Strategic Management and Sustainability #15
The importance of corporate energy consumption for future generations.
Good Morning,
Today, we hear about energy consumption in all the media. Today, still not everyone is convinced of the need to save energy in industry and business. The major challenge in today's society is to preserve energy for generation Z. We have therefore decided to give you some advice and remind you of the good reasons and benefits of better consumption.
I hope you will enjoy your reading, do not hesitate to ask questions if you need more information, we are listening to you. Enjoy your reading!
Léa Etchemendigaray, Ellie Evans, Harry Brooks and Jade Caroff
Strategic Management Students of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Today’s newsletter is 1600 words, a 8 minutes read.
Raising awareness and training employees in eco-actions
It is important to establish a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) charter, to group together all the eco-actions carried out by the company internally and externally to improve their consumption. Here is an article, which shows the companies that have the best eco responsible gestures:
Reduce energy consumption
Employees should consider putting electronic devices on standby when they are not in use or unplugging chargers. And companies should favor LED bulbs, presence detectors in corridors and bathrooms to avoid leaving the light on.
Use alternative energy sources for power
For example, companies can have solar panels or wind turbines installed on outdoor spaces to create a new natural energy source. This is a big investment for the company, but it also helps protect the planet and reduce energy costs.
Reduce or even eliminate some waste
There are some wastes that could be completely erased in some companies. For example, plastic cups can be replaced by a mug, otherwise the employee is penalized and has to pay more for his coffee. In addition, set up a system of sorting and collection of waste.
Transportation
Whenever possible, we should use the means of transport that emit the least amount of CO2: walking, cycling, public transport, carpooling, and the train. For example, cycling to work has many advantages, including reduced pollution, better sleep, better vascular health, more energy, etc.
Optimize the sending of emails and clean up your inboxes
Emails are very polluting, and in the corporate world it is the first source of communication. We can be more careful with our emails and send them only if it is really necessary and only to the people really concerned.
We can also, as employees, delete about 30 emails per day which is equivalent to saving the energy of running a low-energy light bulb for 24 hours!
The benefits of the circular economy
For example, prioritize the purchase of recycled supplies for stationery, replace old appliances with energy efficient ones or give a second life to appliances, buy second hand office furniture, or recondition and donate the appliances you no longer need to associations.
How to reduce consumption in the workplace?
Take a look at the article below, it outlines simple but effective ways to reduce your energy consumption within the workplace: Energy Saving Ideas Are More Than Reducing Energy Bills
Diagnosis of energy performance
The purpose of energy performance diagnostics (DPE) is to obtain information detaining the energy performance of a building or home. This is commonly utilized in the workplace and use of it should be encouraged. DPE gives detailed description of a building's structure, heating, hot water system and also ventilation. DPE allows you to take stock of performance of your property in terms of energy expenditure as well as emission of greenhouse gasses. It must be performed by a professional and results are presented on a scale from A to G. This is also necessary to obtain in the event that you want to sell your property. The energy level shows the energy required for the building to be fully functioning and therefore the energy bills that will need to be paid. The lower the label the less energy required and likely more efficient the building's energy consumption is.
Improving the DPE and reducing energy bills?
Adding insulation to the building reduces energy losses in the building and allows for savings on energy bills.
Ensure water tightness of home via doors and windows
Roof renovations
Use of renewable energy to heat the building, use of clean energy such as solar, air or even wood.
Energy renovation of buildings and warehouses
Buildings are one of society's major energy consumers and account for around 40% of energy used globally. As well as this, they also account for around the same share of CO2 emissions. Retrofitting buildings is a key solution to improving energy consumption efficiency. It describes the process of balancing different elements carefully and improving their effects on the performance of buildings as a whole. New buildings only account for a small percentage of energy consumption in terms of the building industry which is why it is important to retrofit existing buildings reducing their energy consumption. Building retrofitting creates possibilities of lower energy expenses
Denmark is a great example of building retrofitting success, they are the leader in energy-efficient buildings after pairing innovative materials with strict building codes. Technologies are used when renovating within many areas to improve the energy efficiency and indoor climate. These include areas such as insulation, smart control systems and other solutions. Studies show the potential benefits of building retrofitting including, health of workers, economic benefits and climate improvements showing the importance of energy renovations.
