Environmental Procurement Guide by Spacehouse

ENVIRONMENTAL PROCUREMENT GUIDE

A GUIDE TO PRODUCTS & SERVICES

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Welcome to the preview issue of the Environmental Procurement Guide

Contacts

Publisher:

David Harrison

E: d.harrison@spacehouse.co.uk

T: 01625 614 000

Editor: Paul Day

E: paul@spacehouse.co.uk

T: 01625 614 000

Design & Layout: Oli Bowden

E: design@spacehouse.co.uk

T: 01625 614 000

Business Development Manager: Matt Paton

E: m.paton@spacehouse.co.uk

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Business Development Manager: Andy Lees

E: a.lees@spacehouse.co.uk

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Welcome to the 2025 Environmental Procurement Guide, published in association with Environment Journal and Air Quality News (part of the Public Sector News Network).

These publications report daily upon the challenges organisations face when working to mitigate their environmental impact and given this, we are extending this coverage to focus upon some of the environmental solutions available via an Environmental Services Guide.

The Centre for Local Economic Strategies calculated that central government spends around £240billion a year upon procuring goods and services with local government spending some £72billion. Given this spending power, sustainable or environmental procurement can play a vital role in reducing waste and consumption, improving air quality, and achieving net zero or carbon neutrality and offers a strategic direction for local authorities considering the environmental impact of their purchases when buying goods and services. It involves looking beyond price and quality to consider the social, economic, and environmental benefits of each contract or purchase.

In this Environmental Services Guide we bring together many of the organisations who offer products and services which may facilitate the drive towards the delivery of sustainability throughout the entire procurement life cycle, meeting legal and financial obligations, following best practice and achieving economic, environmental and social benefits.

The Guide is divided into a number of sections for ease of use, introducing suppliers working across environmental services, waste & recycling, air quality and net zero, and traffic & transport.

For further environmental, air quality & net zero news and features –stay connected with environmentjournal.online and airqualitynews.com

Paul Day | Editor

PAGES 8-10

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES | 06-12

Decarbonising the built environment through procurement. By Imogen Player, Senior Sustainability Consultant.

PAGES 12-13

Improving accountability in government procurement. By Ben Paxton and Nick Davies at the Institute for Government.

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WASTE AND RECYCLING | 14-20

PAGES 16-18

Worth the weight? Illegal gold mines are polluting Ghana. By Ian Packham, Journalist & Adventurer.

PAGES 20-21

Waitrose launches new cork recycling scheme. By Martin Guttridge-Hewitt, Journalist.

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AIR QUALITY AND NET ZERO | 22-30

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A ventilation expert’s guide to Indoor Air Quality legislation in the UK. By Alan Siggins, Managing Director of Airflow.

PAGES 28-30

How councils can successfully integrate solar energy on public buildings. By Sue Welland, Electron Green.

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TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT | 32-40

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Five steps to decarbonise and digitise your fleet. By Justin Coetzee, CEO and Founder of GoMetro.

PAGES 38-40

Promoting active travel through secure cycle parking. By Gavin Rimmer, Head of Commercial, Cyclehoop.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

This page will be an introduction to the Environmental Services section within this dedicated Procurement Guide.

We will summarise the current issues from the sectors of environment, sustainability and green energy. This guide provides advertising clients with a wide variety of promotional options. There is the option for focussed advertorials, comprising of a full page editorial and full page advert. We also offer a full range of advertising options including double page spreads, full, half and also quarter pages.

Hence we can offer a variety of creative promotional solutions for your brand to get in front of the key decision makers across Local Government with a collective spending power of £72billion per year.

Decarbonising the built environment through procurement

By Imogen Player, Senior Sustainability Consultant

Launched in 2012, the Supply Chain Sustainability School (the School) is an award-winning free virtual learning platform around sustainability, with the aim to upskill those working within, or aspiring to work within, the built environment sector. Learning includes resources and live training sessions and covers all three core pillars of sustainability –environment, social and economic – looking at key issues ranging from carbon management through to combating modern slavery.

The School services the markets of construction, infrastructure, facilities management, homes, finishes and interiors, and future workforce across England, Scotland and Wales. Becoming a member of the School is free, with the platform currently having around 40,000 active members per year. Over 200 Partners from across the value chain fund the School – including clients, contractors and suppliers who have a mutual interest in building the skills of their supply chain through collaboration.

The School’s Plant and Equipment Leadership Group was established by School Partners and other key industry stakeholders to develop and facilitate a collaborative approach to reducing the tailpipe air quality and greenhouse gas emissions of plant, through its procurement, rental and use.

This is to directly address the negative impacts on health and global warming from diesel and petrol plant. Clients are increasingly interested in reducing tailpipe emissions for their projects, as well as a growing number of low-emission zones across the country. As a result, the Partners collaborate to identify and provide the supply chain with information and guidance on plant standards and management. The School’s latest Impact Report (2023-2024) demonstrated that 39% of respondents believe the School has helped them to improve their overall control of air quality. (Survey response size: 1,200 individual members).

Developed by the Group, with the first version launched in 2019, the Plant, Tools and Equipment Minimum Standards (V3) indicate the minimum emissions levels that organisations should at least be aiming for when they procure plant, tools

“[The standards] are predicated on a balance between wanting to move the dial on reducing air quality and greenhouse gas emissions while understanding the reality of their market availability, price and fleet lifetime.”

Imogen Player

Senior Sustainability Consultant

and equipment. They are predicated on a balance between wanting to move the dial on reducing air quality and greenhouse gas emissions while understanding the reality of their market availability, price and fleet lifetime. The Minimum Standards were built on information gained from interviews with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on current and future trends for reducing emissions from their products, covering power technologies, lifetime and other aspects. The Group has continually re-engaged with OEMs to inform the version updates.

The Minimum Standards form the core of the Plant, Tools and Equipment Charter (V2), and the two go hand in hand. The purpose of the Charter is to raise awareness in the sector of the need to drive down air quality and greenhouse gas emissions from the plant, tools and equipment that are bought, hired and used. It’s an outward declaration that organisations are serious

about taking action. Signing up to the Charter is voluntary and open to anyone who works with plant, whether they’re a business that rents machinery out to others, or a contractor who rents equipment or even has its own fleet. To become a signatory and achieve either Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, organisations must provide evidence for the last 12 months on six key commitments:

01. Minimum Standards – data on the tailpipe emissions of equipment you rent or buy in, giving information on the engine Stages for the plant.

02. Engagement – how you engage stakeholders on the lower emissions equipment you are using, or planning to use, such as plant demonstration days, when you have spoken at events, and published case studies.

03. Awareness and Education – how you train and upskill your operatives, site managers, buyers and others who need to know how to procure cleaner plant and operate it more efficiently.

04. Innovation – information on issues such as your fleet replacement plans with regard to lower emissions.

05. Telematics – how you use data to inform activities.

06. Charter inclusion in supply chain & procurement – how you promote the charter tangibly throughout your supply chain.

There are currently 22 Signatories to the Charter, ranging from tier one contractors and clients to plant rental companies. In July 2024, the Group launched a new Procurement Guide to Embedding the Plant Charter and Minimum Standards into the Value Chain. The purpose of this guide is to help organisations embed the Charter’s commitments across the procurement

cycle and to accelerate the inclusion of air quality and low carbon considerations across the value chain.

The guide applies to both new and existing procurement awarded contracts where air quality and low carbon considerations can be embedded within the performance management stage of the procurement process.

This is because procurement of plant and equipment by organisations, contractors and live project site environments is often reactive, based on a site’s urgent requirements, with little or no time for strategic planning considerations that can consider low-emission plant and equipment. This doesn’t allow for suitable sustainability requirements to flow down to the supply chain via a tendering process.

