use of environmentally-aware suppliers is encouraged.
Low carbon goods and the product life-cycle
To make low carbon goods, you need to consider environmental impact at every stage of your product's life-cycle.
The stages to consider include:
- Raw materials - these must be fit for their purpose, but try sourcing suitable alternatives that are more carbon efficient.
- Manufacture - can you make your product more simply, cutting the amount and number of materials? Could your manufacturing be more efficient, reducing waste and energy consumption? Are there renewable power sources you can use or can you generate your own energy?
- Retail - can you cut the distance your products are transported for sale - reducing fuel use and freight costs? Can you minimise packaging to reduce transport costs and waste?
- Use - can you design your product so it lasts longer or can be more economically repaired? Can you provide better instructions for users so they get a longer life out of the product?
- End of life - when the end user has finished with the product, is it designed to be reused, for example in a secondary market? If that's not possible, can you design the product so it can be recycled?
Consider the total impact your products or services have on the environment with a life cycle assessment and find out more about low carbon development with ecodesign for goods and services.
You can calculate the carbon footprint of your products - and identify areas for improvement - using the environmental standard PAS 2050. There can be a real commercial advantage to adopting the standard, as it can help your customers to make more informed purchasing decisions.
Sourcing low carbon supplies and materials
Using suppliers of low-carbon products can have more benefits than just helping your business become more environmentally responsible. It can also show stakeholders - such as investors, employees and customers - that you are taking your environmental responsibilities seriously.
Even a simple step of buying products from local suppliers can cut down on the distance they are transported. Your local enterprise agency or trade association may also be able to help you find local suppliers of low carbon products.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-source-and-design-low-carbon-products
Links
Tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency
Understand the tax breaks available for using cleaner energy and energy-efficient vehicles, plant and machinery.
Tax breaks are on offer as an incentive to encourage you to adopt certain environmentally-responsible practices. For example:
- Using sources of energy that have less environmental impact can make your business eligible for a reduction in the climate change levy.
- Encouraging staff and business travel by sustainable methods can attract certain tax benefits - see workplace travel planning.
If your business is in an energy-intensive sector, you may need to have an emissions trading permit.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/tax-breaks-encourage-energy-efficiency
Links
Purchasing carbon offsets
Offsetting the carbon emissions that you can't help producing and checking the quality of carbon offset products.
Your business should measure and, where possible, avoid and reduce emissions. This can also help your business save energy and money in the longer term. However, there are emissions that cannot be avoided, and you may wish to balance the impact of such emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets.
Offsetting involves paying someone, somewhere else, to save emissions equivalent to those you have produced. These emissions savings - or 'carbon credits' - come from a variety of projects in a number of different countries. However, you should remember that offsetting alone will not necessarily make your company carbon neutral.
How can you check the quality of offset products?
To help you choose good quality offsets make sure you use an offset provider that can:
- calculate your emissions accurately
- deliver credits within a year of your buying them
- declare clearly how much the credits cost per tonne
- provide you with information about the role of offsetting in tackling climate change and advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint
If you intend to purchase carbon offsets, you should take the time to check that you are confident that the offsets represent real, independently verified emission reductions or offer other benefits - such as environmental or social - that you would like to support.
Becoming carbon neutral
Many businesses want to become carbon neutral - ie to reduce or offset their emissions so that their total net emissions are zero. The business benefits of this include:
- demonstrating a clear commitment to tackle climate change
- engaging employees and consumers on environmental issues
Under the government's definition, becoming carbon neutral involves three stages:
- calculating emissions - determining which emissions you're going to calculate, and collecting activity data on these
- reducing emissions - assessing what reductions you can make and deciding how to achieve this
- offsetting residual emissions - acquiring carbon credits to offset any emissions you can't reduce
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has also developed a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2060 on carbon neutrality. You can find PAS 2060 to buy online on the BSI website.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/purchasing-carbon-offsets
Links
Avoiding carbon credit scams
How to protect your business from fraudsters who may use carbon markets to prey on unsuspecting organisations.
Carbon credits are financial instruments which permit the holder to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide. These can be traded if the emission allowance is not used.
Carbon markets are not intended for personal investors - if you buy carbon credits for money, you can fall prey to rogue traders and be unable to recoup your investment. Scammers can also use uncertainty around carbon markets to deceive businesses into handing over money.
What is a carbon credit scam?
Your business may be contacted by someone offering:
- carbon credit certificates
- voluntary emission reductions (VERs)
- certified emission reductions (CERs)
- a 'green' scheme or project that generates carbon credits as a return on investment
Such scheme do operate legitimately, however certification is voluntary and involves a wide range of bodies and different quality standards that are not recognised by any United Kingdom compensation scheme.
Projects generating carbon credits are usually based overseas so UK authorities have no way of controlling the quality or validity of the schemes.
You should be wary of any scheme which offer green products and services as financial investments. Many businesses have reported they can't sell or trade their carbon credits, and have lost any money they've invested.
Fraudsters can also attempt to pressure businesses into buying non-existent 'green' products through deception. Some contact businesses using the name "Carbon Registry" as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). They will attempt to convince you to buy carbon credits, VERs or CERs at high prices under the threat of government enforcement or legal action.
How to protect your business from carbon credit scams
Always be wary if you're contacted out of the blue, pressured to invest quickly or promised returns that sound too good to be true.
