Category Archives: Carbon Reduction

Carbon Reduction, Climate, Climate Action, News, Sustainability

Infinity Inc. branches out with planting and conservation initiative

A leading branded merchandise and uniform supplier, which supplies some of the biggest brands in the world, has ramped up its sustainability goals by teaming up with a pioneering environmental conservation organisation.

Infinity Inc has teamed up with Ecologi to plant trees and fund climate change projects across the globe, whilst encouraging clients to opt for more sustainable products and garments.

Infinity Inc has seen a major increase in sales throughout 2022 for its eco-friendly merchandise and sustainable garment range. The Leeds-based business already works closely with leading sustainable brands and powers its own production facility by solar panels and uses electric vehicles for customer deliveries.

Founded in 2019, with the mission to collectively halve the world’s carbon emissions by 2040, Ecologi is a B Corp-certified social enterprise that facilitates the funding of verified carbon reduction projects and responsible tree planting around the world.

Pledging to plant a tree for every order containing a sustainable product or garment, a target of 10,000 trees has been set for the first year of the partnership. The partnership has also supported two new wind power projects in Honduras and Mexico preventing the emission of over 450,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Darren Cohen, CEO and managing director for Infinity Inc. said: “This is a very positive, strategic partnership for us and comes at a time when our commitment to the environment is beginning to have a major impact on the way we do business. As climate change and fashion waste continue to be key issues in the industry, the demand for greener products is expected to grow extensively and we are fully geared up to be at the forefront of the market.”

Ecologi’s reforestation and restoration projects are all community-driven. Working directly with local communities enhances stewardship, education and employment opportunities. For Earth Day 2022 Ecologi partnered with entrepreneur Steven Bartlett to encourage businesses to take action on climate change.

Take a look at Infinity Inc’s online portal which shows the trees planted since the launch of the partnership and how funding has supported different projects. Infinity Inc | Ecologi

 

Pictured: Planting taking place as part of Ecologi’s Eden Reforestation Project

Carbon Reduction, Climate, News

3 Ways to Ensure Your Business is Environmentally Friendly

Protecting our planet is one of the most important responsibilities we all must undertake. We have to do everything we can to delay the progress of global warming and climate change, and as business owners, we have the potential to make an even bigger impact.

Whether you work in marketing or construction, retail or food service, there are steps you can take to lower your carbon footprint and reduce your pollutants.

If you’re looking to ensure that your business is as environmentally friendly as possible, then check out these three fantastic ways that you can go green.

 

  • Let Your Employees Work from Home

For all the problems that came along with the pandemic, it did demonstrate just how many jobs can be carried out at home.

This led to a reduction in pollution; lock down meant that many of us were no longer driving to work!

If your company worked remotely during the pandemic, then consider making this a permanent arrangement. Not only can it help the environment but think of the money that you’ll save on office space!

Many employees preferred working from home, it offered them a better chance at a healthy work/life balance. So, if you’re looking to find an easy way to make your company more eco-friendly, sit down with your employees and see how they would feel about making remote working – or even a hybrid arrangement – a feature of their career.

 

  • Recycle, Don’t Wish-cycle

Recycling is one of the most basic tasks we can carry out to do our part to protect the planet.

However, it’s essential that we don’t fall into the habit of wish-cycling. Wish-cycling is the act of putting something into a recycling bin and hoping that it will be recyclable.

While this might seem like a good idea – after all, you never know! – all you do is risk contaminating your recycling, leading it all to be sent to the landfill.

Before you put anything into your recycling bin, it’s essential that you make sure, not only that it’s recyclable, but that it is an item that your local recycling plant will accept – they don’t all have the same capabilities.

 

  • Treat Your Waste

For many industries, waste needs to be treated as it’s disposed of, otherwise it risks releasing harmful pollutants and toxins into the environment.

For example, if you work in construction, then you’re probably familiar with concrete washout. This waste is not only damaging to the environment, but it is illegal for you to dispose of it in bodies of water. In this instance, a neutralizer, such as the industrial neutralizer supplied by Smart Storm, is the ideal solution for disposing of your concrete washout safely and legally – the slightly acidic nature of the CO2 treatment neutralizes the washout, making it safe to dispose of.

 

Have you made your business more environmentally friendly? Share your tips in the comments below!

Carbon Reduction, News

Keysource and ChapmanBDSP Partner to Support the Data Centre Market on the Road to Net Zero Carbon

Keysource, the global data centre design, consultancy and operations specialist, and Chapmanbdsp the global built environment specialist, have formed a partnership that creates a new offer to support clients on the road to net zero carbon emissions in the data centre and critical infrastructure market.

