Best Foot Forward

The recent launch of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme rewards firms for adopting Early Action Metrics (EAM), and the Environment Agency has now approved two certification schemes for the EAM: CEMARS and the Carbon Trust Standard. Internationally accredited and recognised, CEMARS was developed by Landcare Research and is provided by Achilles in the United Kingdom under licence. BFF is very pleased to announce a partnership with Achilles to provide support for companies to prepare for successful passage through the CEMARS certification process.     

BFF has been further developing our agriculture and food portfolio, with the launch of a major project to assess the carbon footprint of Scotland’s dairy supply chains for the Scottish Government. The project is being delivered in partnership with agricultural consultants Laurence Gould, and we have developed a dedicated project website for organisations to contribute feedback and case studies via focus groups: www.dairyfootprint.org.

Best Foot Forward and the Heritage Lottery Fund have been working together over the past year to introduce a pioneering new carbon accounting system, and now this innovative work is beginning to make news.  The latest edition of the Museum Practice magazine devotes an entire issue to the topic of carbon footprinting in museums and galleries, including an examination of the benefits and associated potential funding opportunities.

How do you produce an accurate carbon footprint for an event as complex and unconventional as the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games? For London 2012, the search for an answer has resulted in a ‘groundbreaking’ new approach to event footprinting developed by Best Foot Forward.

A chapter by BFF Directors Craig Simmons and Nicky Chambers on the ecological footprint of households appears in the new edition of Ecohouse – the popular green architecture book which is now in its third revision.

BFF is no stranger to promoting the opportunities of resource responsibility. Wise use of energy, water and materials usually saves money and reduces risk AND it can also make your products a more attractive proposition to buyers wanting to promulgate their own environmental initiatives. BFF client Orangebox realized this several years ago, using BFF’s carbon and ecological footprinting services to identify and minimise their impacts and then to communicate with their customers. Their approach and has now been used as a best practice case study in the snappily titled report ‘Driving Demand: Creating Opportunities for Commercialisation of Low Carbon Technologies'.

In 2010 we hope that you will be joining BFF, and thousands of other organisations and individuals, who are aiming to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% during the year as part of the UK's 10:10 campaign. Here is a little gift that should help; free, unlimited access to a special 10:10 version of BFF's popular footprinter™ enterprise carbon accounting solution for business. You get your own secure account and all the calculation and reporting facilities you need to meet the 10:10 campaign targets.

BFF has been commissioned by RSSB to undertake a whole lifecycle carbon footprint analysis of the national rail network. BFF will be developing an emissions profile that includes traction energy, offices, rolling stock and infrastructure such as track, stations, depots and signalling equipment. The rail industry is undoubtedly complex, but is also a data-rich environment which is essential for carbon footprint analyses. BFF will be liaising with key members of the industry, including Network Rail and train operating companies to provide an industry-wide emissions profile. Our project will provide insight for RSSB, DfT and other stakeholders to enable effective planning for emissions reductions in line with the objectives of the industry white paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”. Our project will be completed in the first half of 2010, with results made publicly available in due course. 

BFF are warning aviation operators that they only have until 31 December 2009 to submit a monitoring plan if they want to be eligible for free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The allowances will be allocated anyway – so overall emissions are not affected – but the initial cost to aviation companies will be higher. BFF have been working closely with aviation experts ETS Aviation to provide carbon management and reduction services to the sector. A version of footprinter, Aviation Footprinter, is already helping companies to meet their requirements under the EU ETS and is being extended to provide broader support for carbon reductions.

SEEDA have published an innovative interactive Guide aimed at providing local authorities within the South East the tools, information, ideas and inspiration they need to reduce their footprint and the footprint of their administrative area. Developed by BFF, in collaboration with Roger Levett (of levett-therivel) and Colin Tingle (of theNRgroup), the appropriately named ‘No Nonsense Guide’  gives straightforward practical advice, and is peppered with real life success stories, to illustrate how to make change happen.