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Meet the Sustainability Leader: Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change - Scottish Power
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change Award, Scottish Power.

Meet the Sustainability Leader: Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change - Scottish Power
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change Award, Scottish Power.

Sustainability Leaders Forum: Five top tips for turning climate ambition into action
With the dust settling on three days of thought-provoking conversations at edie's Sustainability Leaders Forum (SLF), edie rounds up how businesses can make 2021 a super year for climate action, which turns ambition into action for corporate sustainability.

Jump: Sustainability engagement schemes prevent 4,200 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2020
One of the UK's biggest sustainability engagement schemes captured three million positive changes from employees and students during 2020, which collectively mitigated 4,200 tonnes of CO2e emissions.

Costa Coffee expands food waste prevention services across UK
Costa Coffee is expanding a partnership with an anti-food-waste app to offer customers the chance to purchase surplus food from more than 1,100 stores across the UK, having saved 250 tonnes of carbon emissions through the existing collaboration.

Waitrose Unpacked: Supermarket unveils next steps for plastic-busting refill scheme
After trials of packaging-free, refillable products proved popular with shoppers and reduced the supermarket's plastic footprint, Waitrose & Partners is planning to make the format easier to use - and to roll it out to more stores in future.

Five ways to ignite behavior change on energy use
This report showcases the output of edie's SPARK! event, where expert energy professionals from a range of sectors shared experiences driving engagement to change behaviours around energy use.

University of Strathclyde students and staff complete 15,000 sustainable behaviour change activities
Students and staff at the University of Strathclyde have collectively completed more than 15,000 actions designed to reduce waste and emissions since 2019.

P&G and Electrolux among corporate members of major new water security alliance
Businesses including Procter & Gamble (P&G), Electrolux and Suez have joined a new initiative aimed at uniting the private, public and third sectors with policymakers in a collective drive to tackle water scarcity.

What makes a sustainability leader? Meet consumer engagement champions City to Sea
With the 2021 Sustainability Leaders Awards entry deadline approaching, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2020 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Consumer Engagement Campaign of the Year: City to Sea.

Fighting food waste and engaging one billion people on climate change: The sustainability success stories of the week
As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.

What makes a sustainability leader? A look at award-winning consultancy, Given London
With the 2021 Sustainability Leaders Awards entry deadline approaching, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2020 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winners of our Consultancy of the Year, Given London.

Food and retail giants to collaborate on government-backed scheme to reduce food waste
Some of the UK's largest retailers and food manufacturers, including Unilever, M&S, Nestlé and Amazon are collaborating to deliver a new network of "food waste champions" to help reduce the amount of food waste produced by the sectors.

University of Exeter launches sustainability behaviour change scheme in drive towards net-zero
The University of Exeter has launched sustainable behaviour change scheme Green Rewards for its staff and students, as part of its vision to become a net-zero organisation by 2040.

The Sustainability Reporting and Communications Handbook 2020
Updated in September 2020, the Sustainability Reporting and Communications Handbook provides expert advice on engaging key stakeholders with your sustainability strategy; along with fresh insights to shape, deliver and share a compelling sustainability report.

The 'Sustainability Innovators' mindset
What is the right mindset for sustainability innovation? This blog introduces four characteristics to help innovators adopt the right mentality and approach for a sustainable future.

Boris Johnson unveils £2bn boost for walking and cycling infrastructure
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched a £2bn package aimed at incentivising walking and cycling as the UK lockdown eases.

Three-quarters of UK businesses 'reconsidering their environmental credentials due to Covid-19'
In a survey of 500 UK-based business decision-makers, almost three-quarters (72%) said that the pandemic has made them reconsider the environmental credentials of their organisation.

Climate Assembly: 79% of Brits want Covid-19 recovery package tied to net-zero
A survey of the members of the UK's Climate Assembly, who were chosen to resemble the national population in terms of both social demographics and views on environmental issues, found that almost eight in ten want net-zero alignment embedded in all facets of the upcoming Covid-19 recovery package.

