Category Archives: Climate

Business, Climate, News, Sustainability

Junk Kouture and Microsoft Announce New Partnership Aimed at Empowering and Celebrating the Circular Engineers of Tomorrow

Microsoft has announced a partnership with the world’s largest youth sustainable fashion competition, Junk Kouture to support their shared mission to raise awareness and educate the next generation about circular systems in fashion, as well as celebrating solutions where technology and creativity work together to help drive change in the industry.

Junk Kouture is a creative program open to 13-18-year-olds that challenges young people to design, upcycle and create high end Kouture from 100% recycled materials before showcasing their sustainable designs at live events across the globe. Dubbed ‘The Eurovision for fashion and creative young people’, the competition focuses on creating the circular engineers of tomorrow, by taking junk and applying creativity and innovation to make garments suited for a fashion runway.

Junk Kouture’s programme includes an in-school educational platform that reaches over 850,000 students in 1,150 schools and is currently active in six countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. Over the next ten years, Junk Kouture’s ambition is to enrich and empower the lives of a billion young people across the world through creativity and sustainability.

The new partnership will see Microsoft and Junk Kouture collaborate to develop Masterclasses that can be viewed on Microsoft’s Flip platform, a video discussion app to share videos and build communities by learning together. Microsoft Flip will be the primary platform to connect masterclass experts from the world of fashion and sustainability with the global creative community of educators and students.

“Microsoft and Junk Kouture share a vision to empower the next generation and encourage future circular engineers through connected education. Our technology allies with Junk Kouture’s mission and enables accessible information for students across the globe, no matter where they are. As a brand, Microsoft has a strong foundation in supporting, and empowering people and organisations in the fashion industry – to inspire creativity and innovation and build a more inclusive and sustainable future.” Maruschka Loubser, Director of Global Brand Partnerships Microsoft

Pictured – ‘Jump for Joy’ by Orla Ni Eadhra of Inverness Royal Academy, Scotland at the World Final of Junk Kouture in Abu Dhabi on the 11th of January 2023.  Jump for Joy is created from an old trampoline, bicycle spokes and sweet wrappers and won the London City Designer of the Year Award.

Microsoft’s campaign will showcase designs from the 2022 programme and connect these two important topics and themes of the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) that are a priority for Junk Kouture. Content including student Masterclasses will be released monthly from February to June and will cover:

  • Quality Education with Back to the Future in Dublin.
    • Back to the Future is a futuristic coat of armour that represents reconnecting with our planet to save the next generation.
  • Responsible Consumption & Production with Tree of Life in Milan.
    • Raising awareness of pollution and environmental damage, the Tree of Life aims to increase awareness for respect and love for our planet.
  • Gender Equality with Soaring High in London.
    • Soaring High is a design based on women flying high over society, representing stereotypes of gender and breaking the norm.
  • Climate Action with Gaia in Abu Dhabi.
    • Gaia is a goddess inspired design based on natural elements, symbolising the UAE’s trees, palms and desert climate.
  • Sustainable Cities & Communities with Nightingale in New York.
    • Nightingale was created to honour all nurses and medical professions who sacrificed their lives over the pandemic. The design represents the hope and virtue that spirits these industries.
  • Reduced Inequalities with Divide and Conquer in Paris.
    • Based on the avant-garde take on Pierrot and Harlequin from the Commedia dell’arte, the division of social classes is characterised through design and materials.

 

In addition to the Masterclasses, Microsoft will support a new awards category within the competition – the Microsoft STEAM Award – will be created and given out at the 2023 World Final of Junk Kouture later this year. The award will be presented to the design and designers that best integrate elements of STEAM into their work.

“Young people can often feel helpless in the face of the climate crisis and that’s why at Junk Kouture, we give them a global platform and the tools to use their voice and the creative outlet to showcase their solutions. Our ambition is to reach 1 billion young people over the next 10 years, generating lasting behavioural change through creativity and education content around STEAM and sustainability that impacts our planets future along the way. We create the next generation of changemakers, and that’s why it is vital for us to collaborate with the right partners like Microsoft, that not only align with our vision and values but have the global experience to help us achieve this ambition. We are excited to have the team at Microsoft join us on this exciting journey.” – Troy Armour, CEO & Founder Junk Kouture

This announcement continues Microsoft’s support for organisations and individuals that are driving change within the fashion industry. Through existing partnerships, Microsoft has already established itself as a brand that is empowering fashion leaders to reimagine creative processes to drive even more creativity, productivity and sustainability within the industry and help to transform the business of fashion, through technology that pushes boundaries.

