Case Studies
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Insight, inspiration and innovation continue into final day of edie Live 2019
Members of the UK's sustainability and energy management communities have descended upon the NEC in their thousands, with sessions at full capacity throughout the first day of edie Live 2019 and the action now set continue into the second and final day (22 May).
In action: The Langham London hotel's aerobic digestion of food waste
In March 2018, the 5-star Langham London hotel embarked on a site-wide behavioural and infrastructural overhaul to divert food waste from landfill through an innovative recycling system introduced by Orca Enviro Systems.
In action: Anesco's subsidy-free solar farm supported by a storage floor price
Renewable energy firm Anesco is working with EDF Energy and it’s tech partner, Upside Energy, to introduce an industry-first guaranteed floor price for revenue from the battery storage units operating at the first subsidy-free solar development in the UK.
SDGs In Action: How Tetra Pak is achieving Goal 13 - Climate Action
Welcome back to edie's new editorial series which breaks down exactly how businesses are turning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. Up next: multinational food packaging firm Tetra Pak unveils how it is protecting futures by championing actions to mitigate climate change.
SDGs In Action: How Thai Union is achieving Goal 14 - Life Below Water
Welcome back to edie's new editorial series which breaks down exactly how businesses are turning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. Up next: seafood-based food producer Thai Union outlines how it is creating healthy oceans by changing seafood for good.
The SDGs In Action: How Diageo is achieving SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
Welcome back to edie's new editorial series which breaks down exactly how businesses are turning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. Up next: global drinks firm Diageo outlines how it is improving its water efficiency to the benefit of the communities it operates within.
In action: The environmental legacy of the Thames Tideway Tunnel
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a new major piece of infrastructure for London, capturing an average of 39 million tonnes of untreated sewage which currently enters the tidal River Thames every year. If no action is taken, this is anticipated to reach 70 million tonnes by 2020.
In action: edie publisher's AI-assisted IT software to reduce energy
In an effort to 'walk the walk' with sustainability' and reduce carbon emissions, edie’s parent company Faversham House has trialled innovative computer software to measure, manage and ultimately reduce associated energy.
edie launches new case study series highlighting business action towards the SDGs
In an effort to mobilise business contributions towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), edie has launched a new best-practice case study series highlighting how businesses are helping to achieve the Global Goals.
SDGs In Action: How Asia Pulp & Paper is achieving Goal 15 - Life On Land
Welcome to edie's brand new editorial series which breaks down exactly how businesses are turning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. First up: paper manufacturer Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) reveals how it is driving out deforestation while improving the livelihoods of its workers in Indonesia.
In action: Tower Hamlets Council's low-carbon district heating system
A 25-year Joint Venture between Tower Hamlets Council and EDF Energy led to the creation of a low-carbon district heating system that has generated carbon savings, reduced energy costs and conserved a Heritage building at the heart of the refurbishment.
In action: EDF Energy's smart data focus to drive energy efficiency
In September 2017, EDF Energy installed its PowerNow live energy monitoring system at one of its own offices as a way of trialling its own solutions whilst improving the energy efficiency of the building. As revealed in this case study, the project has achieved excellent results all round.
In action: EDF's renewable energy-based renovation of a listed building
Between 2012 and 2015, EDF Energy embarked on an ambitious project to bring a listed 12th Century building into the 21st Century by installing onsite renewable systems to generate low-carbon heat, cooling and electricity.
The built environment: Leading the way with LEDs
Lighting makes our world. Imagine the London skyline at night without the millions of lights illuminating the city, or trying to navigate your office, local shopping centre or even your home with just a candle... Like it or not, the built environment is completely dependent on lighting to provide us with the internal environments we need and expect.
'In action': edie launches new case study series to highlight best-practice sustainability projects
edie has launched a new case study series focusing on successful projects that have helped end-user companies reduce key environmental footprints.
In Practice: SEAT's largest solar array in the automotive industry
In a move to capture the benefits of Industry 4.0 and reach sustainability targets for 2025, Spanish carmaker SEAT is showcasing its Martorell factory as hub for innovative environmental solutions - including the largest solar plant in the automotive industry.
In practice: AB InBev's onsite energy drive at its largest UK brewery
AB InBev's recently-announced carbon reduction targets will see the global brewer lean on past best-practice examples to decarbonise facilities. One of the shining examples thus far has been the use of onsite technologies at the Magor brewery in Wales.
The danger of being positive
Positive things are being reported in the world of sustainability but is this a "false dawn" and we may prematurely assume success is inevitable and thereby prevent it.
Show me the money… from sustainability
At my keynote at edie Live, I spoke about a vision of a sustainable built environment, how far away from it we currently are and what the industry is doing to move towards it. It's evident that, despite some positive progress, we need to fast-track the level of change and one way of achieving that is by making the business case for sustainability abundantly clear.
Paving the way to a better built environment
Construction businesses lie at the juncture of some of the world's most pressing environmental and societal challenges. Here, the UK Green Building Council's chief executive Julie Hirigoyen charts the progress being made across the industry in the key areas of climate change, resource use, nature and biodiversity, health & wellbeing and socio-economic impact.
Why the retail industry is taking a leading role in delivering the SDGs
Last month saw a landmark moment. Better Retail Better World, a retail industry initiative to tackle global challenges highlighted by the UN, including modern slavery and decent work, sustainable economic growth, inequalities, climate change and responsible consumption and production, commenced.
