General
Published: June 18, 2024 | Updated: 18th June 2024
Sustainability is as much a local issue as it is a global one.
While governments set targets around carbon neutrality and net zero, people, businesses and organisations at a local level have a massive part to play in reaching those targets.
These issues were top of the agenda at the most recent Hampshire Biz Roundtable, held at Barratt David Wilson Homes Southampton’s offices, where participants discussed what businesses can do to build a sustainable economy in the region, turning green practices into economic strength.
Helping to shape the conversation were:
Discussion in brief:
Hybrid working and going paperless, like Farnborough Airport’s net zero commitment by 2030 with electric vehicles and solar panels, were noted as important initiatives.
Attendees stressed the need for stable, consistent regulations and clear directives like MEES. Initiatives such as LoCASE had significant positive impacts.
Improving existing processes is crucial. Examples include BDW’s use of tarpaulins to reduce waste transport weight and Farnborough Airport’s focus on Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
The importance of education and raising awareness about sustainability were noted, with initiatives like BDW Southampton’s school outreach programs.
Leadership by example is key to fostering a sustainable company culture, as demonstrated by Barratt’s alignment between executive actions and company values.
Successful practices from organizations like Portsmouth Council’s extensive solar panel use and Hobbs the Printers’ decarbonized supply chain were highlighted.
Sustainability and Net Zero Goals
To start, attendees discussed their own sustainability and net zero goals.
Andrea pointed to the move to hybrid working and the commuter traffic which that has taken off the road. She also spoke about the move to digital which started during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Andrea Todorov, Lewis Brownlee
‘Covid forced us paperless and we haven’t gone back’, she explained.
Later in the discussion, she raised an initiative Lewis Brownlee ran called ‘Treemendous’ which saw the accountancy firm planting a tree for every client which chose to go paperless.
Robin then spoke about how the Science Park is focusing in particular on energy usage, and is looking at installing solar panels across the park.
He also pointed to the initiatives they’re already taking at the on-site coffee shop to use recyclable cups and packaging.
While Absolar are heavily focused on sustainability, Nic pointed at challenges in the supply chain, with most of its stock coming from the far east.
James then explained Barratt’s ‘Building Sustainably Framework’.
James Dunne, Barratt David Wilson Homes Southampton
“It’s three pillars – people, place and nature – shape our whole approach,” he said.
“From a nature angle it’s about looking at our use of resources and how we can reduce our impact on the environment.
“Waste reduction is also huge and we’re continually pushing our targets in that area.
“Ultimately, we’re on a journey to delivering net zero homes by 2030.”
Farnborough Airport is aiming to be a global sustainability showcase for other airports.
“We’ve committed to going Net Zero by 2030 or sooner,” Mark explained.
“We’ve replaced all of our fleet with electric vehicles or those running HVO fuel and we’ve got a new solar project on the roofs of all our hangars and the hotel we own which is going to generate around 25 percent of all the power we use.”
Megan then pointed to how BDW Southampton is using outreach to schools to bring in a skill force from the ground up which already understands the importance of sustainability, going on to explain how the business is working to be almost completely paperless in its customer journey.
The Role of Government
One of the first topics attendees discussed was the role of government in supporting sustainability initiatives.
There was broad agreement that, more than anything else, businesses crave stability and consistency.
James referenced the industry moving to adopt the 2023 building regulations, which would provide some stability around the future homes trajectory.
He said: “That’s now been authorized for a judicial review following a challenge from environmental campaigners saying that every local authority should be able to set their own standards.
“We’ve tried to get some consistency in approach so we can move the whole industry together – so we can invest in renewable technology at scale, test it on sites, then work out the best way forward and give manufacturers some stability
“But if the challenge is successful we’ll be back to the realms of local authorities setting their own standards independently, which, when you work across 17 different local authorities, creates a lot of instability.”
Both Robin and Nic highlighted the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) as an example, which would force landlords to raise the energy efficiency of buildings, with Robin explaining that, despite the timeframe on those regulations potentially being pushed back, the Science Park is planning to move forward regardless.
Robin Chave, University of Southampton Science Park (L), with Nic Cory, Absolar (R)
Nic then explained how the clear direction offered by initiatives such as MEES was effective in showing businesses the path they should be taking, arguing that sometimes its that clear direction which is needed more than a collaborative approach.
A number of guests said that governmental support and initiatives had subsided recently, with either focus being moved to other areas or leaving the EU meaning that funding had been taken away and not replaced.
Nic pointed to LoCASE, a scheme led by Kent County Council which was adopted across much of the South, which offered grants of up to £20,000 which businesses could apply for to undertake sustainable activities.
He said: “It was a relatively small amount, but businesses loved it and would go out and look for investment opportunities of £100,000 and more, because they felt there was a reason to do so.”
Andrea noted that tax incentives are often a good way of pushing businesses in particular directions but said: “recently we haven’t seen any new initiatives in terms of green tax incentives.”
“Research and Development claims have been pulled back which reduces the incentive to be innovative which would contribute to a green economy.”
Technology
When discussing the future of sustainability, we’re often looking for the next technology or gadget to which will reduce carbon emissions.