The article behind gives information on essential energy saving measures as gas and energy prices rise in the uk and across the globe. It explains solutions that can be implemented with respect to the warehouse, manufacturing and logistics industry: Reducing Business Energy Consumption For Manufacturing, Warehousing and Logistics
Better consumption
Recycling of materials already used / recovery
As many companies today strive towards becoming net neutral this is still a great distance away and will take a lot of coming together and consistent work in the attempt to reduce the amount of pollution and harmful greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere and tainting our water supplies. A way in which this is trying to be achieved is through the recycling of materials, some recent news from the COP 26 summit a headline from the BBC stating -Thousands of items of brand new furniture used inside COP26 venues are being stored inside tents outside Glasgow, and they could be there for months, BBC Scotland.
IKEA was the company to gift a majority of the items of furniture needed for use during the COP26 summit, which are said to be donated by the UK government and Glasgow City Council, who will have to work out a plan for donating the items including desks, chairs, tables and armchairs to local housing projects and charities. Colin Edgar, communications director for Glasgow City Council said “We don't think this is going to be a quick process. I think it'll take months to get it distributed. We are beginning the process of cataloguing, photographing it and uploading it in the coming weeks. There will be a large amount of people that will benefit from the recycling of the furniture.”
Find out more on this by reading the full article on: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-59270807
Change energy or manage better
Companies have several solutions to change their energy into natural energy, here are two examples :
Small wind turbines are designed to capture low-level turbulent wind while minimizing noise and shadowing. Wind turbines produce energy all year round, day and night, mainly in autumn and winter. They are therefore a complementary or alternative solution to solar panels. With a wind turbine installed on the company's site, you can highlight your sustainable commitment and reduce the carbon footprint of your activities.
Today companies are increasingly tempted by the installation of solar panels. The benefits are numerous: profitability, corporate image, compliance with regulations, CSR. This encourages self-consumption of electricity with lighting, powering machines and computers and all other equipment. This has a huge economic advantage because it consumes the electricity instantly.
The multiple benefits of energy efficiency measures
Firstly, there is a reduction in the need for energy and a reduction in greenhouse gases. This has an economic effect on all areas of a company's activities, so bills can be reduced considerably and the planet can be protected. Everyone wins because even if sometimes the investments to reduce energy consumption are expensive, it is more profitable in the long term.
Then, it improves the competitiveness of companies as well as their reputation. Today, society cares a lot about the reputation of a company and the eco-friendly actions it implements. The consumer will tend to go towards a company that knows how to manage its resources in a sustainable way rather than an e-business that does not care about the planet.
In addition, one of the benefits of energy reduction is also the increased productivity of employees. This benefit has positive social effects on the employees, the more healthy their company will be, the more people will be in a good frame of mind to work. For example, if we look at the case of the Saint Gobain company and the energy renovation of its premises in Pennsylvania, we learn that the productivity of its staff has increased significantly thanks to its new facilities. The workspaces are now more comfortable, better lit and therefore more inspiring with the use of less polluting materials and LEDs for example. They have seen the productivity of their call centre double thanks to their energy efficient designs.
In the article by The Times linked below we hear about soaring prices affecting energy bills in the UK. Many smaller firms have worked to avoid this issue and save energy by closing offices and moving staff to work from home. This not only provides a solution for the rising energy bills but also has sustainability benefits. Take a look at the article: Small firms back working from home to cut their energy bills
References
https://www.ecrowdinvest.com/blog/en/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency/
https://stateofgreen.com/en/publications/energy-renovation-of-buildings/
https://www.yuenergy.co.uk/news/energy-saving-manufacturing-warehousing-logistics-guide#introduction
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Interesting articles and interesting recommendations! As it is explained, supporting sustainability at the workplace leads to lot of advantages such a higher competitiveness or higher productivity. It's time to encourage businesses to create their own "green team".