On the other hand, the procurement of plant and equipment by supply and plant hire companies will allow the time for this strategic sustainability criteria to be considered, but might be the subject of investment decisions and collaborative early engagement from buying organisations. The guide describes where and how the Charter commitments should be considered, embedded and managed in the planning, sourcing, managing and contract review stages of the procurement cycle.

Other resources developed by the Group include:

• CPD-accredited Air Quality for Plant and Equipment 30-minute e-learning module which provides users with an introduction to the topic;

• Air Quality for Plant and Equipment sustainability short video;

• Air Quality and Carbon self-enrol learning pathway which is a suite of resources to complete and achieve a badge of completion;

• Responsible Sourcing of HVO Guide describes the sustainability benefits and risks of procuring and using HVO as an alternative to fossil diesel as part of a Net Zero carbon reduction strategy. It provides facts and figures, gleaned from other published and peer-reviewed reports on these impacts, as well as advice and guidance, through several recommendations, on what can be done to mitigate these risks;

• The Eco-operations National Training Delivery Framework which was developed in conjunction with the Plant Sector Representative Organisation (PSRO);

• Whole life approach calculator for plant and machinery;

• Optimised idling video and toolkit slides, in conjunction with HS2;

• Clean Air Zones and Low Emission Zones map.

To take the first step, or continue to improve air quality through smarter procurement, register for a free account with the School and access free e-learning, resources and training sessions on air quality and sustainable procurement.

To register for a free account with the School, scan the QR code or visit: learn.supplychainschool.co.uk/ auth/scss/register_form.php

Clean Air Zones

Our product portfolio enables transport authorities worldwide to optimise their road networks, and provide a more efficient, cleaner, healthier and safer network for road users and residents alike.

Solutions, ranging from turnkey, fully integrated traffic management and control suites to single-site tactical solutions, play an important role in supporting local, regional, and national transport authorities to reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality and keep our towns and cities functioning.

Our intelligent Clean Air and Low Emission Zone enforcement systems are proven to drive behavioural change, discouraging the use of older, higher-polluting vehicles in towns and cities.

Solutions for detecting and prioritising active travel

To help authorities to better measure, model, manage and control air quality in their cities in real time, we are also able to harness the power of predictive modelling, working in partnership with our sister company Aimsum to combine our traffic management and control solutions with Aimsun’s modelling software systems.

Our FUSION adaptive network control solution allows traffic management decisions to be policy-driven, such that traffic signal timing can be optimized to prioritise active travel modes and clean air outcomes. Already live in London and Hampshire, FUSION makes walking and cycling easier and safer and supports reliable and sustainable public transport systems. This in turn leads to reduced congestion and improved air quality, making roads and communities healthier, more sustainable, and more attractive.

We have also developed ACTIS, an all-new sustainable traffic signal. Manufactured from recycled materials and consuming 50% less energy than any other traffic signal on the market, this next generation signal also has the option of integrating sensors to enable authorities to better manage air quality, both locally and network-wide.

EV Charging

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And newly developed Bus Analytics software allows bus movements across their network to be closely analysed in real time, using rich data to deliver reliable, sustainable and attractive bus services.

We are also supporting the rapidly growing UK fleet of electric vehicles, supplying and maintaining rapid EV chargers to deliver the levels of availability and reliability that authorities, operators and drivers demand.

With this broad portfolio of solutions, underpinned by our unrivalled vision, experience and expertise, we are helping transport authorities worldwide meet their traffic, carbon and air quality targets, including the need to balance transport efficiency with emissions and road safety.

We look forward to continuing to work in close collaboration with our customers and partners to create a safer and more efficient transport network, reducing accidents, congestion and harmful emissions in our towns and cities, and building a cleaner, healthier and more attractive environment.

Improving accountability in government procurement

By Ben Paxton and Nick Davies at the Institute for Government

The PPE and Horizon scandals show recent governments have not always spent public money well: With the Procurement Act 2023 the new government has a chance to change that.

The government spends more than £350 billion each year buying goods, works and services from businesses and charities. This spending – grouped under ‘procurement’ – makes up almost a third of all public expenditure and plays an essential role in public services, national security and infrastructure. But government procurement has been beset by scandals in recent years, most recently with the wrongful prosecution of Post Office workers due to the faulty Horizon computer system and, before that, accusations of cronyism around the Conservative government’s ‘VIP-lane’ for PPE procurement during the pandemic.

The difficult fiscal inheritance facing the new government means it is especially important that public spending –including procurement – is aligned with government priorities and delivers good value for money. Government needs the strategy, systems and capability to hold suppliers and contracting authorities to account for this, and create incentives for effective procurement. It is clear these have not always been present under recent administrations.

The Procurement Act will bring in a new public sector procurement regime. This is an important opportunity for the new government. Simplified regulations, greater transparency and enhanced exclusion criteria could all help improve accountability. But there are also risks. The Act is not a panacea – new requirements could impose more demands on already stretched resource and add further complexity to a governance system that can already be difficult to navigate. Some long-standing problems are not covered. The government – from the Cabinet Office and central government departments, through small contracting authorities in the wider public sector – must ensure it is ready to adapt to the new regime. With the new government delaying implementation of the Procurement Act to 24 February 2025, it now has a perfect opportunity to strengthen accountability.

At this critical juncture, a joint Institute for Government, Tussell and AutogenAI report first sets out the scale of public procurement, and potential opportunities for insourcing in the IT and management consultancy sectors. It then looks at how accountability in procurement works in practice, how the

This article is an abridgement of an Institute for Government report, written by Ben Paxton and Nick Davies, and financially supported by Tussell and AutogenAI. Scan the QR code or visit: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/ accountability-government-procurement

Procurement Act will change this, and the opportunities and risks for the new government to grasp in the months ahead. The report is based on contract and spending data collated by Tussell, desk research and a private roundtable with senior procurement experts from government, suppliers and beyond, and its headline findings are outlined below.

HEADLINE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN BRIEF

Performance metrics and monitoring

Performance metrics are often poorly aligned with government objectives, lack clarity and can be outside of the supplier’s control, with monitoring regularly carried out by more junior staff who lack commercial expertise. The Procurement Act introduces new requirements for publishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and how suppliers perform against them.

Contracting authorities at all levels of government should be investing in the capacity and capability needed to effectively set performance metrics and monitor performance against them under the new procurement regime.

• The Government Commercial Function should ensure there is appropriate training and support on monitoring and setting KPIs for both central government and the wider public sector. Labour’s mission-led approach could provide more effective strategic direction for the whole of government, including procurement.

• The Mission Delivery Unit should work with the Government Commercial Function to develop guidance on how missions should be reflected in contracts.

Consequences for poor performance

The consequences for poor performance are unclear, with current grounds for excluding underperforming suppliers virtually unused. While the Procurement Act widens the grounds for exclusion, their implementation may be limited by dependence on particular suppliers across the public sector, particularly where there is limited market competition.

• The Cabinet Office should conduct targeted reviews into the suppliers the public sector is most exposed to, and clarify how they could be feasibly added to the debarment list.

• Ministers should commission ‘deep dive’ reviews into public sector markets where a lack of competition would make exclusions difficult.

Transparency

The poor quality of procurement data limits oversight of what government is spending and reduces competition. This means government gets a worse deal. The Act is an opportunity to improve transparency and therefore accountability through increased reporting requirements and a new central digital platform. But its success will depend on public organisations collecting and providing this information.

• The Treasury should update the Managing Public Money guidance to make accounting officers responsible for their organisation maintaining and publishing high-quality procurement data.