It is important to know that carbon credits, emissions trading and such "green investment schemes" are not currently regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Even if an FCA-authorised firm is involved in the sale of carbon credits you have no right to redress or compensation if something goes wrong. You should always get independent professional advice before making any investment.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to work in a government department and applying pressure, take their details and contact the department through their main telephone number or contact form. You can find UK government department contact details on GOV.UK and contact details for Northern Ireland government departments on nidirect.
How to report carbon credit scams
If you have any concerns about a suspected investment scam, contact the FCA on Tel 0800 111 6768 or by using their scam reporting form.
If the scam involves someone claiming to represent a government body such as DESNZ, you should contact the PSNI directly on Tel 101 (the non-emergency number) or online through Action Fraud.
Content category
Source URL
/content/avoiding-carbon-credit-scams
Links
How will climate change affect my business?
In this guide:
How will climate change affect my business?
How climate change may impact your business now and in the future and the impacts of climate change on your supply chain.
The changing climate will bring many challenges for society and business, some which are known now and some which it may be difficult to predict.
Impacts of climate change on business
Climate change is likely to directly impact your business in a number of ways:
- extreme weather and more variable weather
- more flooding events
- water restrictions
- supply chain disruption or collapse
- government mitigation measures
Unpredictable weather can affect your business directly, for example by increasing the risk of water shortages or flooding. This can cause significant disruption to your business and make it more difficult to get insurance. You should take some time to understand how to protect your business from flooding.
Your business may also be affected by measures imposed by the government to help meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. These measures include:
- the Climate Change Levy - a method designed to improve your business' energy efficiency. You may already pay this levy as part of your energy bills. You can reduce the amount of levy you pay by cutting the amount you use and switching to renewable energy.
- climate change agreements - if your business is in an energy-intensive sector you may be eligible for a reduction in the climate change levy by meeting energy reduction targets.
- emissions trading and reporting - if your business is in one of the energy-intensive sectors covered by the scheme, you must report and meet targets to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, or take part in a voluntary reporting scheme.
Reducing your emissions can bring other benefits, such as lower energy bills and improving the way stakeholders view your business. You may also be able to take advantage of related tax breaks.
The most effective way of cutting your carbon emissions is likely to be by using a systematic approach to managing emissions reduction, such as by using an environmental management system.
You can aim to lessen the impact of your business activities on climate change by becoming a net zero business.
Get a free sustainability report
All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-will-climate-change-affect-my-business
Links
Climate change effects your business should prepare for
Different ways in which climate change may affect your business in Northern Ireland and how your business can prepare.
There are a number of reasons why you should adapt your business to climate change. Climate change may have both positive and negative impacts on your business. How your business will be affected depends on many factors including:
- your location
- your business' activities
- the ability of your premises to withstand extreme weather events
- your customer base
- the length, location and diversity of your supply chain
Extreme weather disruption
Climate change is likely to bring more extreme weather that may result in an increase in damage and disruption caused by flooding, strong winds or higher temperatures. Damage from more extreme weather, such as hailstorms, may also become more common. If Northern Ireland experiences exceptionally hot summers, this may result in seasonal water shortages and increased energy costs for cooling.
Your business should have a flood plan, especially if it is in an area already identified as being at risk of flooding. Your flood plan ought to include what action should be taken in the event of a flood and set out measures to minimise the risk of damage if a flood should occur, such as storing stock above floor level.
if your business depends on water you should think about what you would do if there were water restrictions. This could mean changing some of your business processes so they are less water-intensive, or implementing a water recycling or rain collection system.
Staff and supplier disruption
You should consider ways to manage employee absence due to bad weather and putting systems in place, for example home working which can reduce the impact of extreme weather events.
You could also take measures to improve the comfort of your workforce, such as providing clothing for inclement weather, blinds, natural ventilation or insulation. Some of these measures will also contribute to improving energy efficiency.
Even if your business is not directly affected by the impacts of climate change, it is possible that your suppliers or customer base may be affected. If this happens, it will have implications for your business.
You may be able to extend your business interruption insurance to cover you in the event that one of your suppliers is affected by a storm or drought. Think about ways to improve the efficiency and resilience of your supply chain.
Climate change risk insurance
Although you may be able to insure against some of the risks from climate change, you're unlikely to be able to get cover against the indirect economic risks such as the impact on staff.
You may find it cheaper and more effective to change your business strategy in order to reduce and manage the risks in the first place.
For those elements of climate change risk which are insurable, it's important that you choose the right insurance to protect against business risk.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/climate-change-effects-your-business-should-prepare
Links
Your business strategy and climate change
Your business planning process should take into account the impact that climate change could have on your business.
To ensure that your business operates effectively, and continues to do so in the future, you should have both a business plan and a strategic plan. Your business plan should focus on short-term and mid-term goals and define the steps necessary to achieve them. Your strategic plan should contain longer-term objectives and explain the strategies for reaching these.
Climate change in your business strategy
As part of this business planning process, you should think about the impact that climate change could have on your business. You should consider positive impacts such as new opportunities as well as negative impacts such as rising costs, changes in customers' buying habits and risks.
As well as thinking about how climate change will affect your own business, you should also think about how climate change will affect your supply chain and your customers.