The collaborative service combines both industry leaders’ expertise to provide customers with the ability to measure and manage the full carbon lifecycle of a project, including embodied and operational carbon, along with carbon offset options, whether planning a new build or upgrading an existing facility.

The aim is to give customers the insight of what contributes to a projects whole life carbon and the intervention opportunities available to realise their sustainability goals. The approach and methodology developed provides a transparent and visual way to manage key decision making whilst considering the broader impacts of those options.

Jon Healy, Operations Director at Keysource, commented: “We recognise that measuring and managing embodied carbon needs to form part of a holistic development process, particularly for data centres. This partnership provides customers a combined resource of consultancy and advisory services to complete carbon assessments in parallel with other project drivers. Leveraging our data centre experience, we’re able to provide customers with high impact and feasible opportunities.”

Ray Upjohn, Chief Executive Officer at chapmanbdsp, said: “We see great value in combining our skills in the energy and sustainability arena. Together we’re proud to support the data centre market in overcoming the challenge of achieving net zero.”

 

Carbon Reduction, News

Datum moves to Renewable HVO Fuel as Part of Net zero Operations Strategy

Datum Datacentres, the business-critical data centre provider, has announced it will be transitioning from diesel to renewable HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel for its backup generators at its flagship facility on the Cody Technology Park, Farnborough.  Working in partnership with Keysource, the global datacentre and critical environment specialist, this move will enable Datum to reduce up to 90% of net CO2 emissions if its backup generators are used.

This marks another significant step in Datum’s plans to become a fully carbon neutral data centre by 2030. As a stable, renewable and sustainable fuel, the move to HVO will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90%, NOx emissions by as much as 27% and PM emissions by as much as 84%, compared with conventional diesel, all of which are key components in achieving improved air quality.

This transition builds on over a decade of focus on delivering environmentally efficient data centre services, using innovative design and technologies which allow Datum to operate at a PUE of sub-1.2, harnessing renewable energy sources and reducing scope 2 and 3 emissions.

Dominic Phillips, Managing Director at Datum, said: “Sustainability is very much in our DNA and with our ongoing partnership with Keysource, which spans over 15 years, we are confident in our strategy and roadmap. This move to introduce HVO fuel at our Farnborough facility is part of that and has meant that we can reduce our GHG emissions almost immediately.

Jon Healy, Operations Director at Keysource, said: “As sustainability and ESG has been catapulted to the forefront, turning to HVO fuel is a natural step for Datum to reduce their impact on the environment. Importantly, the Keysource role enables Datum to do this confidently without disruption or impact to performance and is just one initiative planned to reduce whole life-cycle carbon emissions.”

Carbon Reduction, News, Packaging, Sustainability

Fenton Packaging Solutions introduces sustainable alternative for bulk storage and dispensing

The UN bag-in-box (BiB) containers from Fenton Packaging Solutions offer a sustainable flatpack alternative to traditional rigid bulk liquid packaging. BiB provides all the benefits of a rigid container coupled with flexible sustainability in respect of transportation and storage requirements.

“Swapping to bag-in-box delivers major benefits, reduces costs, and improves a carbon footprint of a business,” says Chris Warren, Sales Development Director of Fenton Packaging Solutions, which is based at the Kinetic 45 development in Leeds. “Prior to filling, BiB saves up to 40% in warehouse capacity and takes up 90% less transport space, when compared to rigid alternatives. In addition, BiB creates 60% less non-recyclable waste.

“The plastic reduction is dramatic, as a typical 20 litre UN jerrycan weighs in at around 1,100 grams whereas a 20 litre UN bag with closure weighs in at just 110 grams – potentially offsetting some of the costs associated with the recently introduced 2022 Plastic Packaging Tax. The advantages don’t stop there. BiB is lighter in weight and easy to handle, plus there’s less risk of spillage when pouring and when using a tap, it is drip-free.”

“The pallet quantity of bags changes the requirements for a business’s incoming logistics, moving and handling, warehousing, filling, and packing for onward distribution. Using BiB significantly reduces the time and cost associated with the handling of rigid plastic packs. BiB is available in 5 litre, 10 litre and 20 litre sizes, but as a comparison, one pallet of 10 litre UN bags contains 3,000 bags which is very different to the pallet quantity for 10 litre UN jerrycans.

“It is the cost of acquisition that is interesting to companies adopting BiB products combined with the benefits available to their end customers when the pack enters its end-of-life phase.”