As a business, Microsoft is helping to create a more sustainable world, with the brand making commitments in four key areas: carbon, water, ecosystems and waste, with the goal of becoming net positive by 2030.

 

Header image caption:

Pictured – ‘Soaring High’ by Dominica Kodeesawaran (model), Grace Bowden and Annabelle Blackwell of Denmark Road High School, Gloucester at the World Final of Junk Kouture in Abu Dhabi on the 11th January 2023. Soaring High is created from sweet wrappers, old clothes, napkins and teabag paper and won the Best Performance Award.

 

Climate, Climate Action, Electric Vehicles, EVs and Automotive News, News

Competitors Polestar and Rivian make joint call for collective climate action among Car Producers

Polestar and Rivian have announced a joint call for collective action among automakers to tackle the climate emergency, in the first public report of its kind by two EV companies.

The two EV manufacturers have collaborated on a ‘Pathway Report’ which concludes that the automotive industry is set to overshoot the IPCC’s 1.5-degree pathway by at least 75% by 2050. The two pioneering EV makers initiated the report in response to the climate crisis. The report, which uses existing, open-source data to model the current trajectory for emissions stemming from the car industry, was carried out by global management consulting firm Kearney.

Passenger vehicles currently account for 15% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. The IPCC has stated that all GHG emissions need to be reduced by 43% by 2030 and the report makes clear that the automotive industry is far off track, and, alarmingly, will have spent its full CO2e budget already by 2035 without urgent action.

The data presents a pathway based around three key levers. Lever 1 looks at the speed at which fossil fuel-powered cars need to be replaced by electric cars but points out that this alone will not be enough. A lot more work will be required for levers 2 and 3:

  • Increasing renewable energy in power grids
  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing supply chain

Pulling just one or two levers in isolation will be insufficient and only reduce the overshoot. Collective action from automakers is needed on all three levers, in parallel, at a global level. Firstly, the industry must accelerate the transition to electric vehicles by investing in manufacturing capabilities, as well as implementing a firm end date for fossil fuel car sales globally. Secondly, build out renewable energy supply to global grids that enable EV’s to reach their full potential through green charging.

Thirdly, decarbonize the manufacturing supply chains for these vehicles through switching to low carbon materials, and investing in renewable energy solutions for supply chains.

Fredrika Klarén, Polestar Head of Sustainability, says: “Car companies may be on different paths when it comes to brand, design, and business strategies, and some won’t even admit that the road to the future is electric. I believe it is, and that the climate crisis is a shared responsibility, and we must look beyond tailpipe emissions. This report makes clear the importance of acting now and together. There’s a clear cost to inaction, but there’s also a financial opportunity for innovators who find new answers to the challenges we face.”

 

Kearney’s report has also been shared with several of the world’s leading car makers, together with an invitation to a roundtable held at the end of January to discuss areas of collective action. The aim is to find a path towards unprecedented, relevant and collective climate action for the car industry.

 

Anisa Costa, Rivian’s Chief Sustainability Officer, adds: “The report’s findings are sobering. Our hope is that this report lays the groundwork for the automotive industry to collaborate in driving progress at the pace and scale we need – and ideally inspiring other industries to do the same. Together, I’m confident we can win the race against time.”

 

The Pathway Report clearly shows the cost of inaction and the strong case for sustainable development. The investment community is moving and capital flows are shifting from traditional investment to sustainable investment, recognising an increasing link between sustainable transformation and financial benefits. In 2021, global sustainability investments totalled USD 35.3 trillion, representing over a third of all assets in five of the world’s biggest markets.

