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The Waterside campus will have 100% of its heating and hot water needs served by the new energy centre by using woodchip biomass and gas

In practice: University of Northampton's onsite biomass energy centre

A state-of-the-art new campus at the University of Northampton has embraced a renewable energy solution through a £6.5m energy centre which incorporates woodchip biomass boilers and a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

For Rabinovitch, science-based targets helped to strengthen the business case for the new sustainability strategy

Building the story: How Mars got boardroom buy-in for its $1bn sustainability strategy

As Mars unveils a new corporate strategy to reduce emissions by 67% by 2050, edie's senior reporter Matt Mace speaks to the company's global director of sustainability Kevin Rabinovitch, to discuss how his team secured a $1bn backing from the company's chief executive.

Stora Enso expects two-thirds of energy consumption at its mills to come from biomass derived from burning wood bark

In practice: Stora Enso's cost-effective move to champion cross laminated timber

A new multi-million-euro investment looks set to transform packaging firm Stora Enso into a renewable materials company and the largest global producer of a low environmental impact timber solution to replace steel and concrete in construction projects.

More than 270 million plastic water bottles have been given a new life in Timberland footwear

A greener footprint: How Timberland's boots ignited a decade of circular economy progress

As Timberland celebrates the 10th anniversary of its EarthKeeper product range which utilises recycled plastic, edie catches up with the outdoor clothing retailer's sustainability director Colleen Vien, who explains how a decade of continual improvements has put the firm on track to achieving the circular business model.

The engagement drive means that, as of 2016, 98% of Edinburgh's waste is diverted from landfill - a “huge increase” on 2015 levels

In practice: Edinburgh Zoo's behaviour change drive to increase recycling

Attracting more than half a million visitors each year, Edinburgh Zoo has a significant opportunity to engage consumers on sustainability at a large scale. Here, edie charts an award-winning behaviour change drive which has helped the attraction divert 98% of its waste away from landfill.

Bywaters has reduced its carbon emissions by around 45% and saved more than 640 tonnes of CO2 since February 2016

In practice: London's largest solar retrofit project

Waste management firm Bywaters has dramatically reduced its energy usage and achieved near self-sufficiency following the delivery of a 1MW solar retrofit project at its plant in East London.

Smurfit Kappa's €134m (£120m) investment in new technologies at its Nettingsdorf Paper Mill will significantly reduce emissions while increasing production output

In practice: Smurfit Kappa's £120m onsite sustainability drive

With one eye on a key carbon reduction goal for 2020, paper-based packaging company Smurfit Kappa recently undertook a multi-million-euro investment into new boiler and steam turbine systems at one of its major manufacturing facilities in Austria which will significantly reduce emissions.

The low-carbon systems utilised throughout the facility have resulted in a 45% reduction in energy use compared to an industry-standard data centre

In practice: Capgemini's carbon-cutting Merlin data centre

With data centres accounting for 40% of Capgemini's total emissions and 70% of energy use, IT consulting firm's decision to develop an ultra-sustainable, energy-efficient data centre has driven great results, helping to push the company beyond a carbon goal one year ahead of schedule.

The £50m Bermondsey Dive Under project required a collaborative approach between client, designers and contractors

In practice: Network Rail's Bermondsey Dive Under biodiversity project

Network Rail's infrastructure project received CEEQUAL Excellent Whole Team Award of 96.6%, having increased biodiversity in the area by 113%. The score is currently the highest that has been achieved by a completed project on the £7bn Thameslink expansion programme.

Brewing for the future: How MillerCoors slashed its water footprint through supplier engagement

A supply chain management philosophy built on engagement over enforcement enabled brewer MillerCoors to reduce its water footprint by 17% last year. Here, Matt Mace investigates how the firm has been galvanising the farmer community to create resilient, future-proofed beer supply chains.

Satellite company Inmarsat, telecomms equipment supplier Ericsson, and technology firm Intel have together created new blueprints that foster sustainable innovation among Kigali's residents

Test bed: Turning Kigali into Africa's smart cities hub

edie investigates the green business potential of breakthrough technologies and innovations in this new series of 'test bed' case studies. Up next: a look at how a new public-private partnership is using the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform the Rwandan capital of Kigali into a connected smart city that champions sustainable agriculture and water management.

The apartments at 119 Ebury Street apartments offer a number of benefits to residents including lower energy bills, improved indoor air quality and better sound-proofing

In practice: Grosvenor's highly sustainable redevelopment of a heritage building

Grosvenor Britain & Ireland's building project at 119 Ebury Street, Belgravia, is the UK's first listed building to achieve BREEAM 'Outstanding', utilising a range of low-carbon technologies that significantly reduce the site's environmental footprint.

