Business | News & Views

Businesses express concerns over Electricity Market Reform

Businesses have expressed concerns that the government’s proposed Electricity Market Reform (EMR) will be both “complex and unwieldy”.

Research conducted by npower found more than half of businesses believe the plans will lead to a rise in energy costs, with the carbon floor price being named as a major concern.

Some 57 percent of those who took part in the study said they were worried about the impact imposing a minimum price on carbon would have on their bills.

There were also concerns raised that the EMR could damage the competitiveness of UK companies as it is too ‘nationally’ focussed.

David Cockshott, director of industrial and commercial markets at npower, said companies have “very real concerns regarding the proposals in the EMR, particularly while the UK economy is still so fragile”.

He added: “At the moment, many of our customers see the proposals as a ’stick, not a carrot’.”

A consultation into the EMR, which the government claims will enable a secure supply of low carbon power, was launched in December and closes today (March 10th). A White Paper on the reforms is due to be published in late spring.

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FSB: Green improvements must be economically viable

The government must do more to help small businesses in the UK improve their energy efficiency, a new report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) concludes.

Entitled Making Sense of Going Green – Small Businesses and Low Carbon Economy, the report claims that the coalition must provide incentives for small firms to make their buildings more eco friendly and expand the current system of loans to make going green economically viable.

As 44 percent of small businesses in the UK rent their premises, the FSB said steps must be taken to make energy efficient improvements beneficial to both the company and the landlord.

This could be done by encouraging private sector providers to pay for the upfront cost of works, linking pay-as-you-save repayments to the building – which would “overcome the landlord/tenant divide” – and waving increased fees for those who improve the rateable value of their property through green improvements.

John Walker, national chairman of the FSB, said: “If the correct policies are put in place now, then small businesses will have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions while also delivering the substantial economic growth that the UK economy desperately needs.”

There are currently around 4.8 million small businesses operating in the UK which provide around half of the annual UK turnover.

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Green investment ‘covers a wide range of techniques’

Green and ethical investments no longer centre around leaving some companies out of a stock portfolio, one expert has suggested.

Penny Shepherd, chief executive of UKSIF – the sustainable investment and finance association, said that sustainable investment now covers a wide range of investment techniques and is “fundamentally about making a positive choice”.

Ms Shepherd said that this could include choosing the most responsible company in the sector, working with fund managers that encourage companies to improve their performance or investing in new “sunrise industries rather than sunset industries”.

“We are in a situation where the new coalition government says it will be the greenest government ever [and] that should make a difference both to companies managing their social and environmental impact and those who provide them with the tools to do that better,” she added.

The comments come after figures from the Investment Management Association showed that net retail sales of ethical funds in the second quarter of 2010 were at their highest level since the final three months of 2007.

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Young people ‘must be attracted to energy industry’

More must be done to attract young people to careers within the energy industry, it has been claimed.

Zoe Robinson, ethical development manager at Warren Evans, said that the government and private sector must work in partnership to provide opportunities within the sector for school leavers and the long-term unemployed.

She added: “The UK can only be world leaders in the green energy revolution if we have world-leading skills.”

The comments come after energy firm Centrica warned of an emerging skills gap as many undergraduates are shunning employment opportunities in the industries that will contribute to low carbon growth.

One in four parents that took part in the survey said they would not actively encourage their children to enter the science, technology and energy sectors.

Ms Robinson warned that with the government cuts taking place in the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the coalition will have to “find new ways of delivering the green agenda”.

“While the public can do its part, the government’s responsibilities to deliver on this agenda will obviously not be met by telling us all to switch off our TVs,” she added.

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Majority of UK businesses ‘not measuring carbon footprint’

The majority of UK companies do not measure their carbon footprint yet, the Carbon Trust has claimed.

Britain’s largest business and public organisations now have less than 50 days to sign up to the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is intended to help the country meet its carbon reduction target.

However, a survey conducted by the trust revealed that just 26 per cent of firms make the effort to measure their emissions, Bloomberg reports.

Some 38 per cent of the 200 finance directors who took part in the poll said that they planned to begin monitoring their carbon footprint in the next five years.

Harry Morrison, general manager of the Carbon Trust, said that finance departments are playing a greater role in monitoring emissions. Earlier this year, Mr Morrison said that the key to implementing a successful CRC strategy lies within the internal audit and data collection processes.

“In many companies, the finance team in their internal audit function are best placed to have a robust view of carbon and environmental data than the energy and climate teams may have done in the past,” the news provider quoted him as saying.

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The Annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo

Wednesday 6th October 2010
Central Hall, Westminster, London, UK

The annual industry marketplace for suppliers of sustainable fabrics, components and manufacture to the fashion industry.

The annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo, now in its second year, brings together international manufacturers, suppliers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. The event includes a programme of seminars, introducing new products and exemplary supply and production systems.

Invitations to attend and exhibit are extended internationally.

Why visit the Ethical Fashion Source Expo?

The Ethical Fashion Source Expo is designed for representatives of businesses of all sizes, designers, entrepreneurs, and researchers who want to develop and produce fashion collections made to high ethical standards or want to explore new sourcing routes. Save time and money by liaising face to face with exemplary suppliers brought together in one place from all over the world.

