Business Environmental Support Scheme

for Telford

Annual Review Document

‘“To enhance the environmental performance of local businesses, in turn, boosting efficiency and reducing the impact on the global environment”

2011—2012

Chair’s Report

Dear BESST Members Again we have been faced with another year of austerity measures, cutbacks, organisations downsizing or desperately trying to stay in business. To combat these challenges, BESST’s Steering Group and Telford & Wrekin Council have continued to work closely together through the many changes we have had to endure due to the continual demand for sustainability by businesses. Telford and Wrekin’s new MD Richard Partington, is publicly committed to being supportive to our local business networks, and with our collective environmental experience we are committed to supporting him in his new role. To assist with this, we have begun to work more closely with the other local business networks (Telford Business Partnership, Shropshire Constructing Excellence and METNET) to pool both resources and knowledge. As BESST’s membership has continued to successfully grow, this year is the first year that BESST has had more than a 50% non-manufacturing sector in it’s membership, showing that a wider range of organisations are recognising and understanding the benefits of sustainability. This is highlighted by the fact that the membership of the Steering group has changed and Sally Pridding from the award winning The Valley Hotel in Ironbridge has now joined to represent the Tourism sector. The Steering Group’s experience, knowledge and long term strategic developments have continued to be utilised by BESST members, as demonstrated by members working together at events to develop and share local best practices. BESST members have continued to improve environmental business performance, cost reduction and revenue generation. Examples of these can be seen in members’ case studies on the website. I would encourage all members to utilise this portal as it provides excellent evidence for both awards and contract tendering for your organisation. Social Responsibility and employee engagement have also increased with Biodiversity projects being carried out, both on members’ sites and offsite projects with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The local-physical-targeted approach of aligning business resources with the expertise of the Trust has shown real conservation results in our area. This led to BESST being asked to help support the formation of the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Partnership board. BESST member’s recognition of material Security issues and resource conservation measures were presented at the International Working Conference on Applied Symbiosis 2012, the findings of which will be used for the UN RIO+20 Conference. The model we have created here with NISP has been used as an international model. In my role as Chair and advocate for BESST, I am continually surprised to see the interest generated on both a national and international scale in what has been achieved and more importantly - what still is being achieved. This outstanding performance is due to the Steering Group members’ individual commitment and knowledge, and the subsequent networking and deployment of environmental best practice by BESST members with support from our external partners. The increasing local and national awards received by BESST members, prove that this is an area that any new business who wants to improve their environmental performance can come to tap into the wealth of knowledge that we have within the membership. Being an ambassador for BESST is a privilege, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Vice Chairs, Steering Group and Members for their support in enabling me to carry this role out. This model of a business led forum working with the local authority and developing sustainability by working together with external partners is one that we should be proud of, as we continue to prove that “Sustainability = Business Continuity” Regards

Andy Andy Whyle Chair of BESST

Vice-Chair’s Reports

Dear BESST Members

2011 was another exciting year with many new environmental activities being developed. At DENSO, we finally dried the inorganic filter cake produced in the effluent treatment plant by recovering heat from the nitrogen plant. The result has been a 75% reduction on waste and the practice has featured as a case study by International Synergies. DENSO was also short-listed in the “Made in the Midlands” Green Manufacturer 2011 and the BCE Awards.

However, the main environmental activity in the company was on biodiversity. With the collaboration of an excellent group of supporters (volunteering in their own time), support from Shropshire Wildlife Trust and the link to several local schools, in 2011 the DENSO “eco-garden” was significantly developed.

In September, it was very exciting to see the 1st ever BESST Biodiversity event organized,

with many case studies from local companies and a visit to the DENSO eco-garden.

BESST annual growth in membership has been remarkable, and a very significant

turning point in the membership is that less than 50% of the membership now comes

from manufacturing. Over previous years, BESST has predominately had a high

percentage of manufacturing companies in its numbers.

Personally, this year I have new challenges as I have moved to another company in the

logistics and distribution sector, and I am very much looking forward to continuing to

support BESST providing new expertise from another area.

I would like to thank all our BESST members for their continued support and

contributions during 2011—2012 and look forward to working with you all over

the next 12 months.

Best wishes

Manel

Manel Roura

BESST Vice-Chair (joint)

Vice-Chair’s Reports

Dear BESST Members

SME’S have had a tough year with reducing order, lumpy demands, margins being squeezed, and mixed signals legislation from the Government, so business as usual then! One of the many challenges facing smaller businesses wanting to recycle more of their waste is the dilemma of not producing enough waste to interest the larger recycling firms. There has been some fantastic work done by the National Industrial Symbiosis Program (NISP) to bring smaller businesses together and encourage milk runs and other imaginative ways of reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Working in SME requires people to have knowledge of multiple disciplines with many employees wearing many different hats, and time is always at a premium this is why membership of BESST is considered a necessity by so many. The free events put on over the last twelve months have allowed the sharing of best practice so that we can learn what has been successful for others and not have to divert limited resources into ‘reinventing the wheel’ and have the Environment Agency actively supporting BESST members helps prevent us unwittingly falling foul of the law. Finally on behalf of our smaller business members I would like to thank the support offered so freely by the larger business members. It is only with their help and guidance that we can proudly say that we have one of the most successful business environmental networks in the country and a business community dedicated to helping one another survive in these challenging times.