The transition to a circular economy has the destination mapped out, but the journey is far less clear cut

Circular trailblazers: Mapping the journey to a closed-loop business model

As waste and resource scarcity issues have an increasing impact on supply chains across the world, edie explores how two circular economy leaders - HP and Philips - are continuing to navigate a complex minefield of challenges in their mission to drive a global resource revolution.

Twelve industry experts came together in London to discuss how a sustainability report can effectively produced and disseminated to build trust and maximise engagement

Sustainability reporting: 10 steps to build trust and increase engagement

Sustainability and corporate responsibility managers from a range of businesses across the country recently gathered in London for an exclusive roundtable hosted by edie and DNV GL, which explored the steps required to take sustainability reporting onto the next level.

Players of The Big Catch game are asked educational questions, teaching them key facts about our oceans and plastic pollution

We Are the Oceans: a new way to educate consumers on plastic waste

As sustainability practitioners search for new ways to drive consumer engagement, edie's Matt Mace hears from the 23-year-old founder of a new campaign group which is utilising music, video games and social media campaigns to capture the hearts and minds of millennials in tackling the issue of ocean plastic waste.

Coffee cups, lids and coffee grounds generated by over 300 shops, bars and restaurants across the 12-acre Canary Wharf Estate are now recycled through the use of designated bins

In practice: Canary Wharf Group's closed-loop Clean Coffee Zone

With the Canary Wharf Estate welcoming almost a million visitors every week, site owner Canary Wharf Group has seized upon an opportunity to ignite a resource revolution. Through the creation of closed-loop 'Clean Coffee Zone', coffee-related waste is now recycled and turned into new resources.

sustainability and energy management experts from manufacturing firms across the country came together to discuss the potential solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the sector

Sustainable manufacturing roundtable: Turning challenges into opportunities

Sustainability and energy management experts from some of the world's biggest businesses recently gathered in London for an exclusive roundtable hosted by edie and British Gas, to explore the role of the manufacturing sector in shaping the future of energy.

From CFO to CSR: Christine Hodgson's move from finance to CSR has given her a unique insight into how to secure buy-in for sustainability projects

Bridging the gap: How Capgemini's new CSR head has gained valuable insight into boardroom buy-in

EXCLUSIVE: Global IT consultancy Capgemini has appointed its former chief financial officer, Christine Hodgson, as its head of group corporate social responsibility. edie took the opportunity to sit down with the new promotee to discuss the key challenge of securing funding for sustainability projects.

PwC's central London office, which was recently refurbished to BREEAM 'outstanding' standards. Photo: PwC

In practice: PwC's new programme to drive responsible technology

With technological advances having an unprecedented impact on business operations, accountancy firm PwC has published a new responsible technology policy, setting out commitments and actions to ensure society can reap the benefits of the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'.

Many businesses already utilising fleet management and telematics technology have reported fuel savings of as much as two gallons per vehicle per day

Driving change: How can businesses increase efficiency for a greener fleet?

Whether it's the rollout of electric vehicles (EVs), the use of telematics, or the strategic positioning of distribution centres, there is now a multitude of options available to businesses looking to reduce fleet emissions. But which is the best route to take? edie's George Ogleby investigates.

Until now, landfill or burning were the only options for disposing of MDF, but MDF Recovery has developed a novel, proprietary process to recover wood fibre from the material

Test bed: Scaling up a world-first recycling solution for MDF

edie investigates the green business potential of breakthrough technologies and innovations in this new series of 'test bed' case studies. First up: a look at a world-first solution that creates a secondary material from recycled MDF boards, generating zero waste in the process.

Two-thirds of the world’s largest companies are reporting that exposure to water-related risks could generate a “substantive change” in business operations and revenues

Oceans apart: Why businesses need to embed water efficiency across departments

With water availability declining as energy demand rises, some of the private sector's leading lights on water management believe now is the time for businesses to embed holistic water stewardship programmes that capture the interests of other departments. edie's Matt Mace investigates.

As the City Football business has grown, so too has the campus and its subsequent energy use

Greening the game: How Man City FC has put sustainability at the heart of its journey to the top

On the back of Manchester City Football Club partnering with an energy storage company, edie takes a closer look at how the club has incorporated sustainable business practices into its multi-billion pound transformation, in line with its rise up the Premier League table.

A capitalist agenda based on unbound profitability is being challenged by a new wave of economies focused on sustainable and responsible growth

Sustainability megatrends: Realising the business case for sustainable economic growth

edie's series of exclusive thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends culminates with New Climate Economy's programme director Helen Mountford exploring how businesses and governments are developing more sustainable models of economic growth that are fit for the future.

The skyline of Istanbul, Turkey - a nation that is currently 73% urbanised and projected to be 80% urbanised by 2030

Sustainability megatrends: Urbanisation, smart cities and the future of green business

edie's series of exclusive thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends continues with PwC's director of cities and urbanisation, Dan Dowling, exploring how urbanisation and smart city growth can be a powerful force for sustainable development and shared prosperity, if it's managed correctly.