Traditionally , sourcing to high ethical standards has been time consuming and resource intensive for fashion designers, retailers and brands. This event aims to cut through the barriers and make it easy for you.

Through linking exemplary suppliers to trade buyers, this event supports sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of people in ethical supply networks and reduces impact on the environment.

SEMINAR PROGRAMME:

A selection of seminars will take place throughout the day.

Last year’s programme included seminars on the following:
Ethical Production: Best practice on the High St
Ethical Supply Systems: The Business Case
Ethical Production in Africa
Supporting Cooperative Suppliers- Changing lives

The 2010 seminar programme will be available on the event website.

>>> For more information on where to stay and transport arrangements please check the website

Green Awards celebrate ecological business practices

The Global Green awards reward companies which have made contributions to environmentally friendly or sustainable business practices, consumers can find out about the green business practices of previous winners or follow this year’s awards on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

The Global Green awards, previously the Green Awards, are awarded to companies within the media and marketing industries which have undertaken creative work demonstrating the importance of corporate social responsibility, sustainable development and undertaking ethical business practices.

2010, the fifth year of the awards, is the first year in which all the categories in the Green Awards have been open to entries from around the world. Award categories include Best Green educational product, best green international campaign, best green product innovation and best green packaging.

The Green Awards are designed to drive others towards the sustainability agenda by celebrating environmentally friendly practices. Consumers can inform themselves of more environmentally friendly product choices by following past winners and their ecologically friendly products or campaigns on the Green Awards Website.

Examples of past winners include chocolate company Cadbury, which won the best green packaging awards in 2008 for their ‘eco-eggs’ – chocolate eggs wrapped with the minimum amount of packaging and using recycled material; and multinational mobile phone company O2, which received an award in 2006, for reducing packaging.

The competition officially opens on Monday, July 19, when entry forms are made available for any companies wishing to be considered for an award. Though entrants cannot be viewed by members of the public until the shortlist is announced in mid-October, the awards can be followed through social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and MySpace; more information can also be found about past winners at www.greenawards.com. The awards ceremony will take place in London later this year.

Previously this year the winners of the European Business awards for the Environment were announced on June 2. The awards have four categories, products, international co-operation, management and process, rewarding companies that pioneer green practices.

www.twitter.com/greenawards

>>> Please read the full article here

Green Investment Bank ‘must be created within year’

For the government’s Green Investment Bank to work three key details should be considered, according to Friends of the Earth.

The environmental charity identified that there was large potential for growth within the green economy and green technology sector, providing that the government continues to provide support.

Simon Bullock, economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth, welcomed the creation of the bank but said “it all comes down now to detail”.

According to Mr Bullock, for the bank to be a success it must be set up as an independent enterprise within one year, possess enough capital to gain millions of pounds of private sector investment and have a strict focus on renewables and energy efficiency.

“If the government were to do those three things…I think that would send an extremely strong signal to business that this new government is very serious about the low carbon economy,” he added.

The creation of a Green Investment Bank was one of the policies announced in George Osborne’s emergency Budget last week.

While Mr Bullock welcomed the creation of the investment bank, overall he said that the chancellor had “failed to take the bold decisions we so urgently need”.

>>> Please read the full article here

Survey shows businesses confused about green policies

A lack of clarity remains in the business community over the UK’s environmental policies, a new survey has revealed.

Research by PriceWaterhouseCoopers revealed that two-thirds of businesses in Britain believe that current green policy is unclear and would not feel comfortable making any investment decisions based on the existing regulations.

There was also confusion over environmental tax incentives and, of those who were aware they could apply for such financial breaks, 75 percent said the process was “too onerous to make them worth applying for”.

Some 94 percent of business believe that climate change policy will impact on their business in the next two or three years.

Mark Schofield, global leader of sustainability and climate change tax, said: “The business appetite for leadership is there. As with many tax and regulation issues, the call for action is for one of simplification, clarity and long-term certainty.”

The results of the survey come as a report by The Work Foundation suggests that a lack of clarity over the low carbon economy as a whole could be having an adverse effect on the development of green skills and may be “eroding Britain’s competitive advantage”.

>>> Please read the full article here

Boris to announce major green economy investment at BASELondon

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is to announce a major investment boost for London’s ‘green’ economy at BASELondon tomorrow May 27th, 9.30am at ExCeL. On the morning of the conference, the Mayor will be joined by Andreas J Goss, CEO of Siemens plc, and Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, in announcing major new plans to boost London’s share of the growing global low carbon economy.

Boris Johnson will then deliver BASELondon’s opening keynote speech, at 10am in the ExCeL conference centre, outlining his vision to make London the world’s leading low carbon centre, stimulating thousands of job opportunities in green goods and services, and creating innovative low carbon enterprise.

BASELondon is a day-long event where business and the public sector meet to crystalise the opportunities inherent in London’s transformation to a low carbon economy. Other keynote and panel speakers include Tim Smit, founder of The Eden Project, Lord Browne, formerly CEO of BP, Ian Marchant, CEO of Scottish and Southern Energy, President Jose Maria Figueres, chairman of the Carbon War Room and former president of Costa Rica, and, by video, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City.

To register as a delegate to BASE go to www.baselondonshow.co.uk.
The delegate rate is £350 and the local authority and public servant rate is £250 which provides access to all keynotes, breakour briefing sessions and the exhibition.

>>> For more information click here