The sustainability advantages of BiB over rigid containers are clear. BiB packs consist of a cardboard box which is easy to recycle once the product has been emptied and a plastic co-polymer cube-shaped bag with gland and closure which weighs in at about 10% of the weight of the equivalent capacity jerrycan.

Cardboard goes into one waste stream and the bag will go into another recycling stream where it exists for the recycling of co-polymer containers. If the bag cannot be recycled it can be processed on the waste to energy ticket.

Exclusive in the UK

“Fenton Packaging Solutions is our chosen and exclusive partner in the UK market, to represent our flexible packaging and our special UN bag-in-box concept,” says CDF Corporation/Quadpak AB Sales and Marketing Director Helena Bysell. “Fenton Packaging Solutions has the knowledge and experience of bag-in-box packaging also for challenging products such as chemicals and other non-food applications, and with a nationwide sales team, the company provides excellent service, support and reliability to customers across the UK.”

BiB – from beverages to bulk

“Most people are familiar with the BiB packaging format, as it has been used in the food industry for many years, for milk, wine, beer and cider,” says Fenton Packaging Solutions Purchasing and Operations Director David Wilson. “BiB is also used in the foodservice sector to supply bulk quantities of product on a B2B basis. But industrial companies in the detergents, oils & lubricants and more recently the coatings & inks sectors are now considering alternative packs to the traditional rigid plastic jerrycan, with UN BiB being viewed as an alternative to rigid plastics.

“As a consultative business, we are keen to direct our customers to more sustainable packaging solutions and we are recommending BiB as an alternative to existing, traditional rigid packaging.

“The high cost and difficulty of disposal of rigid plastic containers at our end-customers is driving interest, as swapping to BiB supports both the OEM and end-customers’ sustainability goals. Early adopters already include oils and lubricants companies, ad blue producers, professional detergent companies, and more recently manufacturers of coatings.

“UK-based filling machine producers exist, and production equipment is available to support both medium to large volume filling of BiB containers. We are receiving an increasing number of enquiries about BiB for industrial applications, where a UN container is required and as such are talking to companies in a variety of industry sectors.”

 

Carbon Reduction, News, Sustainability

Clarion Wealth Planning brings forward carbon neutral plans

Clarion Wealth Planning is accelerating its plans to become carbon neutral as part of a new initiative called Best Service, Best Workplace, Best World.

The company had been aiming for carbon neutral status by next April but is now expecting to achieve the milestone by the autumn.

Clarion, which is based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, is working with Carbon Neutral Britain, an organisation which helps businesses and individuals to offset their environmental footprint and achieve carbon neutral status by investing in renewable energy sources, tree planting and other green schemes worldwide.

Alongside this, Clarion has made electric vehicle ownership more cost effective for staff by introducing a car leasing salary sacrifice scheme. Clarion also plants 10 trees for every new client gained, and has implemented measures to reduce energy usage at its offices.

Founder Ron Walker said: “We are committed to creating better lives for our clients, colleagues and our community. It’s at the very core of our values.

“As part of this, we recently launched our Best Service, Best Workplace, Best World programme, and our goal of becoming carbon neutral by the autumn forms part of this.

“We felt it necessary to stand up and be counted and accelerate our strategy to reduce our carbon footprint. Every step taken to tackle climate change is a positive one.”

Clarion, which has 20 staff, provides lifelong financial planning to business owners and families across the north west and beyond.

As part of its Best World strategy and alongside its green measures, the firm supports the Clarion Welsby Family Foundation charity, which donates to worthy local and national causes and community projects.

The charity has supported the Climb High project, run by Adventures Await, which introduces young people with disabilities from Cheshire and Greater Manchester to indoor climbing, helping to build their confidence and skills to improve their physical and mental health and employability.

Another charity to benefit is Dog A.I.D, which trains family pets to become specialist assistance dogs for their physically disabled owners.

Meanwhile, chartered financial planner Ella Davies has become a mentor to teenage girls on a programme organised by the charity Girls Out Loud.

Clarion has introduced a raft of new employee benefits under its Best Workplace banner, including more flexible working, private medical insurance, a doubling of matched pension contributions, and free gym membership.

Now, following a staff survey seeking suggestions for ways in which the firm could help them develop new personal skills, Clarion is introducing private Spanish and Italian lessons for employees during work time.

Ron said: “We work hard and get on with the job, and do fantastic things as a company for our clients, and we want people to enjoy the journey with us and develop as individuals.