External scrutiny

Reviews of procurement by the National Audit Office (NAO) and Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) do improve behaviour, but their benefits can be limited by government taking a tick-box approach to compliance and not always addressing the root causes of issues highlighted.

• The NAO and PAC should continue to follow up on whether recommendations are followed.

• As the Procurement Act 2023 comes into force, the PAC should ask for regular updates on progress towards meeting the new transparency requirements.

Policies and controls

Policies and controls help ensure procurement is aligned with the government’s priorities and is done through appropriate processes; at the same time, more governance can muddy accountability and make government a less attractive client. These trade-offs are not always recognised. In addition, ministerial involvement often comes at a late stage, which limits their ability to add value and creates avoidable delays. The Procurement Act improves clarity over national priorities and oversight, but risks creating additional layers of process and policy to navigate.

• The Cabinet Office should update the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) to reflect Labour’s missions to set clear strategic direction for procurement across the public sector.

• The new government should conduct a review of procurement policies and controls to ensure that collectively they help enable clarity of accountability and are aligned with government priorities.

• Each minister should have a clear and consistent approach to involvement in procurement decisions. For all ministers this should include a clear understanding of which contracts they will be involved in, set decision points for their input and timelines for response.

Capability and capacity

There have been substantial improvements in the commercial function in government in recent years, but there are still capacity problems, particularly in the wider public sector. This needs to be addressed.

• The Government Commercial Function should set out in more detail the additional resource it expects will be needed to meet the new requirements under the Procurement Act, maintain and strengthen the commercial profession and ensure that high-quality training is available to the wider public sector.

• This is particularly important for contract management, where there should be an expectation that all staff managing contracts should be commercial specialists.

This page will be an introduction to the Waste and Recycling section within this dedicated Procurement Guide.

We will summarise the current issues from the sectors of waste management, hazardous waste, waste disposal and recycling. This guide provides advertising clients with a wide variety of promotional options. There is the option for focussed advertorials, comprising of a full page editorial and full page advert. We also offer a full range of advertising options including double page spreads, full, half and also quarter pages.

Worth the weight? Illegal gold mines are polluting Ghana

By Ian Packham, Journalist & Adventurer

Ian Packham reports from West Africa, where illegitimate industry threatens wildlife, contaminates water, toxifies land, and sparks brutal conflicts

‘The water shouldn’t be this colour’ says my guide to the birthplace of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president – the small town of Nkroful, in the country’s Western Region.

The small rivulet where Ghana’s founding father plucked out a fish as a child, thereby heralding his future greatness, is a lurid, ugly, yellow-brown. Its muddy banks are devoid of vegetation, and there’s barely a bird call. It’s as unnatural a setting as any you’ll find in the country. ‘It’s galamsey’ she adds.

Despite the efforts of multiple organisations within Ghana’s government, including the army, small-scale ‘artisan’ illegal gold mining – known as galamsey, a concatenation of ‘gather them and sell’ – has polluted vast stretches of the country’s waterways.

Extracting gold uses large quantities of toxic substances including cyanide, mercury, cadmium and lead, all chemicals which need little introduction when it comes to their toxicity to living things.

Even the River Volta has turned the same unhealthy yellow colour close to the town of Yapei in the country’s north. Flowing for 930miles [1,500km], more than four times the length of the Thames, and with a basin extending across most of the country, this is Ghana’s most important river.

Its dams provide hydroelectric power, while its waters provide direct irrigation for farmland and a source of income for fishermen hauling their nets along the river and the massive reservoir [Lake Volta] formed by the Akosombo Dam in Ghana’s southeast.

The contamination has killed livestock in some areas, pushing animals and human inhabitants to use the few boreholes supplying fresh clean water in drier regions of the country. At its worst, galamsey mining has also led to physical conflict.

A recent study carried out by TAMA Foundation Universal [a non-governmental organisation focussed on natural resource governance], together with the Faculty of Natural Resources

and Environment at the University for Development Studies [UDS] in Tamale, found that of 64 current conflicts, one third are the result of illegal gold mining.

With parliamentary and presidential elections this December, galamsey has become a major public issue. The Kontinhene, or paramount chief of the town of Asoum, Nana Boadi Ampomenim Abodade III, made headlines when he recently publicly said that ‘cocoa is being pulled apart [because of galamsey], palm oil is being destroyed, drinking water is being destroyed,’ before calling on the current, Nana Akufo-Addo, president to tackle the issue effectively.

And it’s not that illegal gold mines are difficult to spot. Aboard the trotro minibuses which constitute a main form of transport, I pass several between the cities Tarkwa and Obuasi, Ghana’s modern centres of mining operations. They are noticeable through the stripped back vegetation, churned clay soil, deep pits and rudimentary mining equipment, often made from materials such as tree branches.

Ghana has always been known for its gold deposits – during the colonial period the British called it Gold Coast precisely for this reason. Gold prices are so high, and on a continuously upward projection, that even the UK Royal Mint has begun recycling electronics to extract the tiny amounts of pure gold used in computer chips for its excellent electrical conductivity. As of this morning, a kilogram of gold is worth over £63,000.

But galamsey miners – significant numbers of whom die every year when tunnels collapse – don’t see these riches. They point out that very often it’s community members like them who gain little directly from the presence of big, legal gold mining

operations carried out by multinational corporations such as AngloGold Ashanti.

Their publicly-available information shows their Obuasi mining operations used 926tonnes of cyanide in 2023, while contributing £1.84m to the region and paying £34.6m in taxes.

Picture taken by Ian Packham of the polluted river in the small town of Nkroful

Picture taken by Ian Packham of the polluted river in Nkroful

Ghana’s Water Resources Commission says 60% of the country’s waterways are contaminated or otherwise polluted because of galamsey, leading the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, which oversees the mining sector, to estimate that unless something changes Ghana will have to import fresh water by 2030. The organisation has even sent out ‘security operatives’ to seize equipment and arrest those involved in galamsey.

In addition, illegal mining has started to threaten wildlife reseeves, which play a key part in drawing tourists to the country. Like Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary, a protected site and home to 50 hippos and 250 bird species on the Black Volta in the country’s northwest. It has supported 2,000 local residents, many of them women who otherwise find it hard to do anything but rely on male relatives.

Nevertheless, few people want to see legal gold production end permanently. It remains an important source of revenue for Ghana. Formal gold mining began in Tarkwa in 1877, and Obuasi in 1879, where large mines run by international conglomerates remain today. But as early as 1471, the area now known as Ghana was exporting 10% of the world’s gold finds.

Today, gold accounts for around 5% of Ghana’s GDP, and 90% of its mineral exports, equal to a real terms value of around £26billion – more than 13.5 times the annual national education budget. In other words, gold is incredibly important to the Ghanaian economy. It has even surpassed South Africa as the continent’s biggest gold producer – a title South Africa would like back.

Even more startling is the fact almost half of Ghana’s gold is formed into weighty blocks by galamseyers. Speak to them, and there’s one main reason why generally young men from the countryside become illegal gold miners. Even with university education, they can’t find any other work. It’s estimated there are anywhere from 50,000 and 200,000 galamseyers, with a further 2.8million relying on the proceeds of their illegality.

It’s tough not to feel sorry for them. They don’t want to be polluting their local waterways, and rarely are they particularly keen to be miners. But with a lacklustre jobs market and pressure from families to earn, it’s hard to see where else they can turn beyond hoping for the arrival of a nosey environmental journalist or intervention from local NGOs.

