Best Foot Forward

There has been considerable interest in the work we completed for Radiohead to assess the carbon and ecological footprints of the band's tours in the US. Although the study was completed in 2007, journalists continue to contact us to discuss the study. You can hear BFF project manager Simon Miller contributing his thoughts on footprints and festivals on The World Tonight  programme on Radio 4. Play audio:

BFF uses technology throughout the business to communicate its messages, so we have put a summary of our Carbon Footprint Masterclass online. The half hour taster from Simon Miller is (by his own admission) a little dry, but viewers may find it helpful to learn more about the course content. Visit Edie Live to view.

BFF has been recruiting again! Our newest employee is Charlotte Dickinson, who has joined us as a Project Manager. Charlotte previously worked for Ecofys, and before that spent 6 years at Thames Valley Energy (TVE). Charlotte brings in-depth expertise in renewable energy, and her strong analytical skills and management experience will be really valuable for our projects. Charlotte’s appointment brings BFF’s total staff to fifteen... and means we will soon need to take over the downstairs space in our office.

BFF has sent out  its quarterly newsletter to contacts and subscribers. Our newsletter is intended  to provide a quick update of what's changed within the company and a brief overview of some recent projects. The top stories this quarter are the website and logo redesign, new staff profiles and updates on projects for Radiohead, Ofcom and WRAP. If you missed the newsletter - or would like to sign up - you can view it on our website.

A critical step in carbon footprinting is defining appropriate boundaries which capture all activities relevant to a study’s objective. The same principle applies to national footprints where questions exist over who should be ‘responsible’ for emissions arising from the manufacture of goods for export, and how should these emissions be managed under international agreements?

A new report from The Ethical Corporation Institute has highlighted 'staggering inconsistencies' in the way FT 500 companies are calculating and reporting their GHG emissions to stakeholders.

Communications watchdog Ofcom is targeting a large reduction in the impact IT has on its carbon footprint. The steps are being taken after a carbon audit of Ofcom, conducted by Best Foot Forward, said the regulator needed to target cuts in IT. The news was picked up by Computer World.

In the world of environmental accounting there are a few debates that refuse to go away: comparisons between washing reusable nappies instead of disposing of them – or refilling glass bottles instead of  recycling them. Similar questions have been posed over the efficiency of retreading old tyres instead of the manufacture of new ones.

The Managing Partners' Forum has launched a carbon footprint campaign. Part of this campaign includes the establishment of The MPF Register of Carbon Assessors, and BFF is one of the first companies to be listed. BFF were proposed by an independent organisation for inclusion in the Register because of our track record.

Ecover are a leading company in the field of sustainability and wished to conduct detailed ecological footprints of three of their leading products: washing powder, washing up liquid and toilet cleaner. Ecover appointed BFF to undertake both ecological and carbon footprints of the full product lifecycles including raw materials, manufacture and distribution.