 

Angela Hultberg, global sustainability director at Kearney, says: “We are proud to have been chosen as a trusted expert to develop this report. The result of our modelling clearly shows that the industry needs to accelerate the pace of becoming a low carbon industry. We looked at different scenarios, different data points, and the conclusion is that no matter how you model it, we are far too close for comfort. We sincerely hope this report will be a starting point for the industry to focus on areas where there is agreement and find specific initiatives. It will take collective action to solve some of the issues at hand, and we look forward to seeing what the manufacturers will do in the near future.”

To drive the report forward, Polestar and Rivian invited several of the world’s leading car makers to a briefing and roundtable to discuss the critical steps that need to be taken. This includes:

  • Replacing fossil cars with electric vehicles
  • Increasing renewable energy in the power grids
  • Reducing emissions in the manufacturing supply chain by 81% by 2032

The data shows that pulling just one or two of these won’t be enough – all three need to be worked on, and at speed, with EV manufacturers collaborating like never before.

Electrification alone is not the solution – even if every car sold in the world tomorrow would be electric, we’re still on track to overshoot. Pure EV makers like Rivian and Polestar have a responsibility to double down on production related emissions and advocate for renewable energy across grids to enable green charging.

Despite the gloomy outlook, the report does suggest that the car industry has the technology, funds and know-how to rapidly build the momentum required to get back on track.

 

More talks are planned over the coming months. Other car manufacturers interested in partaking can contact pathway@kearney.com.

Read the full report here.

 

Climate, Climate Action, Environment, Environment News, News, Sustainability

How to Motivate Your Employees to Go Green

Within the past few years, it has become apparent that the UK is the leader on the world stage of environmental issues. As the first nation to bring about legislation that is aimed at significantly reducing our carbon footprint toward the ultimate NetZero date of 2050, we are making great strides. But is that enough? Can we leave everything to government without taking personal responsibility for this human-caused global crisis?

Even sceptics have begun agreeing that global warming is real and that if something isn’t done soon, there will be no reducing the catastrophic effects caused by a total breakdown of the ozone layer. The ice caps are already melting, and large chunks of glaciers are breaking off and will eventually lead to major tsunamis along every seacoast around the globe.

The point is, now is our turn to do something real to put a halt to further destruction on planet Earth. Change only happens if enough people get involved in the process of reversal through sustainability. As an employer, you are now tasked with motivating your employees to Go Green. What will it take and what can you do to lead the way? Here are a few suggestions to get you headed down the right path.

Lead By Example

One of the criticisms the UK is receiving is that there are policy gaps in their previously ambitious legislation, many of which are rooted in lack of budgetary funding. Even so, they are still advancing as the world leader in their efforts to bring about zero carbon emissions by mid-century. It is believed that progress starts from the top down. Government is doing what they can with the resources available to them, but perhaps being joined by corporate leaders would accelerate national efforts.

As an owner, director or manager of a UK business of any size, it is important to understand just how important it is to lead your company’s efforts toward sustainability. Once you implement a Go Green strategy, it is up to you to ‘practice what you preach.’ It is imperative to understand that you truly are the leader of the pack and where the leader goes, the pack will surely follow.

Provide Transportation Alternatives

Since the primary goal is to reduce carbon emissions, this should start with providing alternatives in transportation. If the majority of your workforce travels by automobile to work every day, perhaps you could subsidise public transport passes to and from your place of employment.

What about building a bike shed to encourage more employees to bike to work? Even this can be accomplished with sustainability in mind because you can have the shed built with all sustainable materials. You can let ClearAmber Shop provide corrugated roofing at low market prices. Bear in mind that a Corrapol PVC Installation with sustainable corrugated roofing would be an example of both a sustainable building and zero-emissions transport. With a Corrapol stormproof structure, employee bikes would be kept safely in all types of weather.

Establish Energy-Saving Procedures

Energy saving procedures in the workplace can go far in reducing our dependence on electricity. Although we have reduced our use of fossil fuels in the production of electricity, the nation is nowhere near its goal of using only alternative sources to power those generating stations.

Set a strict policy of turning everything off when leaving for the night. If you are a manufacturer with 24-hour operations, only the production floor should be powered. All those offices should have lights and electronics off when leaving for the day.

Set Up Recycling Bins

Did you ever stop to think just how many water bottles or soda cans are being disposed of daily at your place of business? One of the things many corporations have begun doing is to setting up recycling bins adjacent to their rubbish bins. This encourages employees to toss their recyclables in the proper receptacle so that they can be taken to the nearest recycling centre.