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Waitrose launches new cork recycling scheme

By Martin Guttridge-Hewitt, Journalist

Cork, which is a natural product, has historically been the cap of choice for wine and high end beers, ciders and other alcoholic drinks. However, the rise of the metal screw top has gradually been replacing the historic item, at great environmental expense.

Portugal, the world’s most prominent cork producer, currently has around 350 cork forests left, and these provide vital support to the country’s ecosystem, nurturing biodiversity and helping mitigate extreme weather events, including drought. The product is also considered fully sustainable, meaning it can be regrown infinitely providing there are the necessary resources to feed the trees themselves, which are known for their low water intake.

Understanding the clear benefits of keeping cork in circulation, UK supermarket Waitrose has now announced a new recycling scheme launching at seven locations. Stores in Salisbury, Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro, and Maidenhead will all have collection points for used bottle corks from 7th October onwards. If successful, it could be rolled out nationally. Amorim, the largest cork processing firm in the world, is handling the supply chain and physical recycling.

‘Waitrose customers get through a corking nearly 25 million natural corks a year. Currently this valuable material does

not have its own waste stream which means it ends up in landfill. Cork is a durable material and has the potential to be repurposed into a variety of products after it has been used as a wine cork,’ said Barry Dick, MW and Beer Wine and Spirits Global Bulk Wine Sourcing Manager at Waitrose. ‘This trial is a fantastic way for us to reduce waste and play a part in improving our sustainability as a category. Once we’ve gauged our customer’s appetite to return their natural corks, we’re hoping to roll the trial out to further stores from next year.’

‘I’m excited to kick off this trial and learn about how we can help reduce unnecessary waste of such a great material,’ added Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability at John Lewis Partnership. ‘We’re always looking for ways to reduce waste and keep materials in circulation as a crucial element of our Ethics & Sustainability commitments, and this trial will add another layer to the work we have across the Partnership.’

Seven stores across the UK will now offer collection points for natural corks.

New Waitrose bread rises from regenerative farming practices (from 16th May 2024)

The Farmhouse Load has been created utilising nature-friendly agriculture, and has now hit UK supermarkets.

The bread is made using environmentally-sound wheat, grown at the Leckford Estate, Hampshire. Currently Britain’s only supermarket-owned farm, the facility is one of a small number of LEAF [Linking Environment and Farming] demonstration locations in the UK.

Accreditation means practicing principles of Integrated Farm Management, which takes into account all available resources and vulnerabilities of land in a bid to have the least impact with the best possible natural yield. Processes rely on crop rotation and other traditional methods, while making use of cutting edge technologies.

In addition to flower, Leckford Estate also cultivates a number of other products, and is known for its apples, pears, grapes, and rapeseed. Meanwhile, a cattle herd is also on site, with 30% more space allocated than Red Tractor Standard requirements.

‘We are really proud of the launch of the Leckford Farmhouse Loaf. Not only does the bread taste absolutely delicious, but it also represents the ambitious nature-friendly farming methods that Leckford has been practising for the last four years. We are mindful of the way in which we grow our crops on the estate, and we have been farming to regenerative principles –protecting the soil, saving water and enhancing biodiversity,’ said Andrew Hoad, Head of the Leckford Estate. ‘Waitrose is the only supermarket to own a farm, and we want to showcase that food that is good for the environment can also be incredibly good for our customers too.’

Regenerative farming is an approach to farming that, in theory, allows the land, the soil, water, nutrients, and natural assets to regenerate themselves, as opposed to conventional approaches to farming that can deplete these natural resources

Sustainable supermarket choices reduce grocery emissions by 71% (from 30th May 2024)

New research supports widespread calls for carbon labelling on food packaging to help consumers make more environmentallyfriendly decisions.

The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College London’s School of Public Health conducted the analysis with a focus on grocery shoppers in Australia. This is the largest every study of its kind.

Originally published in Nature Food, the results showed that making simple swaps – for example opting for a frozen vegetarian lasagne over meat – can cut associated emissions by up to 71%. Overall, emissions for 7,000 households were projected with more than 22,000 individual products assigned to ‘major’, ‘minor’, and sub-categories of food, quantifying emissions by switching within and between types.

Switching within the same sub-category can bring down emissions by 26%, while making a different choice from within a minor category could help greenhouse gas output drop by 71%. This is particularly significant given around one-third of global emissions can be attributed to food and agriculture. Combined environmental and public health costs from this are estimated at between $10trillion and $14trillion annually. A new app has been produced by The George Institute, ecoSwitch, which is currently available to shoppers in Australia, helping them make more informed choices.

‘Dietary habits need to change significantly if we are to meet global emissions targets, particularly in high-income countries like Australia, the UK, and US. Consumers are willing to make more sustainable food choices, but lack reliable information to identify the more environmentally-friendly options,’ said Dr Allison Gaines, an epidemiologist and lead author of the study.

‘This shows that incorporating sustainability targets in national food policies could directly contribute towards reaching global environmental goals, without burdening consumers. This is why we are urgently calling for robust legislation that targets high-emission food products,’ added Research Fellow Dr Paraskevi Seferidi, of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.

AIR QUALITY AND NET ZERO

This page will be an introduction to the Air Quality and Net Zero section within this dedicated Procurement Guide.

We will summarise the current issues from the sectors of air quality, air quality monitoring, emissions and net zero. This guide provides advertising clients with a wide variety of promotional options. There is the option for focussed advertorials, comprising of a full page editorial and full page advert. We also offer a full range of advertising options including double page spreads, full, half and also quarter pages.

A ventilation expert’s guide to Indoor Air Quality legislation in the UK

By Alan Siggins, Managing Director of Airflow

The UK is already showing the first signs of winter. As temperatures drop, people naturally spend more time inside. However, this shift comes with a potential health concern - indoor air can become up to five times more polluted than outside. What’s more, indoor air pollution is often unnoticed until it impacts health.

Unsurprisingly, with this increased risk to public health from poor air quality, there have been amendments to existing legislation in the UK, as well as new rules and regulations to familiarise yourself with.

What is indoor air quality?

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of the air within and around buildings, relating to the health and comfort of the people living there. Poor indoor air quality can be detrimental to the health of occupants, both in the short-term and longterm. It can cause respiratory issues, headaches, and even decreased cognitive function.

To maintain good indoor air quality, properties should be assessed for problems like damp and mould, volatile organic compounds and by-products from combustion. Solutions should also be investigated, including air filtration, proper ventilation and measures to reduce or eliminate pollutant sources.

What are the standards for indoor air quality?

In the UK, there isn’t overarching legislation currently in place. That said, there are a number of different standards and guidelines that encourage compliance with indoor air quality regulations.

UK building regulations: approved document F: These regulations, amended in 2021, mandate higher ventilation rates, i.e. better ventilation, as well as mechanical ventilation for airtight new homes to improve indoor air quality. New build homes are becoming increasingly airtight, which can lead to a build-up of indoor pollutants if left without proper ventilation. Approved Document F specifies increased whole-building airflow, room-specific background ventilation, and purge ventilation requirements based on window openings to allow sufficient air changes per hour. The main goal of Part F is to protect the health of building occupants from things like mould and internal air pollution, by providing adequate ventilation.

World Health Organization (WHO) indoor air quality guidelines:

The WHO IAQ standards and guidelines identify key substances in our homes that can be potentially harmful and sets safe limits for these. They protect public health from a number of chemicals found in indoor air that can have negative health effects in homes if found in large quantities, or for long periods. The WHO categorises these indoor pollutants into three main groups, including biological indoor pollutants (dampness and mould), chemical pollutants, and pollutants from the combustion of indoor fuels.