“It’s not all about work or business in our drive to be the best workplace. No-one is under the thumb for 12 hours a day. We treat people as grown-ups and they are able to come and go and work flexibly.

“We see past the 9-5 and recognise the importance of looking after our team. We have good quality people, and we want them to enjoy a good work-life balance.

“As well as being known as the best financial planning practice, we want to be known as the best place to work.

“Our approach is key to ensuring the commitment and loyalty of the people who are here, and helps us to attract recruits of the highest quality.”

Ron added: “In the financial planning world, the service we provide to our clients is unrivalled in terms of depth, quality, and the degree of time and attention we give to them.

“We really work with them to achieve their life goals, and this is the Best Service aspect of our initiative. It’s central to our growth plans, as is the Best Workplace aspect.

“And it’s our responsibility to do what we can for the Best World.”

Carbon Reduction, Climate, Climate Action, News

4 Ways Your Business Can Help The Marine Environment

About seventy percent of the planet is water. All organisms, but especially marine organisms, depend on it for survival. On top of that, the ocean is responsible for half of the Earth’s oxygen and absorbs a portion of the carbon dioxide we produce. These carbon emissions are one of the primary drivers of climate change, which is harmful to the planet and all living things on it. 

Furthermore, millions of people worldwide rely on the ocean for their income and employment. Minerals are extracted, crude oil is drilled for, and trade routes are established along its length. It’s also a source of food for people. 

However, the ocean is under stress from human activities such as overfishing, global warming, pollution, etc., which can severely affect the marine ecosystem. And since people and industries rely heavily on ocean resources, it’s only suitable that they pitch in to help preserve them. 

That said, here are some things you can do as a company owner to help safeguard the marine environment. 

 

  • Dispose Of Waste Properly

Oils and chemicals have the potential to harm wildlife, devastate habitats, and pollute vital resources in the food chain. And these oils and chemicals can end up in the water if not correctly disposed of. 

For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, avoiding disposing of wasted oil in the waterbodies can go a long way. Instead, consider installing grease trap maintenance so grease collecting firms may use the oil and turn it into fuel. Moreover, if you accidentally spill oil, you can use boom and pad absorbers to soak it before it reaches the water. 

 

  • Reduce Carbon Footprint 

Climate change is a serious issue the world is facing right now. For one, carbon emissions can change the ocean’s chemistry and make it more acidic, making it a less suitable environment for marine life to thrive.

With that, your business can reduce its carbon footprint by ensuring your office or store is well-insulated. Doing so can lessen the use of air-conditioning units, which release carbon dioxide harmful to the environment. You can also encourage your employees to walk or bike to work whenever possible and consider offering incentives for them to do so.

  • Avoid Using Plastics 

There are at least 5.25 trillion particles of plastic in the ocean, and around 8 million new pieces of plastic find their way there daily. These plastics are to blame for the deaths of several marine animals. In most cases, a few end up consuming the plastics or become entangled in them. Consequently, some are either drowned, suffocated, or starved to death. 

Plastic packaging plays a significant addition in building up tonnes of garbage annually. Therefore, as an owner of a retail business, consider seeking out environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic packaging, such as eco bags and paper bags.  

On the other hand, if you run a food business, you can encourage your customers to bring their water bottles, tumblers, and reusable straws to minimize the use of plastic cups. You can even offer incentives such as discounts to motivate them to take part in sustainable practices. 

 

  • Partner With Organizations 

You can take your business’s sustainability initiatives further by building alliances with organizations currently working to preserve the ocean safely. By doing so, you can increase your grasp of the challenges in the marine ecosystem and your familiarity with eco-friendly solutions.

You can make generous donations, or you may participate in some of their voluntary activities like clean-up drives to observe how their objective is carried out. You can also consider encouraging your employees to participate. This can be a good way to embrace sustainability as a company. 

Furthermore, you can support practices such as sustainable fishing. The number of people in the world is constantly rising, so there’s an ever-increasing requirement for food. And thus, overfishing continues to be a problem. Too many fish are removed from the marine environment, rendering the remaining fish sterile, and this is where sustainable fishing practices come in. In general, the practice of sustainable fishing limits catches to those species found in abundant populations to maintain balance in the marine ecosystem. 

You can stand behind the cause by helping raise awareness. On the other hand, if you’re running a restaurant business, you can partner with suppliers practicing sustainable fishing.