Net-zero must be at the heart of the business response to restoring the health of nature
World Environment Day 2020 aims to trigger action to protect and restore the health of nature around the world. This couldn't be more timely. Whilst evidence abounds showing that nature is bouncing back due to less human activity resulting from Covid 19, the statistics are still alarming.

Coffee shops sign up to post-lockdown reusable cup platform
Coffee shops from the likes of Costa and Boston Tea Party that are reopening across the UK are signing up to a new best-practice trial on accepting reusable coffee cups in a safe manner.

Business Barometer: Energy managers focused on data and technology for low-carbon plans
EXCLUSIVE: Energy managers are hoping to focus on data optimisation and smart technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to accelerate low-carbon plans, although financials barriers do remain, according to edie's new barometer survey report, published today (20 May).

Today at 1pm: edie's Net-Zero Carbon online event
Former UK Energy Minister Lord Greg Barker, sustainability professionals from UPS and Skanska and the chief executives of green trade associations have all been confirmed to appear on edie's Net-Zero Carbon online event today (20 May).

Report: UK manufacturers boosting profits by focusing on energy efficiency
UK manufacturers that have taken steps to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise operations are reaping benefits, with 40% reporting increased profit margins and 30% experiencing increased competitiveness.

Seven top tips to engage on sustainability during a global pandemic
edie recently hosted an afternoon of back-to-back online events exploring best-practice advice into communicating, engaging and reporting on sustainability. Against a backdrop of a global pandemic, panellists outlined their thoughts on how businesses can keep sustainability high up the corporate agenda.

Ten sustainability signals for the new normal
While the overriding requirements for sustainability do not change as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new priorities have emerged with implications for both action and communications.

#SustyTalk: Bournemouth University's Neil Smith on sustainable behaviour change during lockdown
edie's #SustyTalk interview series continues with Bournemouth University's sustainability manager Neil Smith discussing how he has adapted a university-wide sustainable behaviour change scheme to account for home working and how the organisation is explaining its net-zero target.

Study: Climate-wrecking products 'should come with smoking-style warnings'
Cigarette packets with grisly warnings of the consequences of smoking are intended to deter smokers. Now a group of public health experts says similar warnings should appear on high-carbon products, from airline tickets and energy bills to petrol pumps, to show consumers the health impacts of the climate crisis.

Earth Hour went digital amid coronavirus pandemic - but still broke records
Businesses, governments and individuals in a record-breaking 190 nations took part in this year's Earth Day, despite the event having to be moved online amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Government presses forward with plan to align 'every single mode of transport' with net-zero
The Department for Transport (DfT) has said it is on track to deliver a policy roadmap for decarbonising "every single mode of transport" in line with the UK's 2050 net-zero target this year, despite fears that the coronavirus pandemic would slow progress.

Six ways CSR professionals can communicate through the coronavirus outbreak
As the Covid 19 outbreak continues across the globe, CSR and sustainability professionals, like most, will be grappling with changes to their working schedule and job remit. Here, edie rounds up six pieces of best-practice advice for evolving engagement with key contacts during these uncertain times.

In numbers: The public's attitudes to plastics recycling and plastic-free packaging
As WRAP launches a new public awareness campaign on the recyclability and reusability of plastic packaging, edie explores the key behavioural barriers hampering a potentially circular economy for the material.

M&S expands refill scheme amid growing customer appetite for plastic-free groceries
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to extend its packaging-free refill offering for dried and ambient products such as coffee and pulses this month, following a successful trial.

Network Rail helps passengers to ditch three million plastic water bottles
By installing drinking fountains at its stations as part of the Refill campaign, Network Rail has helped to mitigate the use of three million single-use plastic water bottles over the past two years.

