Best Foot Forward

Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) is the UK arm of Molson Coors, the Global Family Brewer and has a market share of over 20% of the UK beer market. Molson Coors (UK) commissioned BFF to assess the carbon footprint of five Carling packaging variants (two types of cans, one type of bottle, and two types of keg) to identify opportunities across the business for reducing their carbon intensity.  BFF calculated the climate change impact from the production of Carling beer at all three Molson Coors (UK) breweries, following the product life-cycle carbon footprint methodology set out in PAS 2050.  James Wyse, Environment Manager at Molson Coors (UK) declared “BFF’s analysis has provided really valuable insight into the climate change impacts of our five Carling products, and quantified the importance of different forms of packaging. We will now use these findings to further improve our sustainability decision-making, helping to reduce our carbon impact and supporting our broader agenda around Corporate Responsibility.”

learndirect is the UK’s largest online learning provider, delivering courses to 247,000 learners from 650 locations in the past year. learndirect’s offering includes a broad range of National Vocational Qualifications and Skills for Life courses. The learndirect delivery model is currently being evaluated, to ensure that it continues to be well positioned to meet the needs of learners in the future. As part of that evaluation, learndirect wanted insight into the carbon footprint of various alternate delivery options, and BFF was engaged to model and compare several possible options. In particular, the study highlighted the significance of staff and learner travel in learndirect’s existing model, and a range of opportunities for reductions in the future. learndirect is continuing to use this work to shape its emergent strategy. learndirect’s Katie Heard said: "Best Foot Forward’s pragmatic approach allowed us to move past the technical complexity around carbon and gain real insight into the carbon footprint of our various future options."

A recent report from the NHS SDU on potential carbon reduction measures identified changes in models of care as one of 8 significant transformational changes to achieve the carbon reduction targets.  NHS Bristol, working with an innovative provider partnership between University Hospitals Bristol and Healthcare At Home, had been trialling a new model of care for routine oncology care by treating patients at home rather than at the hospital. NHS Bristol commissioned BFF to assess the carbon footprint impact of this change to the model of care. The changes were assessed during an initial start-up period and the results used to inform development of the service.

NHS Bristol was investigating a change in the model of care for Breast Care Services in the region. BFF analysed and modelled the carbon emissions from staff commuting, patient travel and utilities associated with the proposed model and compared these anticipated changes to the current model of patient care.  The study identified that the carbon emissions from building energy use and staff and patient transport are equivalent.  Consequently, the carbon emissions impact of changes to these models of care can depend as much upon changes in the energy intensity of the buildings providing the services as on changes to transport distance and mode.

This study was commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and estimated the total carbon footprint of the GLA’s IT estate. BFF worked with Computacenter and reviewed the energy consumption and embodied carbon of the GLA’s 700-plus desktops, 180 servers, printers, laptops and monitors. This revealed an IT carbon footprint of almost 430 tCO₂ per year, with in use emissions representing 55% of this total. David Munn, Head of IT at the GLA explained: “We want to ensure that our IT services are both cost-effective and environmentally efficient. By including future IT projects in the scope of the study, we were able to identify what new technologies would give us the best financial and environmental return on investment.” As part of the audit, BFF therefore calculated how five proposed IT projects would impact the GLA’s carbon footprint. Virtualisation came out as the greatest carbon payback per pound invested, followed by video-conferencing, hosting, thin client and multi-function devices. Learn more from recorded interviews with the project team.

Cloud Nine designs and constructs energy-efficient timber buildings. The Cloud Nine process involves offsite building in Poland followed by assembly at clients’ plots. Although the operational energy performance of the buildings is well-understood, Cloud Nine commissioned a scoping study from BFF to investigate the climate change impacts of production including the embodied carbon of materials and emissions from transporting finished products from Central Europe to the UK. Our study demonstrated that transport emissions are relatively small compared to the embodied carbon of common construction materials. By following PAS2050 accounting rules we also found that timber buildings perform well because of the valuable carbon sequestration role of long-lasting wood.

Encos Ltd is developing a variety of construction materials including bricks from recycled, 'waste' products. Encos Ltd is based on work from the University of Leeds and supported by the intellectual property development business, IP Group plc. Encos Ltd commissioned BFF to investigate the GHG emissions from their products compared to industry standards, including the embodied carbon of the raw materials and alternative kiln-firing regimes. The results are being used to support the technical development goals and the business case for producing low-carbon bricks.

Crown Paints is a leading UK producer of paints and coatings, and the company commissioned BFF to develop an integrated sustainability strategy to maximise the eco-efficiency of its operations. BFF worked closely with the R&D team at Crown Paints to investigate the full product lifecycle and identify opportunities for reducing the carbon and ecological footprints of its leading products. Our study considered emissions across the production process including raw materials, energy, packaging, and transport, as well as how paint use by consumers can be optimized. The results from the study are forming the basis to Crown Paints’ future approach to sustainability.