Both James and Mark spoke on their aims to use more sustainable fuels, with BDW cutting a third of the diesel used in its forklifts by adopting HVO fuel, and Farnborough Airport looking to lead the way in Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
However, a regular theme from the discussion was the strength in looking at existing processes to find ways to cut emissions.
James explained how BDW had turned to tarpaulins in a bid to cut the weight of waste being transported by road.
He said: “One of the key things for us is the amount of weight we transport around the country as water in skips from rain.”
“At a meeting for our site managers, they were shown a video of one of those skips being emptied out in the waste centre with water all gushing over the floor and you could see in the room how much it surprised them.”
“Off the back of that we rolled out these heavy-duty tarpaulins. We were already using them but they weren’t consistent enough. Showing them the video as we rolled out the new ones has made a massive difference.”
“The key is to look at your existing processes. Quite often we’re looking for silver bullets or new things to invent but actually fixing your existing problems can go a long way.”
Education and Social Mobility
Intrinsic to this explanation was the role of education, with participants agreeing on the importance of bringing in the next generation of talent, bringing together ideas around with training people on the needs of the future with the importance of offering chances for social mobility.
Mark said that Farnborough Airport would like to partner with a local college to bring through apprentices and launch a number of programmes to raise aspirations.
Mark Sanderson, Farnborough Airport
“You’ve got pockets of Aldershot and Farnborough which are among the most impoverished ten percent in the UK,” he explained.
“Often, kids might say they want to be something like a cleaner, which there’s nothing wrong with, but when you ask them why it’s because mum’s a cleaner, grandma’s a cleaner, so they’re going to be a cleaner.
“We want to show them the variety of roles available at the airport, and the different pathways available to them.
“If you want to be a doctor or an engineer, you need a degree, but for a lot of jobs a bit of personality and willing goes a long way.”
Megan then explained the problems the construction sector faces with a lack of awareness.
Megan Hamlyn, Barratt David Wilson Homes Southampton (Centre)
She said: “ There’s a stigma in construction in that people think you just build houses. It’s always interesting to see the response from students when they realise there’s so much more to it.”
James agreed, saying: “It’s trying to demonstrate the social mobility opportunity in our sector, because it is significant.
“A bit of personality and common sense goes a long way, and we’re always looking to identify the individuals which have that.
“We’re looking for those that really want to get somewhere in life, but because of their upbringing they’re starting on quite a low rung of the ladder.
“As an example, our top award winning site manager comes from one of the most deprived local areas, but through that self-belief and desire to do better for himself he’s propelled himself up.
“So that social mobility piece for our sector is hugely important, as is getting that message across to the parents as well as the children.
“There’s a vast array of opportunities, whether it’s marketing, engineering, architecture, so on and so forth, there’s a broad range of skills needed in our sector.”
Company Culture
Looking towards company culture, the table was then asked about how, once you’ve found the right people, you get them to adopt the right practices.
Robin highlighted the importance of leading by example, using an example from Absolar which saw the business planting a tree to offset the carbon footprint of taking on four interns for the summer.
Nic picked up this thread, explaining: “Planting the tree was to offset the residual carbon after we’d done everything before in terms of car sharing and other measures.
“It was about showing them that there’s going to be some element that you can’t do, so we’ll find another way to do it, and planting the tree was that option.”
James used the example of Barratt’s Chief Executive, David Thomas.
He said: “Every time he stands up and speaks, every time he sends a message to the business, you know there’s alignment between what he’s saying and doing. And when people see that they understand.
“You can communicate purpose and values until the cows come home, but if you don’t live them then people will see the misalignment and think that, when it comes to it, a shortcut is good enough. So leadership and culture is absolutely paramount.”
Positive Examples
To close the discussion, participants were asked about examples of other businesses or organisations they felt were doing a particularly good job in adopting sustainable practices.
Robin said: “There’s a company called Power Quad, who are trying to replace little generators with electrical battery solutions.
“They replace those generators which, for example, run stalls at fairs.”
Nic noted the work done by the Solent Cluster: “It’s a really good example of convening a huge amount of stakeholders and getting them on to a good basis of what we should do.
“The only negative, perhaps, is that it’s quite a grand vision. It’s very good for the big players, but for SMEs and smaller companies the vision is less clear.
“The clients we see that are doing it best are measuring everything, and that tends to be where the most successes are. There’s a business in Totton, Hobbs the Printers, which are among the oldest in Southampton, if not Hampshire.
“Their real drive is to be a sustainable printers. Acknowledging the fact that there is a drive to reduce printing in line with sustainability, but actually some sectors, like education, still need print.
“They’re on quite a warpath to make sure their supply chain is as decarbonised as possible, being EcoVadis Gold rated, which requires rigorous measurement, and a carbon-balanced printer. There’s solar PV on the roof as you would expect given the energy requirement.
“I would also bring up Portsmouth Council. I think they really are leaders in terms of their sustainability practices and how they push that into the local community, and it’s really down to the fact they recognise it as a business opportunity.
“They realised they could invest into it and get returns, generating profit which is then reinvested.
“If you look at a Google Earth view of Portsmouth, it’s covered in solar panels, and that’s down to one team in the council that really drove that forward. “
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