'Encourage and enable': How Unilever is walking the talk on plant-based diets
EXCLUSIVE: After its report detailing 50 foods which consumers should eat more frequently to help tackle environmental issues went viral last year, Unilever's largest food brand Knorr has detailed its work to embed the campaign's aims across its own supply chain.

McDonald's and Starbucks back 'smart' reusable cup trials in California
The cities of San Francisco and Palo Alto are set to trial "smart" reusable cup systems developed with support from McDonald's and Starbucks, in a bid to reduce the amount of single-use coffee cups that are being sent to landfill.

Hubbub targets stag and hen dos to lower UK flying climate impacts
Environmental charity Hubbub has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the impacts of flying, after research commissioned by the group found that almost half of all flights taken by men aged 20-45 and a third of flights from women in the same age group were for stag and hen dos.

Travel Matters partners with JUMP sustainable behaviour change scheme
Travel agency Travel Matters has launched a new partnership with the sustainable behaviour change scheme JUMP, to engage with sector workers in order to respond to the climate emergency.

Dissecting the challenge: How Sky is approaching its net-zero target
EXCLUSIVE: Sky is facing the daunting task of engaging with 11,000 companies and 24 million customers as part of its new commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. The group's head of responsible business Fiona Ball outlines how Sky is "dissecting" this target to manage the transformation.

Government unveils fresh funding for business fight against food waste
The UK Government has announced a new £1.15m funding pot for businesses and non-profits aiming to reduce food waste in households and supply chains through behaviour change.

Seven top tips for driving behaviour change in the fight against single-use plastics
Changing behaviours is widely regarded as one of the most important, yet difficult, pieces of the plastics puzzle. Here, edie rounds up seven top tips for delivering a plastics strategy that engages all key stakeholders and delivers lasting impacts in the wake of the 'Blue planet 2 effect'.

Worcester and London universities to trial sustainable diets behaviour change programme
Students at the University of Worcester, City and the University of London will take part in a new European trial designed to change behaviours and promote sustainable diets and climate-friendly meals.

Available on-demand: Watch all three sessions of edie's single-use plastics online event
Sustainability experts from Sky, Nestlé, Eurostar, Canary Wharf Group and Surfdome all discussed the role of businesses in collaborating, innovating and actuate to eliminate single-use plastics, as part of an online event that is now available to watch on-demand.

Every business has a critical role to play in reducing single-use plastics
In the two years since Blue Planet II ignited interest in the volume of plastic being used and discarded daily, businesses have made real progress in their efforts to eliminate single-use plastics.

Report: One in five UK businesses not motivated by environmental impact of plastics
Keep Britain Tidy and Brita UK have called on UK businesses to explore behaviour change and staff engagement initiatives to accelerate action on single-use plastics, after their survey found that 20% of businesses are 'not at all' motivated by the environmental impacts of the plastics they use.

Breaking the single-use cycle
With the welcoming in of the New Year humanity has entered the final decade where there is still time left to take meaningful action and undo the environmental damage caused by our consumerist habits.

New Starbucks-led behaviour change scheme aims to double reusable coffee cup uptake
As part of its ongoing partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, Starbucks has unveiled a new campaign aiming to double reusable cup in during 2020.

edie launches series of mini-reports for energy transition to net-zero
edie has released a series of mini-reports on key topics for energy management and the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.

8 steps for overcoming the behavioural change challenge
During the SPARK 2.0 event, energy and sustainability professionals discussed the barriers to behaviour change and how businesses could harness the wider awareness of the climate strikes to engage all staff members on the need to manage energy use.

To energy efficiency and far beyond
Businesses are under pressure to minimise business energy costs, cut carbon emissions and improve resilience, so it comes as no surprise that 90% of large company CEOs are engaging with energy efficiency.

New report reveals surge in employee engagement on energy issues
EXCLUSIVE: The UK's declaration of a climate emergency combined with the recent climate strikes and protests has fuelled a surge in awareness of energy issues among employees across the country, according to the latest Business Energy Barometer conducted by edie.

edie energy managers' survey reveals ESOS 'not worthwhile'
The latest Business Barometer of energy managers for the final quarter of 2019 has revealed the challenges and opportunities ahead of 2020, with many outlining ESOS as a key challenge.