Use Air-Purifying Plants in Office Décor

This is something that will add a touch of class to your offices whilst also working to purify the internal air that has been depleted of life-sustaining oxygen. Try adding one lovely potted air-purifying plant to each office as well as the reception area of your company. Then assign a team, such as the one mentioned below, to ensure they are watered and fed as needed. Here again, only use natural nutrients to feed those plants because chemicals are a huge part of the damage we are doing to our environment.

Establish a Company Go Green Team

You may already have several employees who are committed to sustainability. Many are already making efforts to live a green lifestyle at home and are probably among the best-informed green activists in your company. Perhaps you could ask for volunteers to form a Go Green Team to help you put many of these suggestions into practice. Let them choose among themselves who they would like to name as team leader.

You might even want to give them an hour or so on the clock once weekly to meet as a team. With the current state of the economy in flux as it is, few might be willing to work off the clock, even for a cause they are committed to. This team will oversee all the efforts already in effect and can help organise a few more as the suggestions come in.

Incentivise a “Go Green” Suggestion Box

Incentivised suggestion boxes have proven to be highly successful in other areas of business operations. Sometimes companies put up boxes in departments for suggestions to increase efficiency and other times suggestion boxes are placed outside of HR for employees to suggest better working conditions or benefits that would help them lead a better quality of life.

With a Go Green team in place and a Go Green Suggestion Box accessible to all employees, it will not be long before more innovations in sustainability are suggested. Some of these will be amazingly creative and these can be ranked and rewarded. For the suggestions that are put into place, those employees could receive some sort of bonus for aiding in the company’s Go Green efforts.

Invest a Portion of Company Profits in Green Infrastructure

One last, but nonetheless equally important, suggestion is to visibly invest a portion of the company’s annual profits in green infrastructure. Bearing in mind that part of what is stalling government efforts in their NetZero programme is a lack of funding. Any form of infrastructure demanding a green alternative could use whatever funding is made available to them.

Perhaps donations could be made to local green activist groups operating as a non-profit organisation. These groups seek to raise public awareness of a growing problem that is not yet being met sufficiently to bring about any real change. Just remember that change really does start at the top, so as your employees see you committed to supporting efforts toward sustainability, you can expect them to follow in your footsteps.

As the company leader, think of yourself as that pebble tossed into a puddle. As you ripple outward, the waves will catch and carry your employees and together you can be that boulder in the ocean bringing about a tidal wave of change.

Climate, Climate Action, Events, News, South Wales

Everyone can take part in the world’s longest ever climate relay on 5th November – and stay at home!

Residents of South Wales, who have already taken part in the world’s longest relay ever attempted, are urging others to get involved in the ‘Running Out of Time – The Global Stage‘. This is a special stage on Saturday 5th November to celebrate the relay’s arrival at COP27 and to help show world leaders at the UN climate change summit, COP27, how strongly the public wants them to take action to combat climate change and not just make more promises.

However, this latest part of the relay lets people get involved where they live!

The Running Out of Time Relay unites thousands of members of the public who are running, cycling and sailing 7,767km/4,826 miles, day and night to deliver a climate action message from young people to world leaders when they gather at COP27 in Egypt. The relay started on September 30th in Glasgow and is travelling through 18 countries before arriving at Sharm el-Sheikh on November 5th for the start of the next UN summit about climate change.

Over 70 local people ran or cycled a 10 km (approx) stretch when the relay passed through Wales, and Swansea and South Wales in particular between Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th October – you can see the full route here. The participants included a running team from the SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre at the University of Swansea which is developing an environmentally friendlier form of concrete, and cycling and running teams from Seagrass Ocean Rescue, an environmental charity working to restore the 92% of seagrass in British waters has been lost in the last century. Seagrass absorbs carbon dioxide at a faster rate than rainforests and, although seagrass occupies just 0.1% of the seabed, it holds onto 11% of the carbon dioxide buried in the ocean.

When it passed through Wales, the relay also visited The Carbon Community in Carmarthenshire, which is carrying out one of the largest field-trials in the UK designed to accelerate and enhance carbon drawdown in trees & soil with nature-based techniques, and The Penpont Project in Powys, the world’s first large-scale, intergenerational nature restoration project and a blueprint for how youth action and conservation can bring change.