Warm regards

Mark

Mark Simmons

BESST Vice-Chair (joint)

BESST Steering Group

Meeting every 6-8 weeks, BESST has 12 Steering Group Representatives, each with their own area of expertise, who work hard to ensure that BESST delivers a strong service for its members.

We are always keen to expand the range of skills and representation of the Board and would welcome enquiries from any member who would like to consider applying to join the Steering Group

BESST Steering Group Members

Name

Organisation Specialist Area

Andy Whyle (Chair) Ricoh Zero Waste / Biodiversity / Networking

Manel Roura (Vice Chair)

Lyreco

Zero Waste / Logistics / Biodiversity

Mark Simmons (Vice Chair)

Simmonsigns

SME Representation and Development

Paul Nelms

Epwin Group

Zero Waste / EMS

Paul Hayward

Environment Agency Legislative compliance Support

Mark Anderson Ricoh CO2 Energy Reduction / Strategy

Martin Booth

Denso

Zero Waste / EMS

Sally Pridding

Best Western

Eco-Tourism

Iain Wheeler Telford & Wrekin

EMS / Planning

Phil Challinor

Telford & Wrekin

Business Sector Development Officer

Jaclyn Kitson

Telford & Wrekin

Business Networks Coordinator

BESST Members

BESST currently has 227 registered members, covering 147 key local businesses, and year on year,

continues to grow. Members represent a wide range of businesses and sectors:

Business & Professional Services 9.3%

Charity 1.3%

Construction 4.0%

Environmental Services 8.7%

Manufacturing 48.7%

Public Sector 6.7%

Retail 3.3%

Storage & Distribution 3.3%

Tourism 4.7%

Waste Management 9.3%

Other 0.7%

@ June 2012

BESST Membership Support BESST members can receive support on several levels. Potential new members can now gain membership through the website and also have a copy of the BESST Carbon Monitoring Tool to capture their environmental data to help highlight targets and best practice. Existing members can raise issues either confidentially through the Telford Business Network Coordinator, or openly through the BESST website forums to access the entire BESST membership network. The results are the development of environmental best practice and local case studies which can be shared amongst members to collectively reduce environmental impacts.

BESST

New

Membership

Enquiry

BESST Websitehttp://http://

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BESST%20Membership%20F

orm%202012.pdf

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Networks

Coordinator

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Carbon Monitoring Tool

used for BESST results

and to identify best

practice case studies

BESST

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Coordinator

BESST

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LinkedIn: BESST

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Environmental BESST

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BESST Website

Deployment of BESST practice

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Business led Steering Group

Telford & Wrekin

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Membership knowledge base

Steering

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Mentoring

www.telfordbesst.org

BESST Members—Awards

Typical examples of some of our members achievements:

Best Western Valley Hotel Green Tourism Award

Simmonsigns Luminaire Manufacturers of the Year 2011 - Highway Electrical Association

University of Wolverhampton 2:1 grade in the People and Planet Green League 2012

JB Enviro Sustainability West Midlands – Green Leader Status

BAC Corrosion

• Research, Studies and Consulting Award - A.C.E Engineering Excellence

• Innovation of the Year - British Expertise International Awards

• Climate Change Opportunity Award - EEF Future Manufacturing Awards 2011

Ricoh Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Management for Resource Efficiency Premier Award

Events 2011—12

BESST/NISP Quick Wins Workshop The purpose of the workshop was to highlight potential business opportunities to reduce costs and increase sales. In total 840 potential matches were. This networking model has since been presented at the International Working Conference on Applied Industrial Symbiosis (IWCAIS 2012) This networking model improves the value of business waste, reduces costs, increases revenues and increases the life cycles of the materials that businesses purchase to make products, and has now been used internationally.

Following the IWCAIS, this model was taken to Rio2012+

Marches Environmental Technologies (Metnet) Exhibition

Environmental Legislation (Environment Agency)

The Marches Renewable Technologies Exhibition is a partnership between BESST and Metnet to bring companies together to address many issues including resource security. Exhibitors involved in renewable technologies and environmental solutions from all over the Marches region showcased their ideas and services. Giraffe Innovation provided the keynote speech on renewable technologies and eco design and its role in resource security.

With environmental legislation constantly changing BESST hosts an annual legislation update event. The 2011 event had a focus on pollution prevention specifically fire control. The event provided members with an overview of legislation updates from the Environment Agency followed by a presentation and practical demonstrations on the importance of pollution control in the workplace.

