“We want to deal only with more responsible suppliers as it helps our reputation: and more sustainable suppliers are usually lower waste suppliers, and more competitive,” he said.
UU is participating in the Achilles carbon reduction programme that allows suppliers to measure, manage, and reduce their organisational footprint via CEMARS (Certified Emissions Management and Reduction Scheme).
Under the CEMARS scheme, suppliers pay an annual subscription fee to have access to an online tool for gathering, calculating, and managing data on greenhouse gas emissions.
This data is collated in an Emissions Inventory Report used to produce a Management and Reduction Plan. An audit validates the information to give the supplier certification.
The carbon reduction programme is deployed through Achilles’ collaborative industry model. The Achilles carbon reduction scheme was developed initially for utilities but will extend to other sectors.
The scheme means that companies can see that suppliers are taking an active role in reducing their carbon footprint.
The driver for carbon measurement is the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). Government has forced businesses to take a closer look at energy use and wastage by placing a mandatory cap on carbon emissions of large public and private organisations through a trading scheme starting next April.