Five top tips for improving energy efficiency on the road to net-zero
During an interactive webinar hosted by edie on Wednesday (20 November), experts from Direct Line Group (DLG) and BiU provided expert advice on how businesses of all sizes and sectors can improve energy efficiency in line with net-zero targets. Here, edie rounds up the key takeaways.

Available on demand: Energy efficiency 2.0 webinar for Net-Zero November
Shai Guness, compliance and CSR manager at Direct Line Group, spoke during an edie webinar, which will took place on Wednesday 20 November at 2pm (GMT) that outlined the role of energy efficiency in delivering net-zero.

Food giants team up to fund Edinburgh's first on-street recycling infrastructure
On-street recycling infrastructure for food and drinks packaging has been installed in Edinburgh for the first time, as part of a campaign run by charity Hubbub and backed by businesses including McDonald's, Costa Coffee and Nestle.

European CEOs: Changing consumer behaviours is the next sustainability frontier
The chief executive officers of some of Europe's largest corporates have concurred that although consumer awareness of sustainability issues is rising rapidly, the responsibility for changing behaviours ultimately lies with big businesses.

In numbers: What's stopping people from switching to 'greener' habits?
The 20 September climate strikes were the largest to date, undeniably proving that public attitudes to sustainability are shifting substantially. But, as a number of new surveys has highlighted, barriers to some "green" behavioural changes remain.

Nottingham Trent University extends JUMP behaviour change initiative to 30,000 students
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has expanded the JUMP behaviour scheme initiative for staff to its 30,000 students for the upcoming academic year, after more than 23,000 sustainable actions were recorded by staff during a pilot last year.

Brits support limiting air travel and meat reductions to combat climate change
More than two-thirds of the general public would support measures to limit flights and air travel in order to combat climate change, while more than half believe that reducing meat in diets should also be prioritised.

#InTheLoop: Hubbub and Starbucks invest in circular economy for coffee cups
As part of its partnership with Starbucks, environmental charity Hubbub has this week awarded funding to a string of projects aimed at creating a circular economy for coffee cups.

Business Energy Barometer: August - September 2019
edie's second Business Energy Barometer report maps out the key energy drivers, challenges and opportunities facing UK businesses, based on an in-depth survey of energy managers across the country in the past quarterly period.

Energy managers cynical about Government's net-zero targets, edie's new survey reveals
The second edie Business Barometer of energy managers, supported by Centrica Business Solutions, revealed a sector that was cynical of the Government's policy objectives - but are not concerned about Brexit.

UK public unlikely to change habits despite concerns about environment
People are reportedly reluctant to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyle changes despite claiming to care more about damage to the natural environment than ever before.

Microsoft launches climate-focused communications campaign
Microsoft, through its MSN arm, has launched a new campaign aimed at uniting members of the public in tackling climate change through behaviour change and activism.

Meet the Sustainability Leader: Landsec, The Built Environment
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Mission Possible: The Built Environment award, Landsec.

Good business means helping communities combat climate change
A number of core principles are considered received wisdom in encouraging pro-environmental behaviour change. Another core pillar of behaviour change theory is that the messenger matters as much as the message. People trust people like them.

Hoarding old gadgets 'preventing circular economy shift' and 'spurring rare mineral shortages'
The fact that most UK households are hoarding old digital gadgets with no plans to recycle them is a key barrier to implementing circular economy principles for e-waste, the Royal Society of Chemistry has claimed.

Itsu and Cook join water bottle refill scheme
Sushi chain Itsu and gourmet food retailer Cook have become the latest firms to join City to Sea's Refill campaign, aimed at reducing the public's reliance on single-use plastic water bottles.