NICE Indoor air quality at home guidance:

The NICE guidance focuses on improving indoor air quality in homes. It offers advice on achieving this goal and includes recommendations for a wide range of stakeholders. The guidelines aim to ensure compliance with building standards and raise awareness about the importance of maintaining healthy indoor environments.

The target groups include local authorities, healthcare professionals, architects, designers, builders, and developers, with specific advice for each group. This includes creating strategies for improving indoor air quality and housing conditions, as well as promoting awareness about the sources of indoor air pollution, its health impacts, and practical measures to reduce exposure.

Awaab’s Law and Social Housing (Regulation) Act:

This legislation was driven by the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak from exposure to mould in his home. It aims to enforce more stringent and timely action for landlords to ensure safe living conditions and better regulation of social housing. Under Awaab’s law, social housing landlords have to address dangerous hazards such as damp and mould in their properties within strict time frames; investigating hazards within 14 days, starting repair within a further seven days, and making emergency repairs in 24 hours.

Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill:

Also known as Ella’s Law, named after Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah, the first person in England to have air pollution named as the cause of death by a coroner. This is a proposed legislation in the UK that aims to make it a legal human right to breathe clean air. It would also require the government to act to bring air quality in every community to minimum WHO standards. If enacted, this law would mean current and future generations no longer have to breathe air that seriously damages their health.

BS40102 (part one):

BS40102 (part one) is the first British Standard for health and well-being in buildings, created by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). It offers a framework for evaluating, tracking, and documenting indoor environmental quality (IEQ) across non-residential buildings. It includes evaluation and rating methodologies for various factors impacting IEQ, including air quality, lighting, thermal comfort and acoustics. By setting measurable benchmarks, this standard helps businesses and building operators monitor and improve IEQ consistently.

Additionally, BS40102 highlights the growing recognition of the role that buildings play in influencing occupants’ health, comfort, and productivity.

Alan has represented BEAMA the industry body for ventilation when helping to design and implement compliance and competency schemes for ventilation with NICEIC and ATTMA, he also represented industry for the Government commissioned review Each Home Counts from which PAS 2035 was an outcome. He joined Airflow Developments in 2008 as Managing Director.

Alan Siggins Managing Director of Airflow

The Future Homes and Building Standard:

The UK government has pledged to implement new standards, guidelines, and regulations for newly constructed homes starting in 2025. These homes will be required to generate 75-80% fewer carbon emissions compared to those built under current regulations. Under the standard, heating in new build dwellings will be provided by low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, to achieve this goal. In addition to promoting low-carbon technologies, the Future Homes Standard also emphasises improved insulation and thermal efficiency, ensuring that new homes are designed to meet emission reduction targets.

How

to improve indoor air quality

• Increase ventilation: Proper ventilation is crucial for improving indoor air quality. Consider mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems during construction or renovation. These solutions provide continuous filtered fresh air while recovering heat to improve energy efficiency.

• Controlling the source of pollutants: Identify and reduce sources of indoor pollutants, such as combustion appliances, building materials, and cleaning products.

• Air purification: This helps remove particulate pollutants, gases and odours. Consider installing whole-home air purification systems for enhanced filtration.

• Cleaning and maintenance: Regularly clean or replace filters, vents, and ductwork to prevent recirculation of dust and pollutants, and upgrade older ventilation equipment.

• Check if recirculation is efficient: Ensure any air ventilation systems are not recirculating stale indoor air excessively by checking the outdoor air intake, filter condition, and overall airflow balance through testing and balancing

Automated 24/7 monitoring

‘Always up’ self-healing wireless mesh network

Web based UI dashboards with analytics

Lifetime warranty

Vortex supports Cardiff Council with city-wide VTX Air network

Client. Cardiff City Council

Cardiff Council and Vortex have launched an ambitious project with forty-seven air quality monitors installed across four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) and twenty-six school locations in the Welsh capital.

The Welsh capital is committed to improving air quality for its 350,000+ residents, focussing on vulnerable areas like schools to protect children’s health.

Challenge. Lack of localised data

Like many UK cities, Cardiff faces significant air pollution issues, particularly Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from road transport. Additionally, Public Health Wales estimates over 220 annual deaths in the region due to NO2 pollution. Legacy legal challenges have driven the Council to intensify efforts against air pollution in recent years.

• 2017 legal action: Client Earth sued the Welsh and UK Governments over illegal NO2 levels, pushing for accountability.

• Cardiff Council was instructed to find ways to reduce NO2 quickly. Initial findings showed Castle Street and other areas breaching EU limits by 2021.

• Traditionally, the Council relied on diffusion tubes, offering only average readings and limiting real-time assessment on a street-by-street basis.

Solution. VTX Air Monitors

In response to these challenges, Cardiff Council sought innovative solutions to enhance its air quality monitoring capabilities. Recognising the need for a holistic approach, the Council preferred noncharging measures over clean air zones, aligning with government guidance and emphasising the broader air quality benefits associated with such solutions. Vortex provided:

• VTX Air monitors across nearly every School and four Air Quality Management Areas: Llandaff, Ely Bridge, Stephenson-Court, Cardiff City Centre

• Real-time data on multiple pollutants: VTX Air Monitors provide street-level accuracy, measuring air particulates and gas pollutants every 5 minutes.

• Wireless network: Devices are SIM Card-free and connected wirelessly, enabling reliable end-to-end communication.

Outcome. Hyperlocal data on-demand

Vortex’s advanced tools allow Cardiff to compare local air pollution levels with AURN stations, offering deeper insights into pollution patterns. By deploying Vortex’s VTX Air monitors, Cardiff has been able to achieve the following:

• Identify NO2 concentration peaks around schools during peak traffic times, highlighting areas needing intervention.

• Raise awareness using real-time data to help policymakers, parents, and teachers understand and address air pollution risks.

By monitoring air quality around schools, the Council can validate the success of future projects, like enforced school streets, and encourage healthier, more sustainable transportation choices.

Overcoming the challenges: how councils can successfully integrate solar energy on public buildings

By Sue Welland, Electron Green

Why are there almost no solar panels on council-owned buildings across the UK? Solar panels are a trusted and effective source of renewable energy. However, barriers have stood in the way of the installation of solar panels on publicly-owned buildings. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Public buildings, such as libraries, schools, community centres and council offices are prime candidates for solar energy integration. These buildings often require vast amounts of energy which can strain council budgets and contribute to emissions. Solar panels provide energy for key functions in buildings such as lighting and heating homes, and running appliances, without any direct emissions. Displacing the need for electricity generated by coal and natural gas reduces pollutants released into the air, improving air quality across the UK.

By integrating solar power, councils can generate a clean energy source while creating long-term savings. This article offers a walk-through of the ways in which councils can harness the benefits of solar panels and work with the renewable sector to save costs and bring environmental benefits to their local areas.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

Budget Constraints

Councils often operate on tight budgets, so contemplating the upfront costs of solar energy can be a daunting prospect. While solar energy offers long-term savings, their installation requires significant investment, particularly when it involves retrofitting older public buildings. However, there are solutions which offer a gateway for councils to benefit from solar systems without bearing the brunt of the initial investment.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are a financing model in which a solar developer pays for the installation of solar panels on the roofs of buildings, at no cost to the council, and then sells the clean solar energy to the council at a reduced rate.

This means that the council simply switches some of its energy bills to its solar partner, and receives electricity at often a lower price per watt.

If a council engages this PPA initiative, it receives the benefits of solar energy with no extra budgetary pressure. Importantly, the solar company is motivated to install the most efficient and reliable solar system as they are responsible for its performance and maintenance, ensuring the panels are optimally run, maximising energy output.