You should try to ensure that your adaptation measures are sustainable. For example, consider whether your business' management of climate risks will negatively affect the ability of other people or the natural environment to adapt to climate change. You should also consider if any adaptation measures you implement in the short term will affect your ability to adapt to the effects of climate change in the future.
Managing climate change risks
Climate change risks can be managed like any other business risks. Approaches to assessing and mitigating risks may include business continuity planning, risk management and strategic planning. These can help you to:
- assess your strengths and weaknesses
- identify and manage any significant impacts
- secure cost savings and internal efficiencies
- provide benchmarks for improvements and intended benefits
In order to manage the risks your business faces from climate change, you should consider doing the following:
- identify what the risks are
- identify which elements of the risk you have control over or can influence
- implement a plan to avoid the risks where it is possible and cost-effective to do so
- where it is not possible to avoid a risk, you should take measures to minimise the chance of the event occurring
- take steps to minimise the severity of a loss should the event occur
To best integrate your climate change plans into your business processes, you should consider using an environmental management system.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/your-business-strategy-and-climate-change
Links
Changing business priorities in response to climate change
How your business can adapt and respond to opportunities presented by climate change in Northern Ireland.
Environmentally responsible businesses will be trying to prevent climate breakdown by reducing emissions and energy use. It is also prudent to plan for how your business may have to operate in a changed climate. Here are some examples of new business directions you could take:
Consumer demand
Climate change may increase demand for certain goods and services, such as water management products and equipment and clothing for extreme weather conditions. Renewable energy generation will become more attractive to businesses looking to increase their energy security.
Farm diversification
Changing weather patterns may mean that Northern Ireland farmers may have to diversify into other crops that they do not currently grow. In some areas there may be an extended growing season. Using land for business activities other than traditional farming can increase income - this is known as farm diversification.
Changes for tourism businesses
Warmer summers could also extend the local tourist season and make certain local tourist destinations more attractive. Outdoor leisure facilities could see an increased demand. Similarly, increased rainfall may make investing in indoor facilities important for a more diverse range of tourist activities.
The climate impact of air travel may mean changes to the volume of overseas visitors or an increase in demand of eco tourism options. Businesses in the leisure and tourism sector should plan and prepare for these changes to their business model.
Construction standards
The construction industry may be experience an increase in workload as people and businesses will want to change their premises to adapt to climate change. This will increase demand for new and altered premises and offer opportunities for repair, maintenance or clean-up contracts. There may also be the chance to develop new construction products and services for buildings.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/changing-business-priorities-response-climate-change
Links
Adapt your business to climate change
Reducing our carbon footprint - City Hotel Derry
How City Hotel Derry reviewed their waste and energy overheads, set targets for action and delivered cost savings.
The City Hotel Derry is a four star hotel on the banks of the River Foyle in the centre of Derry~Londonderry. The hotel was built in 2002 and caters for business and leisure guests in its 158 bedrooms, as well as functions such as weddings and conferences. There is also a bar, restaurant, fitness gym and pool/spa, which is also open to membership of local residents. The site is a detached building with eight floors and a basement garage. The building's gross floor area is approximately 14,400 m2.
As part of Chardon Management environmental management system, a review of all energy and waste streams was initiated in late 2007. The hotel set an annual target of 3 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and 10 per cent for reduction waste. Its ultimate goal is zero carbon emissions and zero waste to landfill.
What we did
City Hotel approached the Carbon Trust in 2007, who carried out an audit of the hotel revealing many energy and resources issues. The benefits of energy audits were realised through further engagement with Invest Northern Ireland and the Carbon Trust at a workshop later in the year. The developing relationship has given City Hotel access to current energy efficient measures and to local, sustainable resource outlets. This helped it to reduce its carbon footprint, and resulted in significant cost savings.
The hotel implemented various energy efficiency measures, such as conversion of the site to run on natural gas, installing LED lighting, updating its BMS system and the installation of automatic window openers. The hotel has also being training its staff in energy efficiency and environmental awareness issues, culminating in the creation of a green team and energy champion. Staff segregate all the waste for recycling, this minimises the cost of disposal of the remaining material.
What the benefits were
City Hotel has diverted a reduction in CO2 emission from utilities of over 31 per cent, equating to 580 tonnes per annum. The hotel is also working with Invest NI to continually seek the most cost beneficial methods of reducing all its energy and waste streams. By recycling and having the food waste converted to compost, City Hotel now avoid sending over 90 tonnes of material to landfill.
This has delivered annual savings of over £67,000 from reductions in utilities and waste. A continual review of energy efficiency best practices and the process of waste reduction, including water, has helped minimise the impact of utility price rises. These measures will further reduce the company's carbon footprint and increase its profitability, sustainability and environmental credentials.
City Hotel Derry's Energy Champion Clare Campbell said "Carbon and waste reduction is becoming increasingly beneficial and necessary in the current economic climate. These measures have assisted us towards our goal of zero carbon emissions and have helped us achieve zero waste to landfill. For our efforts we have been awarded the Green Tourism Gold Award and the Zero Waste Gold Award for 2013."
Case StudyCity Hotel DerryContent category
Source URL
/content/reducing-our-carbon-footprint-city-hotel-derry
Links
Create your environmental report
Benefits of producing environmental reports
The advantages of measuring and reporting environmental performance across different areas of your business.
