Best Foot Forward

The partnership between Best Foot Forward and ETS Aviation has taken a step forward with the launch of an updated version of Aviation Footprinter - a tool designed to help aviation operators meet their reporting requirements under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). New in this version of Aviation Footprinter is an ‘efficiency view’ which allows operators to better understand their emissions profile and thereby assist in targeting reduction efforts. For example, aircraft emissions can be benchmarked against best practice and route-by-route emissions can be compared within and between years. For a video demo of Aviation Footprinter please click here.

Yesterday, BFF Director Craig Simmons was literally bathing in the warm glow of the sun whilst outside temperature plummeted to below zero. How? The solar hot water (SHW) system on his house was producing water at a steady 34 degrees centigrade warmed only by the winter sun. These wintry conditions have also led to some discussion within the office today on the carbon balance of the heavy snowfall; our hunch is there’ll be reductions from less travel, less economic activity, and more outdoor fun displacing TV/computer use. On the downside, more people staying home requiring energy, more gas for home heating, higher coal use in power stations…and perhaps a reference point for climate change sceptics? 

Well, on a very wintery, cold, dark afternoon we want to wish all our readers a very happy festive period and New Year. 2009 has been a good year for BFF despite the economic challenges, although the Copenhagen Accord has been somewhat deflating for the wider movement. However, we can but try, and the commitments to financing adaptation measures, a commitment (of sorts) to the 2 degree limit and a strong showing by Ed Miliband offer some hope. From BFF’s perspective, embarking on a number of large new projects, expanding our staff team and launching Footprinter will help us to maximise our own influence on emissions reductions through 2010 and beyond.

Over the autumn BFF undertook a recruiting campaign to add new skills and resource to the team. We had a tremendous response to our advertisements, and have recruited three excellent new staff. In keeping with the international flavour of the company, our new recruits hail from China, Scotland and Australia. Luhui has joined our software team to support the growing demand for our Footprinter™ product, while consultants Rachel and Jacob will ensure BFF’s metrics and technical analyses continue to be combined with strategic insight. Staff profiles for Luhui, Rachel and Jacob have been added to our website today.

Best Foot Forward are supporting the UK’s 10:10 campaign to get businesses, government and individuals to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 10% in 2010. As well as offering technical assistance to the 10:10 team, BFF are pleased to make available a FREE version of their popular Footprinter software which has been specially set-up to meet the campaign’s reporting requirements for businesses. Register for your free 10:10 version here. Learn more about footprinter.

Apologies, it has been a prolonged absence from our ‘regular’ blog so we thought Friday 13th was a perfect date to start posting again. The period of silence (approaching two months now!) has been caused by a furious flurry of activity within the company. We have recruited two new consultants to add skills and capacity, particularly for our more strategic work, and have been kicking off a host of exciting new projects. In the coming weeks, we will be launching our latest Footprinter™ enterprise carbon accounting software, and will be updating our site with staff profiles, recent case studies, new content...and of course regular blog entries.  

We are looking to expand our team, and specifically are interested in employing a sustainability consultant who can assist with business development, project management and project delivery. The post is for someone to join our close-knit team and bring their own expertise and ideas to strengthen the work produced by BFF. For more information please download the job specification here, and we hope to hear from you.

Defra/DECC have moved quickly to fix the errors identified by BFF in their newly released GHG conversion factors for business carbon measurement and reporting (see previous blog). BFF are advising all clients that they should download the latest DEFRA/DECC spreadsheet and delete the old file to avoid later confusion. There are several outstanding issues with the conversion factors that BFF are still pursuing with Defra/DECC which will form the basis of a BFF review to be published soon.

BFF have today written to their clients and informed DEFRA and DECC of errors in the recently published Government’s GHG Conversion Factors which are widely used by businesses to measure, manage and report their greenhouse gas emissions. The errors affect the conversion factors for biofuels and aviation. BFF have also raised several other data and methodology concerns and queries with DEFRA/DECC and are awaiting responses.

Measuring so-called Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is relatively straightforward: look at your energy and fuel bills and total up the resulting carbon. But quantifying scope 3 emissions (the indirect emissions associated with your purchased goods and services) is a different matter altogether. Reporting Scope 3 emissions is currently an optional element of the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1 but is increasingly being recognised as both operationally important and expected. For example, DEFRA and DECC’s draft guidance on GHG reporting (for publication later this year) cites the measurement of some Scope 3 impacts as desirable ‘best practice’.