If a council does have sufficient funding for green initiatives, they can buy the solar panel unit outright or from the solar partner in the years after installation, providing them with a self-sustaining source of energy. Decentralising energy production reduces the transmission losses of the grid, and the impacts of power plants on air quality. Roof-top solar panels offer consumption-sited generation that coincides

with demand, creating zero emissions during operation, playing a key part in protecting the environment and public health.

The government also often offers grants, subsidies and tax incentives to promote the adoption of renewable energy, opening doors for councils to embrace solar power. If a council does own their solar system, they can sell excess energy generated to the grid in return for payment, via the UK’s Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) project. Each unit of electricity exported, at times of high sunlight or low energy use, will generate payment for the council. All of this means that it is possible for councils to engage in renewable energy initiatives and deploy solar panels on public buildings, with private companies well-placed across the UK to bridge the initial investment and expertise gaps.

Public Perception and Policy Conflict

Even when there is desire to build solar panel units, councils can face challenges of public perception and inconsistent national and local regulations, especially when policies are frequently changing.

While climate goals are a national priority, solar panel projects can often come to a standstill when ground-mounted solar is opposed on the grounds of disturbing the environment, decreasing property value, and are seen as eyesores by locals. There are potential compromises with ground-mounted solar projects, which is why rooftop solar is an ideal solution. Mounting solar panels on under-utilised roof space, which across council portfolios amounts to vast potential areas, means that the council can generate energy without encroaching on greenfield sites. Roof solar minimises any lengthy conflict over land use, preserves open space, and maximises efficiency by providing electricity directly to the building itself.

Installing solar panels also provides councils with an opportunity to educate the public, showing they do not degrade the aesthetics of the local area, can increase property value, and offer a symbol of commitment to the local environment. As solar uptake increases, it contributes to a conversation in which environmental protection and air quality becomes a first priority.

It is particularly important that councils engage their communities early, to ensure that everyone is aligned with the project’s goals. Integrating solar energy into public buildings is a complex process which requires numerous stakeholders, from council members, local communities, contractors, and energy providers, but with sufficient public information and engagement, solar can be a flagship green project for councils.

Technical and Structural Limitations

Of course, not all public buildings are structurally suited to solar panel installation. Roof orientation, shading, and the age of the building can all impact the viability of a project. Thorough feasibility studies are necessary to assess whether a building can support solar infrastructure. Councils should partner with a solar company that can provide an honest assessment and recommendations, cooperating with the council to identify how solar can best fit their existing needs, or whether indeed roof solar is not possible.

When structural challenges arise, there are alternative solutions, such as light weight solar panels, community solar farms, or ground-mounted solar panels in the appropriate site. Intelligent and adaptive solutions allow councils to harness solar energy suited to their specific needs.

The next stage will be ensuring that councils receive the full benefit of solar energy, for which the sun’s intermittency in the UK can be a challenge. Solar panels only generate electricity when the sun is shining, which may not always coincide with a building’s energy use. This is where energy storage comes into play. With a battery, councils can store the excess energy generated during the day and release it electricity when needed, or at times of peak demand. For example, energy collected during the summer could be used by a school in the winter. Energy storage allows councils to maximise the efficiency of their solar systems and reduce reliance on grid electricity.

We have seen that solar systems can be tailored to suit a specific building’s infrastructure and needs, and (overcoming potential misconceptions) that they are a responsible strategy for any building owner to minimise their carbon footprint.

WHY SHOULD COUNCILS ACT NOW?

Cost Saving

Solar systems are a key tool for addressing environmental challenges through effective and empowered local action. Importantly for councils, at the same time they offer cost savings in the short term by reducing their electricity bills. With a free solar partnership, councils can reduce their energy costs without any capital outlay. If a council has enough reserves, they can buy the solar system and benefit from selling surplus power back to the grid.

Reducing reliance on traditional energy suppliers also provides councils with a degree of energy independence. This shields councils from volatile market prices and supply disruptions. With a fluctuating energy market, buildings using solar energy are better positioned to maintain financial stability. Through solar power, councils can forecast energy expenditures more effectively, securing long-term energy stability for public buildings.

Energy independence also comes hand in hand with energy resilience, particularly when solar is integrated with battery storage. During peak demand or unexpected grid outages, councils can rely on stored solar energy to power essential services such as schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities. In these high-pressure scenarios, uninterrupted power supply is critical. Solar energy with battery storage is a major step in establishing a continuous energy supply, which ensures councils can provide reliable public services.

A building’s purpose may change over time, and should a council want to sell, solar energy can also enhance the value of the property. Solar-powered properties are considered more energy efficient, which makes them attractive to investors, tenants, and future buyers. By improving a building’s sustainability and reducing operating costs, councils can boost the value of their public assets. Additionally, a track record of solar integration can be an advantage when applying for funding aimed at sustainable infrastructure, helping councils to leverage their investments towards further community improvements.

Environmental Benefits

The environmental benefits of solar power are numerous. Solar panels reduce a building’s carbon emissions, playing a key role in achieving national and local commitments to lowering carbon footprint. Decreasing reliance on fossil fuels contributes to cleaner air, as less pollutants and particulate matter are released into the air as coal and natural gas is burned to create electricity. Solar panels demonstrate a commitment to environmental protection and higher air quality, and can act as a visual symbol to highlight that councils value the welfare of its residents and environment. Manifesting a commitment to fostering a greener future can also improve a council’s reputation and strengthen relationships with environmentallyconscious stakeholders.

By adopting solar energy, councils position themselves as leaders in the transition to renewable energy, setting an example for local businesses, residents, and neighbouring councils. The installation and management of solar panels can also spur economic growth. Solar panel maintenance can create green job opportunities, bolstering the local job market with career opportunities in the renewable sector.

THE PATH FORWARD

Solar panel systems present a unique opportunity for councils to reduce costs, improve sustainability, and demonstrate leadership in adopting renewable energy.

Historically, high upfront costs, a lack of expertise, and conflicts over the use of ground space has stalled the take-up of solar panels by public bodies such as councils. With new opportunities to partner with a private solar company which can shoulder all the capital costs and offer trusted guidance in installing solar panels on the roofs of public buildings, the path is clear for councils to benefit from cheap, green energy.

This diagram shows a solar powered building connected to the grid

Full Page £950 +VAT

220mm x 307mm (INC 5mm bleed)

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT

This page will be an introduction to the Traffic and Transport section within this dedicated Procurement Guide.

We will summarise the current issues from the sectors of traffic, transport and fleet management. This guide provides advertising clients with a wide variety of promotional options. There is the option for focussed advertorials, comprising of a full page editorial and full page advert. We also offer a full range of advertising options including double page spreads, full, half and also quarter pages.

PARTNERS

Five steps to decarbonise and digitise your fleet

By Justin Coetzee, CEO and Founder of GoMetro

As the supply of fossil fuels declines, coupled with global acknowledgement of the associated environmental risks, the haulage industry has refocused its efforts on decarbonisation. If fleet managers are to end their reliance on oil and natural gas, they must look at alternative energy sources that are less harmful to the environment.

Fortunately, clean, renewable energy, by virtue of wind, water, and solar power, is becoming more accessible. Modes of transportation that rely on fossil fuels like cars, trucks, and aeroplanes are now being developed to run on renewable fuel sources.

The introduction of electric vehicle (EV) technology has been successful in the UK, with ZapMap reporting the existence of over 1,145,000 passenger and commercial EV’s on domestic roads as of June 2024.

A fully electric delivery fleet isn’t feasible just yet, but now is the time to plan and prepare for this future. Here are five steps that fleet managers can incorporate to ensure the smooth transition to an exclusively EV fleet.

