Events;webinars, workshops, exhibitions in Scotland
There are over 305,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland accounting for more than 99% of all private business. This sector is a key employer and is often seen as the life blood to local communities.
The survival and growth of SMEs is vital for Scotland’s economy and with the latest Growing Business, Flourishing Communities programme SBC will be able to offer more tailored support helping to create more sustainable businesses that are able to stand the test of time.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not limited to large corporates, in fact in our current economic climate it is vital for SMEs to understand and realise the benefits that CSR can have on their business, the environment and the local communities that they work with.
According to Raymond Logan, Director of Intelligent Storage Solutions, ‘CSR is about running your business efficiently and running it in the right manner, developing staff and ultimately making more money. Now CSR is a really big factor in what we do, how we do it and is a massive driver in taking our business to the next level.’
The Growing Business, Flourishing Communities programme has been specifically designed to support micro and SME sized businesses. This latest programme allows SBC to service businesses from all sectors and all sizes from micros to international corporations, developing CSR credentials to the benefit of the business, the environment and the wider community.
Growing Business, Flourishing Communities provide a range of support services for SMEs including; the provision of tools for self assessment, signposting, best practice case studies, how to guides, solutions best practice checklist and demonstrating the community benefits of sustainable procurement.
Following the last Mayday Newsletter, which focused on the challenges that face businesses during winter; ScotRail, which provides more than 95% of passenger rail services within Scotland, announced its latest investment plan aimed at minimising disruption and maximising customer communications.
The expenditure is on new equipment and initiatives to keep more trains running, improve the flow of ‘live’ travel information, and enhance station access this winter.
The investment is in direct response to customer feedback and lessons learned in the aftermath of last winter, the worst in 100 years.
The £2million spend includes:
A UK first – ‘power shower’ systems, regarded as best practice in Finland, introduced at all maintenance depots to remove snow and ice from the undersides of trains more quickly
A new design of ‘polytunnels,’ each 75metres long, also to de-ice trains faster in a controlled, warm environment
Significant improvements to the way people can obtain live travel information before their journeys - and at stations, on platforms, and on trains.
The focus on improving live travel information now includes more than 800 ScotRail staff on trains being given smartphones with ‘real time’ data. Staff at ticket offices will also have more information to keep customers updated on services.
Other improvements include a ‘traffic lights’ system on the ScotRail website, free text alerts and a longer running Twitter service during times of disruption. For more information visit www.scotrail.co.uk
ScotRail stressed that prolonged sub-zero temperatures and snow will affect train services but that the actions taken will reduce the impact on customers this winter – and help get back to normal running as quickly as possible.
Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, said: “Our investment and actions demonstrate a real commitment to our customers and the lessons of last winter. It’s all about keeping customers informed and minimising disruption.”
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "Thinking ahead and being prepared for winter at home, on transport networks and within local communities is something everyone can do easily.
“That is why we welcome ScotRail's efforts to place customer information and investment in service resilience at the forefront of their efforts.
"By keeping trains moving and providing better information, the rail industry can minimise disruption while getting people on the move as quickly as possible when it does occur."
Jacqueline Taggart, ScotRail’s Director of Customer Services, said: “There is no doubt that services will be disrupted if there is a repeat of the extreme conditions experienced last year. However, we will do all we can to keep people informed and to take care of them.”
Position: Climate Change and Business Engagement Manager
What is your role on the 2020 Group? 2020 Group Project Manager
What is the most interesting aspect of your role within the 2020 Group?
Seeing the challenges and understanding the opportunities from a variety of viewpoints and working with such a diverse group of committed individuals and organisations.
I consider myself to be a very driven person but I have been encouraged by the passion and energy from the range of volunteers who commit their time, expertise and enthusiasm to the 2020 Group.
What do you believe to be the key challenge Scotland faces in achieving the 42% reduction in carbon emission by 2020?
Scotland has made significant progress in meeting the challenges of climate change and creating opportunities for low carbon economic growth. Since the introduction of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 Scottish emissions have reduced by more than a quarter from the 1990 baseline. The biggest challenge we face now is meeting the 42% target by 2020.
However, just setting targets will not be enough. All of Scotland has a role to play and the challenge we face is finding better ways to collaborate collectively for the common purpose but also to mobilise individuals to do what they can.
What opportunities do you think the move to a low carbon economy can bring to Scotland?
The development of Scotland as a world hub for renewable technologies will generate great interest for inward investment and green jobs. The Scottish Government’s Energy Pledges focus on Scotland’s natural competitive advantage in renewable energy and establishes a blueprint to create tens of thousands of green jobs over the next decade.
What would be your `top tip’ for a business looking to engage in environmental sustainability?
Aim to align what your main business objectives are with actions that can reduce your impact on the environment. All businesses to some degree will have to rely on the environment at some stage so it makes good business sense to ensure we manage our impacts to avoid causing more damage. Businesses can dramatically cut operating costs on energy, waste and resources by following some simple guidelines such as those offered by SBC, the Carbon Trust and Zero Waste Scotland. Tell any business that they are throwing money away and see what reaction you get.
How has your organisation incorporated environmental sustainability?