Environmental reports can have a lot of advantages for your business. Your business may be legally required to provide environmental reports, or environmental information with your products. Even if you do not have to produce a report, there could be significant benefits.
Environmental reports benefits for marketing and stakeholder relations
Customers are increasingly interested in the environmental and social impact of businesses. Producing an environmental report can bring a marketing advantage by demonstrating your business' awareness of its environmental responsibilities. It may also help improve your relationship with key stakeholders, such as investors, suppliers and the wider local community.
Environmental reports benefits for recruitment and retention
Potential job applicants increasingly look at the environmental performance of a business they're thinking about working for.
In addition, you may find it easier to retain your existing staff if you produce a report that clearly demonstrates your environmental performance.
Cost savings from environmental reporting
Environmental reporting should focus your business' attention on environmental performance. Typically, this will result in improved performance, which should lead to cost savings.
Environmental reports benefits for legal compliance
Large and medium companies must produce an annual business review, which must incorporate a fair review of the company's business, and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the company.
This annual review is expected to include some mention of environmental matters, including the company's impact on the environment. For quoted companies, and those that carry on insurance market activity, this is a legal requirement.
Large companies must use environmental key performance indicators to report on environmental matters - where these are necessary to understand the development, performance or position of the company.
UK pension fund trustees must disclose how they have considered social, economic and environmental matters. Companies that disclose this information, for example in environmental reports, are in a better position to be considered in investment decisions by trustees.
Small companies are exempt from the above requirements as long as they meet two of the following criteria:
- turnover not more than £5.6 million
- balance sheet total not more than £2.8 million
- not more than 50 employees
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/benefits-producing-environmental-reports
Links
Create your environmental report
How to research, compile and publish credible environmental reports that will benefit your business.
Stand-alone environmental reporting, as a one-off exercise isolated from your other activities, is unlikely to be successful. Environmental reporting will work best based on information from your environmental management system. This provides a mechanism for you to make improvements based on the figures produced in your report, and shows your involvement and commitment to collect the data.
The environmental reporting process
To produce an environmental report you should:
- identify the audience for your report
- talk to the audience to understand their concerns and questions
- identify the internal data you'll need to calculate facts and figures for the report
- collect the data
- decide how you're going to publish the report
- produce and publish the report
- obtain feedback and review the impact of the report
- make improvements
Scope of environmental reporting
If you have more than one site, division, department or business unit, you could produce one business-wide report or individual reports. The advantage of individual reports is that they are more easily understood and relate more directly to individual managers and - in the case of site-based reports - to local communities. Individual reports can then be consolidated into business-wide figures for a broader audience.
Getting outside help on environmental reporting
Think about whether outside help could be useful, especially if environmental reporting is new to you. Consultants can help you to achieve a balanced approach, produce a report that will be easily understood and advise you on the sort of material that should go into it.
The use of independent third-party assurance statements, such as audit-based verification of your environmental data, adds credibility to your environmental reporting by giving stakeholders confidence that your approach is robust and reliable.
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/create-your-environmental-report
Links
How to make your environmental report credible
Principles of transparency and accountability that should guide you throughout the environmental reporting process.
For your environmental report to be credible and useful, it must follow certain principles.
Transparency through environmental reporting
It must be absolutely clear what data is being reported, and how and why it is collected. For example:
- Does the figure for carbon emissions also include those attributable to energy use, travel, waste disposal and supply chains?
- Where is the data collected from?
- How, and how often, is it collected?
- Exactly what parts of your business does it apply to?
- Does it include suppliers, contractors, freelancers, franchisees and sub-contractors?
- On what basis do you convert, for example, electricity consumption to tonnes of carbon?
Accountability through environmental reporting
You should also think about who you're accountable to in terms of the environmental report. You may want to consider:
- the extent of stakeholder engagement
- feedback from stakeholders
- tailoring your report to the needs of your stakeholders
- incorporating a third party assurance statement
Credibility through environmental reporting
An environmental report is most valuable when it is an integral part of an environmental management system. This demonstrates to stakeholders that the environmental report is not just for show, but clearly acknowledges and addresses society's growing awareness and concern for sustainable development.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-make-your-environmental-report-credible
Links
Environmental key performance indicators
What environmental KPIs are and how to choose the right ones to make business environmental reports useful and credible.
Environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantitative measures - actual numbers - that put values on the environmental performance of your business.
Examples of environmental KPIs
You can produce environmental KPIs using facts and figures which your business already collects, such as:
- energy bills
- water bills
- purchasing records
- vehicle fuel use or vehicle mileage figures
- waste management bills
- travel receipts
An environmental KPI should be accompanied by:
- information on why it was included (its purpose and impact)
- how the information was obtained and calculated
- if any assumptions were made
How to choose your environmental KPIs
You should report on KPIs that you are both directly and indirectly responsible for. For example, you should report the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from your electricity use, as well as the amount actually emitted directly from your own premises. You could even report on your supply chain's KPIs.
The government has produced a list of environmental KPIs that are relevant to businesses. The four main environmental KPI areas are:
- emissions to air
- emissions to water
- emissions to land
- resource use
You can download the full list of environmental KPIs (PDF, 354K).