They’re now urging more people to support the relay’s climate action message by joining in with the ‘Running Out of Time – The Global Stage’. At 10.00 am on 5th November (or as close to that date as possible), people are being asked to run, walk, cycle, dance or be active in some way for 27 minutes  – on their own or with friends and family. Then to post those pics & selfies tagged with #RunningOutofTime to showcase unity across the world for combating climate change, and to call on world’s leaders to do the same. More information and registration is at Running Out of Time – the Global Stage.

 

Bethan Thomas, one of Seagrass Ocean Rescue’s team commented:

“To combat climate change, we need all of us working together. Project Seagrass were delighted to be invited to take part in a few stages for the Running Out of Time Climate Relay and help get a message across to our global leaders. Everyone now has the chance to get involved with the Global Stage to have their voices heard and help convey the urgency of climate action.”

 

Georgia Bevan, one of SPECIFIC’s team said:

“We’re delighted that SPECIFIC’s low carbon Active Buildings were part of the Climate Relay when it came through Swansea. Several of our staff took part then, and we heartily encourage anyone who couldn’t be there to try the Global Relay. The message that is being carried to the world’s leaders at COP27 is such an important one, and this is a way to add your voice to growing demand for action on climate change. Knowing that you’re running alongside thousands of others from around the world is a great motivation too!”

 

People can also add their names to the message to help to show the strength of feeling the public have for tackling climate change right now rather than just talking about it. The message will be read out at the Ministerial session on climate change and education, and it’s calling on Governments to provide quality education, skills and resources to enable people to tackle climate change where they live and to protect their communities from the worst effects of climate change. People can add their names to the message and help to meet the target of 500,000 signatures here.

 

Climate, Climate Action, News, Sustainability

“ESG pay” for executives reduces companies’ carbon footprints

Companies that include ESG metrics in their executive compensation schemes experience more tangible improvements in their CO2 emissions, research from the University of Mannheim, Business School reveals.

According to Professor Stefan Reichelstein,  Director of the Mannheim Institute for Sustainable energy Studies and Professor of Business Administration at the University of Mannheim, Business School, including ESG criteria among key performance indicators for executives (referred to as “ESG pay”) is also associated with firms receiving more favourable ESG scores from external rating agencies.

The likelihood of firms adopting ESG pay for executives is more common in environmentally burdensome industries and countries with greater sensitivity to ESG-related issues, Reichelstein finds.

At the firm level, the proclivity to introduce ESG pay is associated with large firms that exhibit greater volatility, and increases if a company has already publicly issued environmental commitments.

“By including ESG metrics for activities subject to external costs in executive compensation schemes, owners can credibly convey to the firm’s stakeholders that management’s attention will be drawn to these external effects. In addition to improving the general corporate image, a firm commitment to be ‘ESG conscious’ may strengthen customer loyalty and make the firm’s equity shares more attractive for institutional investor groups,” says Reichelstein.

Though window-dressing activities, where firms don’t want to “walk the talk”, can be difficult to detect in the context of ESG pay, these findings indicate that the majority of ESG pay adopters are not merely engaging in window-dressing.

This research was based on a sample of 4,395 public firms from 21 countries taken from the ISS Executive Compensation Analytics database.

Climate, Education, Education News, News, Sustainability

Students at NEOMA Business School start the new year with a focus on the “Sustainable Transition”

Sustainability and our response to climate change is becoming increasingly urgent. As a result, business schools have a responsibility to give their students a thorough understanding about the complexity of these issues.

This is why, at the start of this academic year, more than 1,000 Master in Management (MiM) students at NEOMA Business School attended a crucial event on “Sustainable Transition”.

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the three-day seminar gave a platform to international experts from a range of fields. Discussions focused on overcoming the challenges that stand in the way of making businesses more sustainable.

Through lectures, interactive sessions, and round table discussions, students were able to benefit from the expertise of scientists and business leaders.

Guest speakers included Dr. Adina Revol, Spokesperson for the European Commission in France, and Jeremie Fosse, Co-founder and President of Eco-Union, an independent think tank on matters of environmental sustainability.