California-based Fetzer Vineyards commissioned BFF to compare the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions associated with manufacturing and transporting existing bottles (2008) against the manufacturing and transport emissions of new, lightweight bottles (2009). The results from the analysis show that there will be greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction of about 14% or 2,985 US tons CO₂e from switching to lighter glass bottles in 2009.

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 us to undertake both ecological and carbon footprints of the full product lifecycles including raw materials, manufacture and distribution. We also provided a broader sustainability assessment, and together the results from these reports are being incorporated into Ecover’s constantly evolving sustainability strategy.

Connection launched the new IS chair which maximises recycled content, and has an extended warranty to increase the effective asset life. Our carbon and ecological footprint assessment showed these design changes markedly reduce the footprint compared to a typical office chair.

The carbon dioxide emissions from paper production and distribution are well known, but how do these compare with emissions from the electronic delivery of scientific journals? BFF worked with Reed Elsevier to compare delivery channels for 'Fuel' journal and help inform the company's future publishing strategies. One of the findings was that end user behaviour is critical to the overall impact, but as yet very limited data exists on this aspect of publishing.

The Centre for Remanufacturing & Reuse commissioned us to compare the carbon footprints of refilling cartridges compared to replacement with new equivalents. We looked at the full lifecycle, and found that refilling is the better option. The full report is available by contacting the Centre directly.

There has been significant interest and debate in the process of remanufacturing - or 'retreading' - vehicle tyres. We were commissioned by the government-funded Centre for Remanufacturing & Reuse to analyse the retreading of light commercial vehicle tyres. The study considered material inputs, manufacturing energy, distribution and end-of-life for both tyre types. The results showed retreading is more carbon efficient. The full report is available by contacting the Centre directly.

Councils in the UK are under pressure to increase their operating efficiency. The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned us to assess council services and compare the carbon footprints of electronic and other information delivery channels by Sunderland City Council. The results demonstrated that electronic delivery is more carbon efficient, and extrapolating the findings estimated potential annual savings of up to 14,000t carbon dioxide if all councils moved towards electronic delivery.

We have worked with Pacific Interiors on a number of footprinting projects, and this tool presents some of our findings in a simple, engaging interface. The calculator helps users understand the environmental significance of refit frequencies, asset lifespans and operational efficiencies.

The environmental impact of FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) packaging is often scrutinised. Wine bottles are one of the heaviest packaging items, so some retailers are moving to PET in an effort to reduce product weight. Our work for WRAP assessed the carbon balance of glass and PET wine bottles filled in the UK. There are a number of variables which determine the overall carbon efficiencies, and are all detailed in the publicly available report.

Duchy Originals is a market leader in responsible food production. BFF was contracted to supplement their existing work by calculating the ecological footprint of several of their products, and identify 'hotspots' where the largest impacts lie. BFF has also been working with Duchy Originals to further incorporate sustainability across their business.

FIRA is one of the leading trade associations for the furniture industry. BFF was commissioned to develop ‘Furniture Footprinter’ – an easy-to-use web-based tool which allows manufacturers to calculate the carbon and ecological footprints of their products. Furniture Footprinter covers the full lifecycle of products and can be used as a design-support tool.

Fitting out commercial and retail spaces has been identified as highly resource intensive. We worked with Pacific Interiors to assess the material flows, transport and energy demands of these activities and so derive the footprint for an office fit-out. The analysis suggested ‘lower carbon’ fit-out options where savings could be made.

BFF worked with the University of Warwick, HDRA and Robert Gordon University to assess the ‘environmental footprint’ of twelve horticulture crops and commodities, including potatoes, carrots, strawberries and milk. The project assessed the environmental, social and economic impact of horticultural production. The ‘environmental footprint‘ was assessed using six indicators: the ecological footprint, toxicity, global warming potential, eutrophication potential, water and labour use, on a ‘per hectare, per year’ basis. BFF was asked to provide ecological footprint analyses of the twelve crops/commodities, which were then included in an overall sustainability assessment integrating all six environmental indicators. The biggest environmental footprints were for the protected crops (lettuce and strawberries) and milk, and the smallest were for winter wheat, lamb and sugar beet. The report is available for viewing here.

Orangebox was ahead of the curve in recognizing the importance of minimising the carbon intensity of its products. In 2006 we worked closely with the production team to assess the carbon and ecological footprints of a range of chairs, and we ran scenarios on possible reduction opportunities from material substitution. Further work included the implementation of a workshop for sharing knowledge between Orangebox staff and suppliers, BFF, and specialist eco-designers.