In Practice: The 'world-first' closed-loop glass recycling facility
Knauf Insulation's aim to ensure that recycled contents are embedded into the products it manufactures has seen the company strike a long-term partnership with waste specialists Veolia to create a closed-loop system for glass waste.
The path to public-sector sustainability is paved with good intentions
As part of edie's latest sector insight report, the Carbon Trust's managing director for programmes and cities Richard Rugg charts the progress being made across the sector towards a sustainable future.
In Practice: The UK's Northern hydrogen heating grid trial
In a UK first, a pioneering new green gas trial is being demonstrated at Keele University that aims to inject zero-carbon hydrogen into the natural gas network.
In Practice: The UK's first Energiesprong homes
A pioneering new pilot project in Nottingham aims to make select households ultra-low carbon and fit for the future by renovating them using the 'Energiesprong' techniques used in the Netherlands.
In practice: Salesforce's largest US blackwater recycling system
As part of a move to redefine its business purpose through staff well-being and sustainability, Salesforce has used its flagship San Francisco headquarters to champion water efficiency in an area notorious for severe droughts.
In practice: AccorHotels' new project targeting BREEAM excellent certification
Ahead of edie's flagship Sustainability Leaders Awards in January, edie is taking a closer look at some of the projects initiatives that have been deemed worthy of a finalist position by our expert judges. Up next: AccorHotels' new London hotel.
In practice: James Cropper's upcycling solution for the coffee cup conundrum
Ahead of edie's flagship Sustainability Leaders Awards in January, edie is taking a closer look at some of the projects initiatives that have been deemed worthy of a finalist position by our expert judges. First up: James Cropper's upcycling system for paper cups.
In practice: Guadalajara's 12,000 LED street light retrofit from Philips
Philips Lighting has this week completed a LED retrofit across the Spanish City of Guadalajara that will help the city council realise huge energy efficiency and carbon savings.
In practice: Oxford University Hospitals' money-saving CHP retrofit
Oxford University Hospitals benefited from a finance procurement system that partnered the Trust with companies that could replace aging heat and power infrastructure with a combined heat and power system that would generate massive economic savings.
In practice: Unite Students' 'Gateway' to an energy-efficiency retrofit
By joining the RBS Innovation Gateway, Unite Students gained access to a wider scope of innovative energy-efficiency solutions - some of which have been retrofitted at the Sidney Webb House in London.
In practice: Landsec's BREEAM Outstanding headquarters designed to WELL standards
As more companies look to create the right work environments for staff wellbeing, Landsec created the UK's largest fully WELL Certified space for staff health, which also achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating.
In practice: UK's largest landlord-funded distribution warehouse rooftop solar installation
The landlord/tenant relationship can be a barrier when it comes to sustainability and onsite generation, but both Dixons Carphone and LondonMetric will benefit from the new solar installation at a distribution warehouse in Newark.
In practice: Bloomberg designs world's highest BREEAM-rated office building
Bloomberg's new European headquarters in London has achieved the highest BREEAM design-stage score by a major office development, making it one of the world's most sustainable office building.
Deep breath: change the conversation
Air quality in our towns and cities is a critical issue but action and progress will be sorely limited unless we grasp the challenge of awareness, behaviour and pro-active communications.
In practice: Amsterdam ArenA's EV battery storage system
Amsterdam ArenA wants to be the most innovative stadium in the world by 2020 and has already utilised numerous sustainability technologies, including the latest installment of old electric vehicles batteries as a storage system, to help with this ambition.
In practice: Network Rail's closed-loop partnership to recycle waste coffee grounds
Striking a partnership with coffee waste collectors Bio-Bean enabled Network Rail to make steps in reducing waste at its station, and also got retailers and staff to boost coffee collection to be used for renewable power.
Your top sustainable innovation questions answered
In August I delivered the Sustainable Innovation Masterclass as part of Edie's webinar series. This generated a great debate and a lot of questions from attendees, that we simply didn't have time to answer in the allotted time. This blog revisits and answer these questions as a way to keep the debate going. Do chip in and let us know what you think.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Information overload: In a multimedia world, how do busy CRS practitioners stay abreast of emerging trends?
I don't know about you, but I often feel like I'm buried under an avalanche of online updates. With so much information to digest, it takes time to sort the digital wheat from the chaff to find the most credible news.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
Building Management System or caretaker: which route to energy savings?
If you listen to manufacturers, Building Management Systems (BMS) are technology's solution to the energy manager's need to reduce wastage in building services. They are often rated as saving up to 30% of energy consumption in heating and cooling for investment purposes and by the company providing the finance. However, they save absolutely nothing unless expert hands manipulate them.
Connecting sustainability and procurement agendas
Leading brands, consuming large amounts of electricity, face a challenge to align the ambitions of sustainability within strict procurement structures.
Why ‘fitness as a service’ could determine the future of the circular economy
It's always been the case that the customer should be at the heart of everything a company does. Firms that ignore this golden rule tend to go out of business. But the emergence of the 'product as a service' model involves a subtle change in emphasis. Rather than focusing on transferring ownership of a product, it concentrates on its performance. If it works successfully, such an approach should increase customer satisfaction.
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