 

Conclusion 

The marine environment is essential to maintaining life on Earth. With that, everyone must do their part to preserve it. You can help save the ocean by cutting down on your company’s carbon footprint and the usage of toxic chemicals. In addition, you can stop using plastic bags and start opting for eco-bags or paper bags to save the environment. It can also be a good idea to team up with marine-focused groups that care about the ocean’s health. Finally, support responsible fishing practices.

Carbon Reduction, Logistics, News

Ainscough Crane Hire further expands fleet with S-Series Scania trucks

Ainscough Crane Hire has recently invested in its industry-leading fleet with the addition of 18 new single-fuel-tank Scania trucks

The Scania 660 SXT trucks have arrived as part of Ainscough’s ongoing investment programme. Lighter in weight than previous trucks, the aerodynamically designed models enable improved levels of fuel consumption in line with Ainscough’s goals of becoming carbon neutral.

The new trucks will also enable the company’s operatives to take advantage of the HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) fuel bunkers present at all depots following the company’s recent switch to HVO.

The vehicles feature electric plugs which can be utilised while idle at depots and certain customer sites, further increasing Ainscough’s fuel efficiency. The team also worked with Scania to relocate toolbox positions, allowing for easy roadside access to the trucks, reducing need for manual handling and associated risks.

As the trucks run on single fuel tanks, Scania were able to add additional storage space where the second fuel tank would previously sit. The space allows drivers to stow away PPE and safety gear as opposed to carrying it with them in the cab.

Drivers of the new trucks will have access to a tyre pressure monitoring system which allows the observing of both axles, along with tyre temperature, brake temperature and the security of the wheel nuts. This system means any issues with the truck can be rectified before leaving a site or depot.

The interior of the truck has a flat floor, giving the driver maximum freedom of movement as they transition from driving to resting to sleeping – for which there is a reclining seat and extendable 1,000mm bed. Going that extra step to provide home comforts for the team, the new vehicles all include an integrated fridge freezer along with other basic essentials.

Chris Britton, General Manager for Heavy Cranes and Transport at Ainscough Crane Hire, said: “The main difference we have with this model is that we have a single fuel tank, because we can now take advantage of the HVO bunkers at all of our depots across the United Kingdom.

“In conjunction with Scania we have made certain adaptations to this model. We’ve changed the layout of our toolboxes so that we can access equipment and kit from the roadside, reducing manual handling and working at height risks.

“All of these upgrades that we’ve had to this Scania 660 SXT model, in conjunction with the upgrades to the living and working area both inside and outside of the truck, means an enhanced working environment for our staff and an improved service for Ainscough customers, as well as helping us achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral.”

Earlier this year Ainscough Crane Hire become the first national crane company in the world to commit to using HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) in its fleet, representing a key milestone in the construction industry’s journey to net zero.

The move covers Ainscough’s 400+ cranes and 30+ transport and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Ainscough anticipates that the adoption of HVO will result in a further CO2 reduction of up to 90%, saving in excess of 14,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. An additional 5% reduction has been achieved through wider energy saving initiatives with the residual circa 5% met via the use of UK based residual carbon offsetting.

Ainscough previously invested in ten Scania trucks, Model 5580/650A6X4NZ Premium Highline XT spec in 2021. The new vehicles were sourced according to Ainscough’s Safety, Environmental and Comfort (SEC) principles and Make the Safe Choice policy.

Carbon Reduction, News

This Clean Air Day, Make Mobility Change for Good

Written by Tomas Edwards, Head of Marketing, Daloop

Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest campaign on air pollution. Since its founding in 2017, the campaign has been educating the public on the dangers of air pollution, which causes up to 36,000 UK deaths per year. Perhaps most importantly, though, Clean Air Day encourages the UK public to consider the decisions that impact their own toxic emissions and make large or small, meaningful changes for the health of their communities.

Of all the viable changes available to us, of which there are many, embracing more sustainable mobility alternatives is perhaps one of the most impactful. From daily commutes and summer getaways to e-commerce delivery and the transportation of goods, conventional transport carries huge consequences for our own, and others’, quality of life.

Understanding your impact

One of the resources on Global Action Plan’s website is the simple yet effective clean air calculator.

Asking a series of questions about a user’s commute, residential property and online shopping habits, the calculator offers a weekly pollution percentage, when compared to the national average.

Resources like this aren’t about placing blame, but rather, much like the calculator questions reveal, they highlight the ways in which the different choices we make can have substantial positive impacts on our planet and the health of our community.

But of course, individuals making emission-reducing changes aren’t looking to do so alone. Those consumers who are taking steps to improve air quality in their own lives want to see the organisations and businesses that they buy from do the same.