You may want to think about other ways that your business impacts on the environment, such as:
- light
- heat
- noise
- smell
- vibration
- electromagnetic radiation
- visual impact
Make your environmental KPIs comparable
You should report environmental data in a comparable format, so that your performance can be assessed over time and against other businesses.
KPIs should also be expressed in terms that cover the entire business for the period of the report, which is usually annually. This makes it easier to make meaningful comparisons with other businesses and against previous years.
You should also use measurements that are standard across your business sector. For example, an office-based business might report on tonnes of carbon emitted per million pounds of turnover, whereas a manufacturing business might report on per product or per tonne of product.
Get a free sustainability report
All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-key-performance-indicators
Links
Environmental reporting of your supply chain
How to compile relevant metrics and data in order to report on the environmental impact of your supply chain.
You should consider whether to report the impacts of your suppliers because your choice of supplier affects the environmental impact of your business. For example, the environmental impact of a clothing factory in Asia will be different to a factory in Europe due to its location, production processes, etc.
There isn't a standardised technique for reporting the effect of a supply chain in terms of a key performance indicator (KPI). However, you can assess the environmental impact of your supply chain in the following ways:
- Examine your sales ledger to ensure you understand how much you spend with your different suppliers, and what industry sector they are in - eg manufacturing, financial services, courier services, etc.
- Find out the typical environmental impacts and risks of different industry sectors. You can download environmental Key Performance Indicators reporting guidelines (PDF, 354K).
- Assess where to focus your efforts, based on both how much you spend with a supplier and the impact they have on the environment. For example, for some businesses it may make more sense to focus on their electricity supplier rather than their office materials supplier.
- Engage with your suppliers as part of your stakeholder engagement process. If you don't already, encourage your suppliers to report their environmental impact using the KPIs that are appropriate for their business sector. Consider encouraging suppliers to improve their environmental performance.
- Use the environmental reporting information from your suppliers as a source of data for your own environmental reports, and as a valuable input to your environmental management system and processes.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-reporting-your-supply-chain
Links
Environmental product declarations
Good business reasons for making environmental product declarations and how your business can go about it.
Environmental reports are a great way of showing your business' commitment to improving its environmental performance. Another way of demonstrating your 'green' credentials to key customers and stakeholders is to use environmental product declarations (EPDs). EPDs provide information about the environmental aspects of particular goods or services.
For some businesses, such as white goods manufacturers, EPDs are mandatory. For others, such as vehicle manufacturers, there are voluntary industry-wide schemes.
Some public procurement specifications include criteria for the environmental performance of products that are similar to those used in standard labelling schemes. All government procurement has minimum environmental standards for certain types of product.
When making voluntary EPDs, you can choose between self-declared EPDs and standardised labelling schemes.
Self-declared environmental product declarations
Self-declared EPDs are claims that you make yourself. Any self-declared EPD should be truthful, accurate and able to be substantiated. A claim should be relevant, clear as to what it refers to and in plain language. For example, 'this brochure was made with 50 per cent recycled paper'.
When making your own declarations, consider the environmental impact of your product in the following four phases:
-
Manufacturing - what raw materials, other resources and energy are used, and what emissions are generated?
-
Distribution - is a significant amount of energy used getting the product to market?
-
Use - does the product consume energy and water when operated, or does it generate emissions?
-
End-of-life - can the product be reused, recovered or recycled? If it goes to landfill, what is its environmental impact?
To make your environmental claims more credible, you could follow the guidance in the international standard ISO 14021. You can find out about buying a copy of ISO 14021 on the British Standards Institution website.
Standardised labelling schemes
There are many standardised labelling schemes administered by public and private sector bodies, and by non-governmental organisations. These include:
- single-issue labels which relate to a particular environmental issue or category, such as water use or forestry conservancy, and are awarded if a product meets a certain minimum standard
- multiple-issue labels which look at the overall impacts of a product across its whole life-cycle and are awarded when products meet the required standards
- eco-rating schemes which apply a rating code such as a scale of A to G based on one or more aspects of the product's environmental performance, such as electricity use
- eco-profiling schemes which provide factual information in a standardised format, such as the rating information on emissions and fuel consumption provided with vehicles in the United Kingdom
- social or ethical rating schemes in which a number of social or ethical standards are met in order to satisfy an external assessment, such as fair trade labels
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-product-declarations
Links
-
Benefits of producing environmental reports
Benefits of producing environmental reports
The advantages of measuring and reporting environmental performance across different areas of your business.
Environmental reports can have a lot of advantages for your business. Your business may be legally required to provide environmental reports, or environmental information with your products. Even if you do not have to produce a report, there could be significant benefits.
Environmental reports benefits for marketing and stakeholder relations
Customers are increasingly interested in the environmental and social impact of businesses. Producing an environmental report can bring a marketing advantage by demonstrating your business' awareness of its environmental responsibilities. It may also help improve your relationship with key stakeholders, such as investors, suppliers and the wider local community.
Environmental reports benefits for recruitment and retention
Potential job applicants increasingly look at the environmental performance of a business they're thinking about working for.
In addition, you may find it easier to retain your existing staff if you produce a report that clearly demonstrates your environmental performance.
Cost savings from environmental reporting
Environmental reporting should focus your business' attention on environmental performance. Typically, this will result in improved performance, which should lead to cost savings.