Climate change is one of the most pressing problems facing our planet today, with significant potential impacts on natural systems as well as serious socio-economic implications for humankind. SEPA has a key role to play in helping Scotland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
SEPA itself understands that we also need to adapt to Scotland’s changing climate, and to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our own activities. SEPA’s developed a climate change plan which identifies the range of actions we will undertake to deliver on these two requirements. These actions relate to all our business activities and will be integrated throughout SEPA.
What direct business benefits have you had from implementing environmental measures within the business?
Our internal climate change plan established six main targets to help us to realise the benefits from implementing environmental measures.
Here is how each of those contributes to limiting and adapting to climate change:
SEPA is committed to reducing its direct CO2 emissions, i.e. those resulting from electricity & gas by 25% below the 2006-2007 baseline by March 2012.
In March 2011 we reduced all business related CO2 by 10% of the 2006–2007 baseline. We have also reduced the number of UK mainland flights we take by 50%.
We will target and reduce all of SEPA’s internal waste streams by applying the waste hierarchy of prevention, reduction, reuse and recycling before disposal.
The supply of clean water and the treatment of waste water can be very energy intensive, we are therefore committed to reduce our current water consumption below the recognised 2011 benchmark.
All the goods and services that we procure have been produced and transported using energy and materials. By implementing the Scottish Government’s procurement action plan SEPA will reduce the emissions associated with procurement further reducing our indirect emissions.
In March 2011 all SEPA offices with grounds implemented the biodiversity action plans, ensuring that our grounds provide a suitable habitat for a variety of species, some of which are threatened by a warming climate.
What personally motivated your journey to tackle climate change?
I feel truly fortunate to be doing my job as it gives me great satisfaction and allows me to work with some of Scotland’s most influential and inspiring people. We are very fortunate to have such a wealth of talent in this country and the 2020 Climate Group’s role is to seek to align and facilitate collaboration between the private, public and third sectors. This will help to give Scotland the best fighting chance to reach our targets and lead the world on renewable technologies potentially creating thousands of high quality jobs.
PwC hosted Scottish Business in the Community’s (SBC) first Ecotown installation at their office in Bothwell Street, Glasgow just before the Christmas break.
Hosted in PwC’s reception area, Ecotown, provided a unique, interactive platform where by industry experts were able to engage with employees on the key areas of food, waste, energy and travel.
Andrew Millson, Head of Environment at SBC said: “Through Ecotown, SBC aims to improve staff awareness and understanding around the wider issues of environmental sustainability, providing the knowledge and tools to enable individuals to actively contribute to an organisation’s existing environmental policy.
“An integral part of the transition to sustainable business is influencing and educating employees. We feel that businesses have a huge role to play in impacting behaviour changes not only in the workplace, but also at home. SBC is committed to providing support for businesses as Scotland moves towards a low carbon economy and Eco-Town has received a great deal of interest from organisations, large and small.”
The installation enables employees to engage and learn from industry leaders from a range of organisations including the Energy Saving Trust, City Car Club, the Bike Station and a range of local suppliers, without leaving the workplace.
David Leslie, office senior partner at PwC said: “The sustainability agenda is becoming more and more relevant not only for us as a business, but also for many of our clients. We are very conscious therefore that we need to ‘walk the talk’, leading the sustainability debate and adopting best practice sustainability procedures as individuals and as a firm if we are going to advise our clients effectively over the coming years.
“From our sustainable choice of office in Glasgow through to our commitment to environmental community activities, we are already playing our part and I am delighted that in the last few weeks around half of our team in Glasgow have pledged their commitment to being more sustainable at home and at work. I am sure Ecotown will help to inspire and encourage them in this endeavour.”
Ecotown, which is supported by the Energy Saving Trust, is the latest in a range of programmes and tools created by Scottish Business in the Community to support organisations and assist in meeting Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets.
To find out more about SBC's Employee Engagement solution, how you can get involved and how you can book please contact Todd Henshaw or call 0131 451 1100.
SBC are already taking bookings for this project, places are limited and bookings are made on a first come first served basis.
Visit our Publications Page for all of the latest Environmental publications from Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland, the Energy saving Trust and the Carbon Trust
Working with our partners we are able to provide comprehensive events calendar helping our members achieve savings in areas such as waste, transport and energy.
This month's highlights are:
Awards for Excellence Workshop, Aberdeen – 24th January, 12pm – 4pm Scottish Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence 2012 are now open for entries, so now is the right time to start planning your application. We know many of you have great programmes and activities that deserve recognition - if you don't apply you can't win!
Mayday Webinar on Alternatives to Travel - 24th January, 3pm – 4pm Save the date and join us for this hour-long webinar, where we will tell you all you need to know about a very exciting new project we are working on at the moment with some amazing private and public sector partners!
Nominations Open for Scottish Green List Awards 2012 – Deadline 31st January The Scottish Green List 2012 awards celebrate the passion, drive and bright ideas of people of all ages, working to make a difference to sustainable development in Scotland. Nominations forms for award scheme are now available from www.scottishgreenlist.org.uk
Awards for Excellence Workshop, Edinburgh– 1st February, 9am – 2pm The Awards for Excellence are one of the most credible and influential awards schemes for corporate responsibility. They are robust, rigorous and peer-assessed, and they highlight practical examples of programmes that make a real difference.
Ways2work Conference – 9th February This free conference, supported by Microsoft, will bring together some of the leading UK companies to share what they are doing to increase their resilience to travel disruptions, including severe weather, Olympics and similar events.
Name: Martin Valenti