 

The businesses driving change

Much like Global Action Plan’s clean air calculator is designed to motivate individuals, ensuring businesses understand their impact is an essential first step in the move towards sustainable mobility. If you work with a fleet of corporate vehicles, why not try this fleet emissions calculator to understand the positive change you could deliver by investing in zero-emissions vehicles?

Business fleets, whether delivery vans, HGVs, or employee vehicles, travel millions of miles a year and pump inordinate amounts of tailpipe emissions into the air around us. Road transport alone accounts for around a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions, and electric vehicles, or EVs, are largely seen as an essential part of decarbonising transport.

However, tailpipe emissions also have a big impact on the health of those closer to home, and Clean Air Day rightly calls on us to consider the other harmful pollutants generated by our day-to-day lifestyles. Nitrogen Oxides are produced when fuel is combusted in the presence of air, alongside other hydrocarbons, and tiny particles like brake dust can be fatal to those with existing lung and heart problems.

For children living with air pollution, the toxic particles have been shown to stunt growth and brain development and cause long-term lung damage and asthma. A study in 2021 found that 27% of UK schools are in areas above the World Health Organisation’s air pollution limits, and this affects around 3.4 million schoolchildren. Therefore, the problem is on our doorstep.

 

How can electric fleets help?

Transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) reduces many kinds of air pollution. Without tailpipe emissions, these vehicles not only contribute to decarbonisation efforts, but they also run without emitting NOx, a particularly aggressive pollutant that damages airways and internal organs.

Combustion cars also generate brake dust, a toxic air pollutant that makes up 20% of traffic-related particles. By replacing the conventional disc braking design of combustion vehicles with regenerative electric braking, EVs eliminate brake dust alongside all other tailpipe emissions.

By transitioning to electric fleets, businesses have the power to improve air quality for their own employees and the wider population, and to even encourage positive change across whole industries. Initiatives like the Clean Van Commitment draw attention to the importance of fleet electrification, challenging signatories to embrace zero tailpipe emission vans by 2028.

Although air pollution may not be something everyone contributes to equally, it is something that everyone can play a role in reducing. As some of the largest contributors to road transport emissions, businesses and organisations alike should be aware of the power that their mobility choices have over the health and air quality of the areas they operate in.

Days like Clean Air Day are an opportunity to reflect on these choices and to take pride in the changes, however large or small, we make every day. For organisations with large fleets, these changes can carry huge net-positives, ensuring the health and morale of workers and nearby residents, the faith of consumers, and contributing to the national movement to boost air quality.

 

What can you do on Clean Air Day to help make a difference?

 

Carbon Reduction, Midlands News, News

Bell rings on new net carbon era for Shropshire school

The latest in a new generation of Shropshire schools has been unveiled following the completion of an £8.44m project to provide more sustainable education facilities in the county. 

 Pave Aways recently handed over the net zero carbon facilities it designed and built at Harlescott Junior School in Shrewsbury to the local education authority, Shropshire Council.  

The scheme has allowed the Haughmond Federation to consolidate its infant and primary provision onto one site and included a new nursery setting, 18 classrooms, a pupil support hub, a hall, kitchen, offices and meeting rooms. The existing Victorian school building was also renovated to make it more energy efficient. 

The timber frame building, sourced from Lowfield Timber Frames on the Shropshire/Welsh border, benefits from high U values due to the sustainable building methods used and will achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent. It also runs on renewable energy via an air source heat pump and has an array of solar panels to provide electricity. 

The build is the latest in a series of low, net or zero carbon projects by Pave Aways, which has completed contracts worth more than £25m in the past two years for local authorities that want to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Managing Director Steven Owen said: “This scheme has not only provided state of the art facilities for the education of our future generations, but it has done so in the most sustainable way possible. As a fossil free building, every year its rating will get better and better as it won’t use the carbon that a fossil reliant building requires and, over time, it will add back to the environment with the trees that have been planted. 

“Utilising our supply chain of sub-contractors and suppliers based within a 25-mile radius of Shrewsbury has also has a positive effect on the local economy, pumping millions of pounds back into the Shropshire area, and a massive impact on skills in the construction sector. 

“As well as our own team developing their knowledge and practical ability in low, net or zero carbon building methods, businesses in our supply chain that have worked with us have learned new skills that they can take away, implement and use on other contracts.”

The contract was a key scheme in support of Shropshire Council’s ambition to deliver more sustainable buildings to meet its 2030 ‘zero’ carbon targets.