Environmental reports benefits for legal compliance
Large and medium companies must produce an annual business review, which must incorporate a fair review of the company's business, and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the company.
This annual review is expected to include some mention of environmental matters, including the company's impact on the environment. For quoted companies, and those that carry on insurance market activity, this is a legal requirement.
Large companies must use environmental key performance indicators to report on environmental matters - where these are necessary to understand the development, performance or position of the company.
UK pension fund trustees must disclose how they have considered social, economic and environmental matters. Companies that disclose this information, for example in environmental reports, are in a better position to be considered in investment decisions by trustees.
Small companies are exempt from the above requirements as long as they meet two of the following criteria:
- turnover not more than £5.6 million
- balance sheet total not more than £2.8 million
- not more than 50 employees
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/benefits-producing-environmental-reports
Links
Create your environmental report
How to research, compile and publish credible environmental reports that will benefit your business.
Stand-alone environmental reporting, as a one-off exercise isolated from your other activities, is unlikely to be successful. Environmental reporting will work best based on information from your environmental management system. This provides a mechanism for you to make improvements based on the figures produced in your report, and shows your involvement and commitment to collect the data.
The environmental reporting process
To produce an environmental report you should:
- identify the audience for your report
- talk to the audience to understand their concerns and questions
- identify the internal data you'll need to calculate facts and figures for the report
- collect the data
- decide how you're going to publish the report
- produce and publish the report
- obtain feedback and review the impact of the report
- make improvements
Scope of environmental reporting
If you have more than one site, division, department or business unit, you could produce one business-wide report or individual reports. The advantage of individual reports is that they are more easily understood and relate more directly to individual managers and - in the case of site-based reports - to local communities. Individual reports can then be consolidated into business-wide figures for a broader audience.
Getting outside help on environmental reporting
Think about whether outside help could be useful, especially if environmental reporting is new to you. Consultants can help you to achieve a balanced approach, produce a report that will be easily understood and advise you on the sort of material that should go into it.
The use of independent third-party assurance statements, such as audit-based verification of your environmental data, adds credibility to your environmental reporting by giving stakeholders confidence that your approach is robust and reliable.
ActionsContent category
Source URL
/content/create-your-environmental-report
Links
How to make your environmental report credible
Principles of transparency and accountability that should guide you throughout the environmental reporting process.
For your environmental report to be credible and useful, it must follow certain principles.
Transparency through environmental reporting
It must be absolutely clear what data is being reported, and how and why it is collected. For example:
- Does the figure for carbon emissions also include those attributable to energy use, travel, waste disposal and supply chains?
- Where is the data collected from?
- How, and how often, is it collected?
- Exactly what parts of your business does it apply to?
- Does it include suppliers, contractors, freelancers, franchisees and sub-contractors?
- On what basis do you convert, for example, electricity consumption to tonnes of carbon?
Accountability through environmental reporting
You should also think about who you're accountable to in terms of the environmental report. You may want to consider:
- the extent of stakeholder engagement
- feedback from stakeholders
- tailoring your report to the needs of your stakeholders
- incorporating a third party assurance statement
Credibility through environmental reporting
An environmental report is most valuable when it is an integral part of an environmental management system. This demonstrates to stakeholders that the environmental report is not just for show, but clearly acknowledges and addresses society's growing awareness and concern for sustainable development.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-make-your-environmental-report-credible
Links
Environmental key performance indicators
What environmental KPIs are and how to choose the right ones to make business environmental reports useful and credible.
Environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantitative measures - actual numbers - that put values on the environmental performance of your business.
Examples of environmental KPIs
You can produce environmental KPIs using facts and figures which your business already collects, such as:
- energy bills
- water bills
- purchasing records
- vehicle fuel use or vehicle mileage figures
- waste management bills
- travel receipts
An environmental KPI should be accompanied by:
- information on why it was included (its purpose and impact)
- how the information was obtained and calculated
- if any assumptions were made
How to choose your environmental KPIs
You should report on KPIs that you are both directly and indirectly responsible for. For example, you should report the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from your electricity use, as well as the amount actually emitted directly from your own premises. You could even report on your supply chain's KPIs.
The government has produced a list of environmental KPIs that are relevant to businesses. The four main environmental KPI areas are:
- emissions to air
- emissions to water
- emissions to land
- resource use
You can download the full list of environmental KPIs (PDF, 354K).
You may want to think about other ways that your business impacts on the environment, such as:
- light
- heat
- noise
- smell
- vibration
- electromagnetic radiation
- visual impact
Make your environmental KPIs comparable
You should report environmental data in a comparable format, so that your performance can be assessed over time and against other businesses.
KPIs should also be expressed in terms that cover the entire business for the period of the report, which is usually annually. This makes it easier to make meaningful comparisons with other businesses and against previous years.
You should also use measurements that are standard across your business sector. For example, an office-based business might report on tonnes of carbon emitted per million pounds of turnover, whereas a manufacturing business might report on per product or per tonne of product.
Get a free sustainability report
All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-key-performance-indicators
Links
Environmental reporting of your supply chain
How to compile relevant metrics and data in order to report on the environmental impact of your supply chain.
You should consider whether to report the impacts of your suppliers because your choice of supplier affects the environmental impact of your business. For example, the environmental impact of a clothing factory in Asia will be different to a factory in Europe due to its location, production processes, etc.