On the third day, students engaged in a simulation exercise, putting concepts discussed on the first two days into practice. Arranged in groups, they had to negotiate and make decisions with a view to keeping global temperatures below a 2oC increase by 2100.

Ultimately, the event was a unique and powerful way for students to further their understanding of how climate change will affect all aspects of society, as expressed by Diana Mangalagiu, Associate Professor at NEOMA and organiser of the event:

“We are confident that the knowledge acquired during this seminar will enable students to take informed positions on the way forward in response to the climate crisis.”

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, 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.

Climate, Food & Drink, Manufacturing, Midlands News, News

Birmingham entrepreneurs emerge from the den with ‘saucy’ £500,000 sales target for eco-friendly product

Two old school friends, who took on high-profile entrepreneurs in the Dragons’ Den twice, are setting their sights on a £500,000 sales return for their new eco-friendly solution to serving up sauce.

Ian Worton and Peter Neath are confident that Saucestream is going to prove a big hit with green-minded consumers after it saw an initial spike in online and Amazon orders.

Backed by the advisory expertise of Haines Watts, the duo is also about to close several major deals with leading homeware retailers to stock their product, which is a simple pump device that clips directly onto glass bottles and makes it easy to get the sauce out with a simple squeeze.

The device was inspired after a chance viewing of David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ documentary and is designed to encourage people to switch from single-use plastic bottles to the more sustainable glass alternatives.

“A few designs here, a few conversations there, prototyping in a garage and before you knew it Saucestream was born,” explained Peter Neath, a former automotive engineer by trade.

“Our product, which is now available in five commonly used bottles of sauces, presses all the right buttons. It is a green solution for individuals to replace plastic bottles with glass ones and still be able to get the same ‘squeezing feel’ that gets all the sauce out.”

He continued: “That’s just the beginning. We are only just starting discussions with restaurant chains about switching to our products and if we can get one of these conversations over the line that could be a real gamechanger.

“Sustainability isn’t going away; it’s only going to grow in importance and hopefully our innovation can play a small part in that.”

Peter and Ian have been supported by Haines Watts for the past seven years, helping them establish and grow their hugely successful Grillstream business, a business that has transformed the way BBQs operate.

The specialist accountant and business advisers have guided the entrepreneurs in securing Patent Box allowances and helping it establish the brand as the second biggest in the UK and a thriving export venture.

In recent years, the attention has switched to how they fund and get Saucestream off the ground quickly to make the most of the market opportunity.

Ian Worton continued: “Haines Watts just got our business straight away and understood our personalities, which are big drivers in Grillstream and Saucestream. As owner-managers your day is full of getting stuff done, from the core design and development work to trying to work out how the hell you are going to sell it.

“The last thing you need to try to do is try to understand the world of finance and all the different tax incentives and funding routes we could embark on. We just needed someone to step forward and take control of that.”

This is exactly what Haines Watts has done, firstly completing the Patent Box application on both products and, more recently, securing more than £20,000 of R&D Tax savings that the entrepreneurs have put towards development and tooling costs to get Saucestream up and running.

It has also ensured that both firms have moved to digital accounting, installing Zero software to help with stock management and to give everyone greater visibility on purchases, sales, investments, and future opportunities.

Haines Watts’ Daniel Montgomery picked up the story: “Peter and Ian are two fantastic innovators and have a track record of bringing new products to market successfully. We’ve started with compliance and making the business more efficient, and we’ve then used the expertise of our pan-regional teams to maximise Patent Box, R&D Tax Credits and, more recently, postponed VAT accounting.

“The latter is important as there is a lot of up-front costs associated with manufacturing products for sale and then a lag in the time it takes to sell the units and recoup the revenue. We can ease some of the pain with this clever approach to VAT.”

History has a habit of repeating itself and the duo lived up to this mantra when they became the first entrepreneurs to return to Dragons’ Den with a different offer in 2022.

This time, they managed to attract three offers from Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and newcomer Steven Bartlett, all keen to maximise the sustainable opportunity Saucestream could deliver.

However, despite this interest, negotiations are still ongoing on how this deal will look, so for now the entrepreneurs are going it alone.