The world is facing demographic and social transformations that will have profound implications both locally and globally, posing significant challenges for governments and businesses

Sustainability megatrends: The ever-changing landscape of population growth and social change

Next in edie's series of thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends, Carillion's chief sustainability officer David Picton explores how businesses can adapt to the increasing challenges of demographic and social change at a time when populations are continuing to rise and people in all regions are living longer.

The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an inquiry into the impacts of coffee cups and plastics bottles

Wake up and smell the coffee: our shared responsibility to manage food and drink packaging waste

As edie's Resource Management month draws to a close, circular economy experts Libby Sandbrook (BITC) and Debbie Hitchen (Anthesis) explore the challenges and opportunities behind two of the most talked-about packaging waste issues of our generation: coffee cups and plastic bottles.

Silver lining: Businesses are switching back-end systems such as CRM, data and email servers to the cloud, which is leading to significant emissions reductions

Sustainability megatrends: The unstoppable force of technology and innovation

Continuing edie's series of thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends, techUK's head of environment and compliance Susanne Baker discusses the importance of harnessing green innovations and technological breakthroughs to deliver a cleaner and more efficient world.

From autinomous drones to virtual reality experiences, the sheer pace and acceleration of technological advances is having a huge impact on sustainable business

Sustainability megatrends: technological innovations for the earth

Continuing edie's series of thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends, PwC's sustainability and climate Change partner Celine Herweijer explores how green innovations and technological breakthroughs are driving the fourth Industrial Revolution.

The UK will be obliged to give effect to the Package for as long as it remains in the EU

Circular Economy Package: Everything you need to know

In light of the European Parliament's decision to reinforce more ambitious recycling targets within the long-awaited Circular Economy Package, edie takes a detailed look at how the proposed measures could affect businesses, especially in light of the UK's imminent departure from the European Union (EU).

Stairway to success: Further education and support to articulate the benefits of the circular economy is required to encourage widespread adoption

Thinking circular: applying an effective closed-loop model

Ahead of her appearance at edie Live 2017 in May, circular economy expert Catherine Joce explores what it takes to deliver a successful closed-loop product or service, drawing on real-life examples of businesses that are driving the resource revolution.

Of the 17 hottest years ever recorded, 16 have now occurred since 2000, and scientists expect this pattern to continue

Sustainability megatrends: It's time for business to collaborate on climate change

Continuing edie's new megatrends series of thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends, World Resources Institute's Eliot Metzger and Moushumi Chaudhury explore how businesses are dealing with the widespread effects of climate change.

A CGI image of Heathrow's planned expansion to a third runway, which will make the airport the UK’s largest source of carbon emissions

Inside Heathrow 2.0: a flight path towards true sustainability leadership

Heathrow has just unveiled a sustainability strategy that could prove a game-changer for sustainable aviation. But does it make the airport's controversial expansion worthwhile? edie editor Luke Nicholls sits down with the firm's director of sustainability and executive director of expansion to find out.

Defra’s long-awaited 25-Year Environment Plan has been delayed by the BRexit vote, leaving uncertainty as to whether environmental protections provided by the EU will be maintained

Five green policy priorities to stop Brexit ruining our environment

From the delivery of an ambitious 25-Year Environment Plan to the avoidance of ineffective 'zombie legislation', Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) executive director Matthew Farrow outlines the key steps that must be taken by the Government to ensure Britain's exit from the EU will not have a negative impact on our environment.

From dangerous levels of pollution to unpredictable rain patterns and drought, the impacts of climate change already being felt, but solutions are available

edie explores sustainability megatrends: Part 1 - Climate change

Kicking off edie's new series of thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends. The Climate Group's corporate partnerships director Mike Peirce explores how climate change is radically changing the way we do business.

An increasung number of companies are now experimenting with various new technologies and media platforms to push their sustainability strategies to wider audiences

Captivating CSR: How to produce an engaging sustainability report

Ahead of edie's Smarter Sustainability Reporting conference, Matt Mace investigates how companies are going beyond compliance with their reports to drive engagement on a range of CSR issues among key stakeholders.

Businesses with one eye on the horizon are turning to new methods to drive home their sustainability message in a way the CSR reports and glowing PR stories can’t

Engagement evolution: 6 exciting trends directing the future of sustainability communications

As edie's engagement month of editorial content rolls on, we round-up some of the latest techniques and platforms businesses are using to drive sustainability engagement among internal and external stakeholders.

UK households binned £13bn worth of food in 2015 that could have been eaten, despite the efforts of retailers to crack down on the issue

Consumer engagement: Fitting the final piece of the food waste puzzle

With edie's engagement month in full swing, George Ogleby investigates one of the biggest challenges facing Britain's circular economy transition: consumer engagement on food waste.