There isn't a standardised technique for reporting the effect of a supply chain in terms of a key performance indicator (KPI). However, you can assess the environmental impact of your supply chain in the following ways:
- Examine your sales ledger to ensure you understand how much you spend with your different suppliers, and what industry sector they are in - eg manufacturing, financial services, courier services, etc.
- Find out the typical environmental impacts and risks of different industry sectors. You can download environmental Key Performance Indicators reporting guidelines (PDF, 354K).
- Assess where to focus your efforts, based on both how much you spend with a supplier and the impact they have on the environment. For example, for some businesses it may make more sense to focus on their electricity supplier rather than their office materials supplier.
- Engage with your suppliers as part of your stakeholder engagement process. If you don't already, encourage your suppliers to report their environmental impact using the KPIs that are appropriate for their business sector. Consider encouraging suppliers to improve their environmental performance.
- Use the environmental reporting information from your suppliers as a source of data for your own environmental reports, and as a valuable input to your environmental management system and processes.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-reporting-your-supply-chain
Links
Environmental product declarations
Good business reasons for making environmental product declarations and how your business can go about it.
Environmental reports are a great way of showing your business' commitment to improving its environmental performance. Another way of demonstrating your 'green' credentials to key customers and stakeholders is to use environmental product declarations (EPDs). EPDs provide information about the environmental aspects of particular goods or services.
For some businesses, such as white goods manufacturers, EPDs are mandatory. For others, such as vehicle manufacturers, there are voluntary industry-wide schemes.
Some public procurement specifications include criteria for the environmental performance of products that are similar to those used in standard labelling schemes. All government procurement has minimum environmental standards for certain types of product.
When making voluntary EPDs, you can choose between self-declared EPDs and standardised labelling schemes.
Self-declared environmental product declarations
Self-declared EPDs are claims that you make yourself. Any self-declared EPD should be truthful, accurate and able to be substantiated. A claim should be relevant, clear as to what it refers to and in plain language. For example, 'this brochure was made with 50 per cent recycled paper'.
When making your own declarations, consider the environmental impact of your product in the following four phases:
-
Manufacturing - what raw materials, other resources and energy are used, and what emissions are generated?
-
Distribution - is a significant amount of energy used getting the product to market?
-
Use - does the product consume energy and water when operated, or does it generate emissions?
-
End-of-life - can the product be reused, recovered or recycled? If it goes to landfill, what is its environmental impact?
To make your environmental claims more credible, you could follow the guidance in the international standard ISO 14021. You can find out about buying a copy of ISO 14021 on the British Standards Institution website.
Standardised labelling schemes
There are many standardised labelling schemes administered by public and private sector bodies, and by non-governmental organisations. These include:
- single-issue labels which relate to a particular environmental issue or category, such as water use or forestry conservancy, and are awarded if a product meets a certain minimum standard
- multiple-issue labels which look at the overall impacts of a product across its whole life-cycle and are awarded when products meet the required standards
- eco-rating schemes which apply a rating code such as a scale of A to G based on one or more aspects of the product's environmental performance, such as electricity use
- eco-profiling schemes which provide factual information in a standardised format, such as the rating information on emissions and fuel consumption provided with vehicles in the United Kingdom
- social or ethical rating schemes in which a number of social or ethical standards are met in order to satisfy an external assessment, such as fair trade labels
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/environmental-product-declarations
Links
-
Use environmental indicators to improve your performance
In this guide:
Benefits of measuring your business' environmental performance
The advantages for your business of measuring environmental performance, including cost savings and higher sales.
There are a number of key reasons why your business should measure its environmental performance.
Cost savings and improved productivity
Areas of your business such as raw material use, waste production and energy use can all be looked at closely to identify savings.
Higher sales
Reporting environmental performance can have a positive impact on sales. Customers and potential customers can see evidence of how your business minimises its impact on the environment.
Supplier status
Reporting key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) can make your business more attractive to others in your supply chain.
Greater investment opportunities
With environmental issues high on the agenda of consumers and organisations, investors are increasingly looking at the environmental performance of businesses when they make investment decisions.
Service and product innovations
Measuring your business' environmental impact can reveal areas where you could develop new services or products.
Employee recruitment
With increased environmental awareness among the public, if your business has measured and clearly reported KEPIs, this gives potential new employees a way of differentiating your business from others.
Legal compliance
Listed companies must include relevant environmental information in their business review. KEPIs provide evidence that you are measuring and managing your environmental performance.
If you have an environmental management system (EMS), or you plan to set one up, you'll need to be able to measure and monitor your environmental performance. KEPIs provide the information needed for the targets and objectives in your EMS - see environmental management systems (EMS) - the basics.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/benefits-measuring-your-business-environmental-performance
Links
How to gather environmental performance data
An overview of methods of gathering data about the environmental performance of your business, such as process mapping.
As well as carrying out an initial environmental review, you should also gather data about the environmental performance of your business.
For your key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) to be useful, the data they are based on must be accurate. One way of doing this is to use a technique called process mapping.
What is process mapping?
You can use process mapping to track and then measure any process your business carries out. This data-gathering technique is particularly useful when developing KEPIs that will track how much energy and waste your business is producing.