Events 2011—12

Improve Your Bottom Line Through Resource Efficiency

Focussing on reducing costs through resource efficiency, 85 local businesses listening to keynote speaker Peter Jones (pic) who is now a special advisor to the Mayor of London for the London Waste Advisory Board. Ed Horgan (Carbon Trust) took delegates through an Energy Management Action Plan, covering such topics as Barriers to Energy and Management & Transferable Sustainability amongst other topics..

Environmental Legislation Update & Annual Review

This BESST Event was focused on an Environmental Legislation Update from The Environment Agency which was followed by a Best Practice Presentation from Paul Nelms of The Epwin Group on how to Develop & Maintain a Legal Register for Compliance. An Annual Review of the BESST network was given which covered member awards, case studies, best practice and much more..

This was BESST’s first event on biodiversity, in partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The aim of the event was to show how biodiversity can fit into business giving an opportunity to demonstrate their contribution to the local community. It included an introduction from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, case studies of local business examples and a tour of DENSO's eco-garden.

Download the Shropshire Wildlife Trust Pond Creation Guide.pdf

Biodiversity Event

Events 2011—12

International Working Conference on Applied Industrial Symbiosis June 2012

In June Industry representatives from around the world took to the stage to share their experiences in Industrial Symbiosis at this inaugural international conference. At the event European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potoknik, acknowledged that 'Industrial Symbiosis was a highly innovative way to get more out of our resources.' Delegates were specially selected from around the world based on their knowledge and expertise in the field of Applied Industrial Symbiosis. Amongst them, Andy Whyle presented BESST and NISP’s case study, linking Telford’s largest Industrial Estates and Industrial Symbiosis through the Quick wins workshops held in 2011. During 2010 -2011 BESST & NISP held Waste Matching workshops in Telford’s 3 largest Industrial estates to provide training. This was then followed up with a joint Telford wide event where BESST members and solution providers (similar businesses and Recycling Contractors) took part in a NISP Quick Wins Workshop which identified and matched up over 800 potential wastes. This networking model improves the value of business waste, reduces costs, increases revenues and increases the life cycles of the materials that businesses purchase to make products. This holistic approach works towards improving global material security (an issue raised within the IWCAIS conference) and has now been used internationally. Following three days of intense debate alongside key presentations from organisations delegates identified a number of key recommendations for each theme. five delegates are now on their way to Rio+20 to share the outcomes of IWCAIS 2012 and secure additional support to drive forward the recommendations. More information from the conference is available from www.iwcais.com

Members - Example Case Studies & Best Practice Visits

A key attribute of BESST – sharing best practice etc…

Epson—The Challenge To minimise the environmental impact from the company fork lift truck fleet. Click here to read further details

Jones & Hampton—Solar Power Panels Inspiration for this project occurred when the company directors Dave Jones and Steve Hampton visited a sustainable building centre in Leamington Spa where they learnt about the issues that will af-fect energy supply in the future. Click here to read further details:

Denso—Eco Garden The aim of creating the Eco Garden was to protect local biodiversity, create a green open space for our employees to enjoy and respect the environment, increase interaction with the local community and schools and improve Denso’s reputation. Read further details

During 2010-11, BESST & NISP held Waste Matching workshops in Telford’s 3 largest Industrial estates to provide training. This was then followed up with a joint Telford wide event where BESST members and solutions providers (similar businesses and Recycling Contractors) took part in a NISP Quick Wins Workshop which identified and matched over 800 potential wastes. read news article

Anaerobic Digestion Best Practice Event - October 2011

BESST members went to Harper Adams University College to look at the new Anaerobic Digestion plant. They were told about the development of the plant, the benefits to the university and the food collection rounds that Harper Adams are offering in conjunction with Cartwright’s waste disposal services.

Read further details

Top 5 Page Views

Home Page 1,932 views Events 685 views About Us 477 views Case Studies 468 views Members 466 views

Search Engines The Site continues to perform well in search engines, and Google continues to provide most of the search engine originated traffic. We are also able to monitor the phrases they use to find the website. The key phrases that people used to find the website during 2011/12 are below. Top 5 phrases that directed visitors to our site 2011/12 Rank Phrase

Besst Ennstone Precast Water Resources Act 2009 Besst Telford Water resources act 1991

73% of Traffic via search engines 7% of Traffic via referrals (from links on other websites) 20% of Traffic organic (direct to site—no search engines used) Further information If you have any questions about the website or any development ideas for this please

contact jaclyn.kitson@telford.gov.uk

Website Report www.telfordbesst.org.uk

Website Visitors

A good level of traffic is being directed to the website and from April 2011 to May 2012, we have seen over 2,800 visitors to the site, resulting in over 17,000 page views.

1,959 of these visits were NEW 372 of these visits were INTERNATIONAL

To find out more about BESST please call us on 01952 567 578

jaclyn.kitson@telford.gov.uk

visit www.telfordbesst.org

2011—2012