In numbers: What behaviours will Brits happily change to champion sustainability?
A new survey of more than 2,000 adults in the UK has shed new light on the actions they are - and aren't - willing to take to help reduce their environmental footprints. Here, edie rounds up the key findings.

Businesses team up for water behaviour change campaign
A coalition of more than 40 water companies, green groups and charities have today (30 July) launched a new behaviour change campaign aimed at helping businesses and individuals to use less water.

M&S launches reusable container discounts to cut plastics waste
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has this week launched a discount scheme to incentivise the use of reusable containers at its in-store Market Place counters.

Sprints, Thinkathons and Hackathons: Getting creative on sustainability
Everyone wants to be more creative and get good ideas and we'll certainly need this for our looming ecological and climate crisis; but how do you practically do this? This blog unpacks lesson's learnt from recent sustainability-led creative events.

Energy management design sprint (Part Two): Using green ju-jitsu for behaviour change
How can you increase your sphere of influence and drive engagement on energy management and reduction; from the boardroom to the 'shop floor' and outwards to consumers? The question has been asked for decades, but in the second of our two-part special feature, we reveal some new answers...

Meet the Sustainability Leader: CSR Engagement - Ikea
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winners of our CSR Engagement/ Marketing Campaign of the Year award, team Ikea.

Defra proposes personal water 'budgets'
The Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has proposed the introduction of a "personal water target" which would legally require individuals to keep their water consumption within a certain "budget".

Survey: Business failing to keep pace with public pressure for climate action
The UK public does not believe that big businesses are acting rapidly enough to mitigate or help society adapt to the 'Climate Emergency', a new survey has concluded.

Meet edie's Energy Management Leader 2019: James Tiernan, Unite Students
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: Unite Students' group energy & environment manager James Tiernan, our Energy Management Leader of 2019.

Unilever: Innovation is the 'cornerstone' to plastics reduction
EXCLUSIVE: Product and systems innovations will be a "key cornerstone" in meeting Unilever's five-point plastics reduction strategy, which champions behaviour change and total phase-outs where possible alongside incremental reductions.

Can sustainable businesses ride the new waves of consumerism in Asia?
The way people consume information and make purchases in Asia is changing, providing an opportunity for businesses to introduce experiences, services and products that have sustainable principles built into them from the start.

National Refill Day: How businesses are uniting against single-use plastic water bottles
Since its launch in 2017, City to Sea's Refill campaign has spurred dozens of big and small businesses to offer free water bottle refills. To mark National Refill Day 2019, edie explores the impact of the campaign to date.

How employee engagement is helping PayPal make environmental sustainability 'business-as-usual'
EXCLUSIVE: By gamifying actions such as saving energy and using low-carbon modes of transport, PayPal has been able to "leverage" staff creativity and team spirit to reduce its environmental impact, the firm's global lead for environmental sustainability has claimed.

Bristol City Council turns to blockchain to incentivise behaviour change
Bristol City Council is seeking to spur progress towards an ambition to create a carbon-neutral city by 2030 by teaming with a Manchester-based energy technology firm to incentivise employees to act more sustainably through a blockchain-enabled platform.

Talking plastics and behaviour change with Michelle Norman, Brendan Rouse & Marcel Arsand
edie's Mission Possible sofa chat show returns for 2019. In the fourth episode, edie discusses resource efficiency with Michelle Norman, corporate affairs and sustainability director at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Marcel Arsand, chairman at Can Makers and Brendan Rouse, sustainability manager at Landsec.

How can businesses harness climate warnings to drive meaningful behaviour change?
EXCLUSIVE: Amid a backdrop of school strikes, Extinction Rebellion protests, net-zero targets and Green New Deals, climate change awareness is increasing rapidly among all stakeholder groups. But how can business harness this collective emotional investment to change employee and customer behaviours?

Business Energy Barometer: April-May 2019
edie's brand-new Business Energy Barometer report maps out the key energy drivers, challenges and opportunities facing UK businesses, based on an in-depth survey of energy managers across the country.