To create a process map you need to identify your business' main inputs (for example raw materials, energy, water and packaging) and outputs (for example emissions and waste) at each stage of the process. You then need to present these in a visual format such as a flow chart or block diagram.
Once you have drawn your process map, you need to populate it with data. This data could come from a variety of sources including meters, invoices and purchasing records.
Taking direct measurements
Depending on the type of business you operate, you may want to take samples of emissions, raw materials, packaging, waste levels and overall stock levels to determine what impact these are having on the environment. You can use this data to create the KEPI that you want to report.
If you are unable to get data by taking measurements, you should make the best estimate possible. For example, you could use samples from large quantities of data, carry out simple trials or use mass balance calculations to fill gaps in your data.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-gather-environmental-performance-data
Links
Analyse and present your environmental data
How to make sense of your environmental data and effectively present the findings using graphs and action plans.
Once your business begins to collect significant quantities of environmental data about its impact, you can easily become overwhelmed by the raw data itself.
Make sure you accurately record all the data you have collected, for example using a spreadsheet.
How to present your environmental analysis
When you need to present your data - for example in an annual report or when discussing key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) - you may want to use a number of methods including:
- Bar charts - this type of graphical analysis is ideal if the data you have gathered has a baseline or mean that you can measure against. Bar charts are useful as they can give the reader a simple snapshot of a time period. The reader can also see instantly how the KEPI is operating in relation to the baseline.
- Trends - if your business is tracking a large amount of data that has a high degree of variation, showing the overall trend is more meaningful as it illustrates how your business is moving towards its goal. For example, you could use a line graph showing a moving three-month average. This involves plotting the mean of the three months before and including the present one - ie three, two, one; four, three, two; five, four, three; etc.
- Scatter graphs and linear regression - this is ideal if you want to show the relationship between two components of your business. With this type of graph, the various time periods of data collected are scattered about rather than ordered chronologically.
When you are choosing how to display your data, think carefully about how the end reader will interpret the results. Using a bar chart to show trends isn't usually helpful as this could show wild variations within your KEPIs from month to month, when in fact the reality is that your environmental reporting is showing a positive trend that is not properly displayed.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/analyse-and-present-your-environmental-data
Links
Choose which environmental indicators to use
How to choose the key environmental performance indicators that will be most useful to your business.
Once you have collected and analysed your data you need to choose appropriate key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) so that you can track your performance.
Your choice of KEPI will depend on the activities and processes that your business carries out, what data is available, what you can measure and the priorities for your business and its stakeholders.
Types of environmental indicators
Your environmental indicators may cover a number of areas including:
- resource use - eg water, oil, gas, metals and minerals
- emissions to air - eg greenhouse gases, dust and particles, and solvent emissions
- emissions to water - eg metals and organic pollutants
- emissions to land - eg pesticides, waste and metals
There are three types of KEPI that your business can use.
Absolute environmental indicators
This type of KEPI is a stand-alone indicator that does not reference any other component of your business or process. Examples include:
- litres of water used per year
- tonnes of waste produced per year
- staff salary costs
Relative environmental indicators
In most businesses, the use of relative indicators will form the vast majority of their KEPIs. These are sometimes referred to as 'specific measures'. Examples include:
- kilograms of waste disposed of per item manufactured
- amount of energy used per piece of machinery run
- litres of water used per member of staff
These indicators can also be expressed as a percentage. If you intend to do this, the production throughput then becomes relevant. Examples include:
- percentage of raw material (input in tonnes) that becomes product (output in tonnes) - ie a measure of raw material yield
- percentage of waste produced that is recyclable
- percentage of effluent reused
Weighted environmental indicators
If you produce a wide range of products via a correspondingly wide range of processes, you may need to use a more sophisticated method of KEPI. In these circumstances, you should apply factors to give a weighted indicator.
For example, in a surface coating line there are variations in water consumption between batches of different products. Batch A requires treatment in three tanks, with rinsing after each stage, and uses 30 litres per item. Batch B requires treatment in five tanks, with rinsing after each stage, and uses 75 litres per item. To compare performance on days when different products are being made, you would need to apply a weighting factor based on the number of batch A and B products - number of A + number of B x 30/75 litres.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/choose-which-environmental-indicators-use
Links
Use environmental indicators to improve your performance
How using key environmental performance indicators can improve your business' strategic planning and performance.
Once you have established your key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) you should use the information to set environmental targets and objectives.
If you have an environmental management system (EMS), the KEPIs will enable you to monitor whether you are improving your environmental performance.
Start an environmental improvement programme
If you don't have an EMS, you should still take a structured approach to using your KEPIs by implementing an environmental improvement programme. This may involve:
- setting up an environmental team or choosing an environmental champion
- brainstorming ideas for improvement
- deciding priorities
- setting targets and objectives
- developing an action plan
- reviewing progress
Environmental action plan
Your action plan should form the basis of your environmental improvement programme. It could contain:
- the major problem areas and causes identified by the KEPIs
- clear targets and objectives so that your business can reduce its environmental impact
- proposed priority improvement measures so that the targets and objectives can be met
- key implementation steps for each measure
- what equipment and materials are needed
- roles and responsibilities of people involved with the action plan
- timescales for the actions to be completed
- the date when the action plan and KEPIs will next be reviewed
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/use-environmental-indicators-improve-your-performance
Links