PwC currently recycles or reuses around 85% of the waste it produces, generating £500,000 for the firm annually in the process

Going Circular: PwC's staff engagement success story

As part of edie's engagement month of editorial content, Matt Mace takes a closer look at the innovative behaviour change approaches being adopted by PwC as the professional services firm seeks to mobilise waste reduction efforts of thousands of staff members to deliver a closed-loop organisation.

David Bent chaired edie's 2017 Sustainability Leaders Forum at the Business Design Centre in London on 25-26 January

In shocking times, corporate sustainability needs to pivot

Fresh from chairing edie's Sustainability Leaders Forum last week, sustainable business advisor David Bent shares his three key insights from the event, which brought together ambitious professionals to discuss transformational change.

edie has compiled a list of 10 top tips to change the behaviours of employees when it comes to energy efficiency, based on practical business examples

Energy efficiency: What does it take to change behaviours?

Aligning corporate energy reduction targets with individuals' motivations and behaviours can drive significant savings, but is incredibly difficult. Kicking off edie's engagement month of editorial content, we investigate how energy managers can get the rest of their organisation on board with his or her efficiency strategy and effect real change.

New policies, accelerated deployment of infrastructure, and digitisation will all play major roles in the UK's escalating air quality battle

How innovation can provide a breath of fresh air for the UK's pollution woes

As part of edie's innovation month of editorial content, Matt Mace turns the spotlight to air quality, speaking with experts, innovators and incumbents about how innovation and new technology can alleviate spiralling pollution levels across the country.

Fuel-cell vehicles can run up to five times longer than the all-EV counterparts, but the technlogy has struggled to leave an impression among consumers due to cost factors

Fuel for thought: Will 2017 be the year of the zero-emission fuel-cell vehicle?

Low-carbon energy and sustainable transport are becoming evermore intertwined as new green technologies emerge and become more affordable to the masses. But as the sectors move ahead with innovative battery and electrification plans, they could be missing out on a growing fuel cell market, writes Matt Mace.

While low in emissions intensity, sugary food and drink products are relatively resource-intensive at every stage in the supply chain

Sweet success? How the sugar tax will impact Britain's low-carbon commitments

Many of us will have made a healthy New Year's resolution, often tailored to running off a Christmas dinner or two and reducing the amount of sugar in our diets. In light of the UK's upcoming sugar tax, what impact could a sugar-reduced diet have on the environment and the sustainability of big food retailers?

edie spoke to E.ON Energy Solution’s strategic account manager John Walsh, who explained what frameworks and technologies will forge the path for energy efficiency

Energy efficiency: Forging the path from compliance to competitive edge

Transforming an organisation's energy management approach from 'tick-box activity' to 'money-generating competitive edge' is easier said than done. But for E.ON Energy Solutions strategic account manager John Walsh, climbing up the pyramid is a worthwhile journey if you get it right.

Carlsberg's sustainability director Simon Boas Hoffmeyer says the global feeling around sustainability is now more positive than ever

Meet the Sustainability Leader: Carlsberg's Simon Boas Hoffmeyer

As part of edie's sustainability leadership month for editorial content, we speak with Carlsberg's sustainability director Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, who discusses his inspiring journey to becoming a sustainability leader. Here's a full transcript of our discussion, in full.

Aiming high: Being an SME has obvious downsides in terms of scale and access to markets, but if you can be quick to learn and change, those downsides become strengths

Big ambitions: How SME's can become sustainability leaders

Next up in the series of contributed articles for edie's Sustainability Leadership Month, Andy Wood, chief executive of Suffolk-based brewer and distiller Adnams, outlines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can incorporate sustainability in their business agenda.

Disruption will come partly through the need to avoid runaway climate change, and partly through the increasingly urgent need to reinvent capitalism

Disrupt or die: Preparing for the next generation of sustainability

edie's Sustainability Leadership month continues, and today it's Forum for the Future founder-director Jonathon Porritt's turn to pen an exclusive thought leadership opinion piece, offering an eye-opening insight into the future of corporate sustainability.

True sustainability leaders never stop learning, adapting, disrupting – but they do it in a way that takes others with them

Hidden heroes: Identifying the leaders of the green industrial revolution

As part of edie's sustainability leadership month, Marks & Spencer's (M&S) director of sustainable business Mike Barry has penned this exclusive opinion piece, underlining the importance of adopting a leadership approach to green business against a turbulent political backdrop.

The situation is balanced on a knife edge. We must come up with clear action plans and turn top-line guidance into a real framework for collective action

Climate action in a post-Trump world: game over or business as usual?

As part of edie's Sustainability Leadership Month of editorial content, Grosvenor's group sustainability director Kate Brown has penned this exclusive opinion piece, explaining the need for businesses to develop clear action plans and drive forward with sustainability leadership, regardless of the turbulent political backdrop.

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