“Data management and analytics are even more important for EV fleets than ICE fleets. EV fleets require careful management of resources since you won’t be able to pop into a nearby fuelling station if a vehicle runs out of power.”

Justin Coetzee CEO and Founder of GoMetro

01. Analyse your existing data

Start by examining your company’s existing operations. Gather information from your fleet telematics system on current routes, vehicle load capacity, typical cargo, and available drivers. Next, look at the quality of the road network around your premises and your vehicle replacement schedule. In-house telematics data will provide months of very rich operational insights to form the foundation of your transition strategy.

It can take some effort to pull all of this information together, but once it has been compiled and analysed, you will have a detailed overview of your operations. This will significantly assist you in the remaining steps of the process.

Although it is possible to complete this analysis in-house, getting help from experts will produce far more accurate results and an in-depth plan of action for the next steps.

02. Invest in solar

Despite the stereotype that the UK suffers from a distinct lack of sun across all seasons, solar power represents a renewable energy source that UK fleet operators should be looking to adopt on-site. There has been a huge push in the UK for solar panel installations, with the incoming Labour government revealing ambitious plans to invest £8.3 billion into state-owned power company Great British Energy (GBE). This investment is set to transform the energy landscape, which includes the expansion of solar power. One of the biggest incentives for businesses to invest in solar panels is the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which allows them to deduct a percentage of their installation costs from their taxable income. This reduces the overall costs of going solar.

While there are appealing tax breaks, decision makers at haulage companies must apply strategic thinking to solar power adoption. Instead of investing in just enough roof panels to overcome power outages, entire roofs should be covered. Yes, it will produce more power than you can use right now, but that won’t be the case for long as later down the line, you’ll replace your fossil fuel costs with green, renewable ‘fuel’ to operate your fleet. Your solar investment will pay off in the long run, when highway electrification becomes more feasible for toll companies, and you can invest in larger trucks that can travel longer distances with more cargo.

03. Invest in your first electric vehicles

With the fleet telematics gathered in Step 1, investigate which electric trucks and vans will best suit your business. There are affordable entry-level EVs for most categories of commercial vehicle.

The initial analysis will identify the optimal balance of internal combustion engine (ICE) and EV vehicles in your fleet as an initial step towards transition. Then you need to decide which EVs are the most suitable replacements for the ICE vehicles nearing retirement.

Look at battery size, range, and charging times. Analyse how much solar power you are producing and compare those numbers to the energy requirements of various EVs. Match up your supply with potential demand for the best investment. Your EV fleet may look a little different from your ICE fleet, but it should ultimately produce the same results.

By the time you are ready to start replacing your ICE fleet, most likely with smaller delivery vehicles in the one-to fourtonne range, there will be a greater range of options to select from, as EV manufacturers are regularly launching new models and producing increasingly superior vehicles. Furthermore, import tariffs and duties could be adjusted in future government budget announcements, which will go a long way to the affordability of these eco-friendly vehicles.

04. Identify suitable routes

With a good understanding of your new vehicles’ capabilities, it is time to look at the most suitable routes to send them on. The first routes to be serviced by EVs will likely be loops of around 74 miles from the depot, and likely in Greater London, which has more than 20 000 EV charging points already. This will allow for two passes a day, with a fast charge after the first loop while the vehicle is being reloaded, and a full charge overnight on low-power charging.

Longer routes won’t be viable for some time as they will require charging infrastructure along major national routes, which will undoubtedly take a while to complete. However, shorter routes can reduce your fuel spend from the outset.

When the first tranche of your routes have gone electric and you’ve got new data to analyse - which routes work best, what the best charging schedule is for your business, your largest expenses and biggest savings, and so on - you can revisit your initial plan and make improvements for the next wave EVs you acquire.

05. Data management

Data management and analytics are even more important for EV fleets than ICE fleets. EV fleets require careful management of resources since you won’t be able to pop into a nearby fuelling station if a vehicle runs out of power.

One of the key benefits of data management and analytics for EV fleets is the ability to optimise charging infrastructure. Fleet managers who analyse data on vehicle usage patterns, charging times, and energy consumption, can identify the optimal locations for charging stations. This ensures that vehicles have convenient access to charging points and reduces the risk of downtime due to lack of power.

Monitoring battery health, energy consumption, and vehicle performance also lets fleet managers identify potential issues before they become major problems.

Thankfully, electric vehicles generate vast amounts of data that, with the assistance of a reliable electric vehicle fleet management system, will set your company up for a successful future in the EV era.

Anticipate further emissions regulations

The UK is currently aligned with the EU’s 2019/631 legislation, which introduced a zero and low emission benchmark of 15% of the vehicles in a manufacturers fleet for 2025. It’s only a matter of time before the government tightens these regulations even further, meaning fleet operators need to be proactive in introducing structural changes to ensure they are compliant with new laws.

An EV fleet is a neat solution to satisfying the developing standards of emissions control. Not only does it show commitment to a greener planet, but you can also take advantage of economic benefits, such as reduced fuel and maintenance costs, improved efficiency, and vehicle longevity, all of which are good for your business.

As the UK leader in intelligent traffic systems (ITS), Yunex Traffic has a proven track record designing, developing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining a wide range of traffic management solutions.

Our product portfolio enables transport authorities worldwide to optimise their road networks, and provide a more efficient, cleaner, healthier and safer network for road users and residents alike.

Our intelligent Clean Air and Low Emission Zone enforcement systems are proven to drive behavioural change, discouraging the use of older, higher-polluting vehicles in towns and cities.

management and control solutions with Aimsun’s modelling software systems.

Our Stratos traffic management and control system also allows transport authorities to manage their networks based on both air quality and meteorological data, all of which is drawn from a range of monitoring equipment and external sources. And newly developed Bus Analytics software allows bus movements across their network to be closely analysed in real time, using rich data to deliver reliable, sustainable and attractive bus services.

EV Charging

Uniting what’s next in traffic.

We are connecting the dots of a new mobility revolution that is transforming our towns and cities.

With the broadest end-to-end portfolio of intelligent traffic management solutions, we work with cities, highway authorities and mobility

operators to make their road networks and fleets intelligent, enhance road safety and improve air quality.

Promoting active travel through secure cycle parking

By Gavin Rimmer, Head of Commercial, Cyclehoop

The health implications of poor air quality, including respiratory issues and an increased burden on the NHS, demand that councils find sustainable, long-term solutions to reduce pollution. One of the most effective and cost-efficient approaches is promoting cycling as a primary mode of transport.

However, to make this vision a reality, local authorities must invest in the necessary infrastructure that supports cyclists. Secure, accessible cycle parking solutions are a key element of this strategy. These facilities make it easier for people to choose cycling over driving, while also addressing the challenges of bike theft and storage. This article explores the critical role secure cycle parking plays in improving air quality, and how local authorities can benefit from investing in these solutions.

Reduction of vehicle emissions

The connection between cycling and air quality improvement is clear: fewer motor vehicles on the road means fewer emissions. Cities and towns across the UK are grappling with the harmful effects of vehicle exhaust, which is one of the primary contributors to urban pollution. According to a study by the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health, around 40,000 deaths annually are linked to outdoor air pollution.

Promoting cycling as a viable alternative to driving can significantly cut the number of cars on the road. In fact, a study by Sustrans found that 40% of short car journeys could realistically be switched to cycling. If local authorities invest in secure cycle parking facilities at key locations—such as public transport hubs, schools, workplaces, and city centres—cycling can become more convenient and accessible for residents. This reduction in vehicle emissions will result in cleaner air, contributing to healthier urban environments.