Hubbub to roll out 'on-the-go' recycling scheme to Scotland and Wales
Environmental charity Hubbub is planning to launch its behaviour change scheme for recycling 'on-the-go' food and drinks packaging, backed by companies such as Coca-Cola GB, Costa Coffee and McDonald's, in Wales and Scotland this year, following success in Leeds.

Manchester's NHS Foundation Trust launches gamification staff behaviour change scheme
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) has become the first NHS Trust to sign up to the JUMP employee engagement initiative, in a bid to encourage its 20,000+ employees to develop habits which improve the organisation's environmental impact while also boosting their own wellbeing.

Navigating the ULEZ as a small London business
Zipcar UK's general manager Jonathan Hampson on how London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will require a huge behavioural shift among businesses that taps into economic growth and the ongoing climate strikes.

French football league partners with WWF to drive sustainable behaviour change among fans
France's governing body for professional football, the Lique de Football Professionnel (LFP), has partnered with WWF in a bid to make its operations more environmentally friendly and engage its audiences with sustainability issues.

Tesco: Behaviour change will 'always have a place' in energy efficiency
As the fruits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution continue to re-shape how business operates, many companies are now turning to digital technologies for all of their energy reduction schemes. But for Tesco, behaviour change will always be a "key" piece of the energy management puzzle.

How Lucozade's seaweed sachet trials are spurring lasting behavior change around plastics
EXCLUSIVE: Following a successful pilot at two races last summer, Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) last week confirmed that it will hand out 30,000 drinks in edible seaweed sachets at this year's London Marathon. But will these events generate lasting changes to consumer behaviour surrounding plastics?

Pushing back on plastic pollution: Six steps to tackling one of sustainability’s biggest issues
When it comes to tackling the global plastics crisis, we are only just scratching the surface. However, ambitious change initiatives are emerging and plastics is firmly in the public eye.

Starbucks and Hubbub launch joint fund championing coffee cup recycling programmes
Environmental charity Hubbub has today (11 April) launched a new funding initiative aimed at helping local authorities and other organisations launch or scale-up coffee cup recycling schemes, after receiving funding to launch the scheme from Starbucks.

How gamification is helping Bournemouth University engage staff with the SDGs
EXCLUSIVE: With 169 targets and 232 indicators across 17 large-scale sustainability challenges, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are often seen as a communications challenge due to their scope and scale. But by using gamification, Bournemouth University has managed to engage the majority of staff with the vast SDG agenda.

Why Refill is turning to transport 'hubs' to slash plastic bottle use
EXCLUSIVE: Since its launch in 2017, City to Sea's Refill campaign has spurred dozens of independent businesses and high street chains to offer free water bottle refills. But as it strives to meet its 2021 ambition of having locations in every town and city, its key focus will now be engaging the transport sector.

One hour, no power: Millions of kWh of energy to be saved as landmarks switch off for Earth Hour
The UK alone could avoid the use of more than nine million kWh of energy during this year's Earth Hour, as landmarks across the globe turn off their lights in a bid to highlight the scale of global environmental challenges.

Cardiff University chosen for £5m climate change research centre
Cardiff University will act as the location for a new £5m research centre that will connect industries, governments and charities to tackle climate change.

Leon and Veolia partner to launch reverse-vending scheme in London
Restaurant chain Leon and waste management firm Veolia have collaborated to install a reverse vending machine at London King's Cross Estate, in a bid to encourage consumers to recycle.

UK cafés and restaurants pilot lunchbox refill scheme to slash plastics waste
Dozens of independent cafés and fast food restaurants across the UK will allow customers to bring their own reusable lunchboxes as part of a pilot scheme aimed at reducing reliance on single-use plastic food packaging.

Landsec launches textile take-back scheme to combat fast-fashion
Property developer Landsec is launching a fashion take-back scheme at one of the UK's largest shopping centres in a bid to encourage consumers to divert used textiles from landfill.