Best Foot Forward

Climate change is a fundamental issue for Oxfam which is helping people to cope with severe climate events worldwide, and pressing for the urgency of global emissions reductions. Oxfam GB commissioned BFF to support its own internal emissions reduction activities by tackling one of its most complex areas: procurement. Working closely with an internal team, BFF assessed Oxfam’s investment in products for its shops, emergency equipment and all of the services needed to run the organisation. Following an extensive data collection process, an emissions profile was developed which highlighted the impact of each procurement area, and those investments with the highest carbon intensity. The insight from this progressive project enables Oxfam to make informed decisions on how it can best reduce its own emissions, while continuing to effectively fight poverty. Oxfam commented: “Best Foot Forward took a large, complex project and made it manageable. Their advice on how to approach the task had a balance of pragmatic and strategic thinking, and their commitment to the detail and integrity of the project was highly appreciated.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) gives grants to projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the UK using money from the National Lottery for Good Causes. The HLF already requires organisations to report on environmental considerations as part of the application, and for this project BFF was commissioned to explore the feasibility to introduce carbon accounting as part of the application process. We identified the potential for applicants to forecast data on building energy use and visitor transport modes which can be converted to greenhouse gas emissions using an online calculator, such as the trial HLF Footprinter™ developed as part our work. Applicants would be able to use the tool to model alternative low carbon solutions, and the HLF could use footprint results as part of their assessment process

The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit and independent organisation, funded by the government and the private sector, which provides free impartial advice to help households reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. The Energy Saving Trust is reviewing its suite of customer facing tools and required an examination of current footprinting tools and how they may be developed in the future to provide visitors to their website with the most accurate and comprehensive information.  The Energy Saving Trust commissioned BFF to undertake a thorough review of carbon footprint calculators available for consumers and households. The review covered over 30 online calculators assessing them in terms of user attributes and technical ability. The study then assessed likely drivers and how they will shape the future of such tools.

The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is in no doubt that the continuing prosperity of the South East region will depend critically on delivering a sustainable, low-carbon, competitive economy. SEEDA commissioned a consortium led by BFF (with Levitt-Therival and Colin Tingle) to research and disseminate the potential for such development. We developed a hardcopy and online ‘No-Nonsense Guide’ to support the South East growth areas (referred to collectively as the ‘Diamonds’) in taking action to reduce their Ecological Footprint. The Guide was backed up by a detailed, novel evidence base, developed by BFF using REAP data and other official sources, and an online benchmarking tool.

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.

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.

The Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion has test emissions of 99g/CO₂ per km. BFF calculated the emission savings from driving the Polo Bluemotion over a year instead of the average car in its class, and compared the figure to savings from recycling paper, drinks cans and plastic bags. Advertising campaigns were run in print, online and on television.