Health Benefits

The benefits of improving air quality go beyond the environmental impact. Cleaner air means fewer health issues related to pollution, such as asthma and other respiratory conditions. This has a direct effect on reducing healthcare costs and improving the overall quality of life for residents. The NHS, already under significant pressure, could benefit from lower

Secure cycle parking at key destinations provides peace of mind for those who worry about cycle theft. Trips, accessible via the Cyclehoop smartphone app, offers short-term, secure cycle parking that can be located in the carriageway and on pavements

patient volumes related to pollution-linked illnesses.Louise Haigh, Transport Secretary was recently reported as saying “There’s lots of evidence to show that [getting people walking and cycling] will reduce the number of GP appointments by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, a year.”

Moreover, cycling itself offers numerous health benefits. It reduces the risk of chronic diseases, improves cardiovascular health, and helps maintain a healthy weight. Encouraging more people to cycle will lead to a fitter, more active population, which further reduces the strain on public health services.

Despite the clear benefits, local authorities face challenges when implementing cycling infrastructure, including cycle parking.

The recently published ‘Residential cycle parking report’ by Sustrans found:

• Almost a third of people on a low income or not in employment don’t have a secure space to park their cycle at home – locking 3.7 million people out of cycling.

• 5.5 million people are likely to start cycling or to cycle more - if they had a convenient, secure, safe and accessible place to park their wheels. That’s 5.5 million people who could be more mobile, with more money in their pocket – contributing to the economy, reducing doctor waiting lists.

Infrastructure investment

Investing in secure cycle parking requires upfront costs, which can be a deterrent for some councils. Building cycle parking facilities means committing resources to both the development and ongoing maintenance of the infrastructure. However, councils

should consider the long-term savings and benefits. The return on investment is considerable especially if it contributes to reducing congestion, lowering healthcare costs, and improving public health. Furthermore, working with experienced partners like Cyclehoop can help local authorities navigate these challenges. With expertise in designing and implementing cycle parking solutions, we can support councils in creating cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure that meets the needs of local communities.

Public adoption

Another challenge is public perception and adoption. Shifting the culture around cycling demands strategic communication and community engagement. For many, the convenience of using a car far outweighs the perceived benefits of cycling. To overcome this, councils must promote the ease and advantages of cycling, particularly in terms of cost savings, environmental impact, and health benefits, as well as making it easier for people to do so.

Incentives like secure bike parking are key to encouraging people to make the switch from driving to cycling. Local authorities must collaborate with schools, businesses, and community groups to raise awareness of new cycling infrastructure and ensure it meets the needs of potential users.

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Case study: London’s example

In recent years, London has made significant strides in improving air quality through extensive cycling infrastructure. The introduction of cycle superhighways, coupled with the proliferation of secure cycle parking facilities, has led to a measurable reduction in vehicle emissions.

The success of London’s approach can be attributed to its comprehensive planning and implementation process. All London boroughs have taken steps to providing secure residential cycle parking, recognising the lack of space experienced by those particularly in high density areas. There has also been an increase in secure bike parking at strategic points throughout the city, including public transport hubs, workplaces, and busy shopping areas. This infrastructure is supported by strong public communication campaigns that highlight the benefits of cycling and how easy it is to access secure parking.

Local authorities outside of London can replicate these models on a smaller scale. Councils can target their investment and create a more bike-friendly urban environment by identifying key areas where cycling infrastructure would have the most impact. It’s important to recognise that these changes have not happened overnight in London and have required strong leadership and continued investment.

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE

To effectively implement secure cycle parking, local authorities should follow a structured approach:

Assessment

The first step is conducting feasibility studies to determine where cycle parking will be most beneficial. High-traffic areas, such as town centres, schools, hospitals, and public transport hubs, are ideal locations.

Mapping the local area, highlighting these destinations and existing cycle infrastructure can help you understand where parking will be most effective. With over 16 years’ experience in designing, manufacturing and installing cycle parking, our team at Cyclehoop can offer consultation support at this stage in the process.

In instances where cycle hangar schemes are being considered, Cyclehoop’s Location Assessment Form can help local authorities evaluate potential sites for suitability. In instances where cycle hangar schemes are being considered, Cyclehoop’s Location Assessment Form can help local authorities evaluate potential sites for suitability. This tool allows councils to assess factors such as accessibility, and surrounding infrastructure.

NEST Vision

Cargo bikes enable businesses to switch to sustainable modes of transport. Providing secure cargo bike parking helps them make that change. London Locks in Tower Hamlets, switched from a fleet of vans to e-cargo bikes with the help of a Cargo Bikehangar

Keeping an eye on every asset.

Community engagement

Once potential locations are identified, it’s important to engage with the community. Local businesses, schools, and cycling groups can provide valuable insights into the needs of cyclists and would be cyclists in the area. Involving stakeholders in the planning process, ensures the facilities are designed to meet the requirements of the people they serve.

Funding opportunities

For many councils, finding the funds to develop cycling infrastructure can be challenging. However, there are numerous grants and public-private partnership opportunities available. For example, Sustrans’ Places for Everyone fund offers support to projects that promote active travel. Through these options, local authorities can secure the funding needed to bring their cycling infrastructure plans to life.

Benefits for private enterprises

Beyond public sector initiatives, private enterprises can also benefit from supporting cycling infrastructure.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Businesses have a vested interest in improving their local environment. Companies can enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) profiles, which not only contributes to environmental sustainability but also demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of employees and the wider community.

Employee health and productivity

Providing secure cycle parking at workplaces encourages employees to cycle to work. This reduces the business’ carbon footprint as well as improving individual’s health and productivity. Studies have shown that employees who cycle to work take fewer sick days and report higher levels of job satisfaction.

Conclusion

Investing in secure cycle parking is a crucial step towards improving urban air quality. Cycling infrastructure offers longterm benefits that far outweigh the initial costs such as reducing vehicle emissions, promoting healthier lifestyles, and creating more liveable cities. Local authorities must act now to create environments where cycling is safe, convenient, and accessible.

With successful examples to draw from, such as London’s cycling network, and the availability of grants and funding opportunities, councils have the tools they need to make cycling a central part of their urban planning strategy. As cities across the UK face growing pressure to reduce pollution and improve public health, secure cycle parking is an essential piece of the puzzle.

Residential Bikehangar schemes can prove life changing for people living in high density housing

Shortening the path between monitoring & informed action

At Acoem UK, we design and manufacture class-leading multi-parameter environmental monitoring solutions that empower governments, scientists, industries and communities to make informed decisions.

Our holistic ecosystem of solutions delivers accurate and actionable data to monitor, measure and manage pollution, thus safeguarding businesses and assets, and maximising opportunities while conserving the planet’s resources.

Partnering with us means the backing of a team of 850+ employees, across 28 offices, 6 manufacturing facilities and 5 R&D facilities in 9 countries – all focused on creating the right balance between progress and preservation.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROCUREMENT GUIDE

ADVERTISING RATE CARD

The Environmental Procurement Guide is a brand-new printed publication that will be distributed to a targeted audience of key decision-makers in local authority. Our bespoke database is comprised of: 26% Environmental Services • 19% Transport • 10% Waste 11% Procurement • 18% Chief Executives • 16% Leaders

2.25k+

CIRCULATED PRINTED COPIES

Printed copies are sent directly to all named key decision makers in councils across the UK

11.5k+

ESTIMATED PASS-ON READERSHIP

We estimate that the printed copies will reach an additional 12.5k+ audience

38k+

Comprehensive opportunity for your brands presence across websites and newsletters DIGITAL AUDIENCE

Advertorial

£1,950 +VAT For example, an interview or write up

Double Page Spread (DPS)

(w)430mm x (h)307mm (INC 5mm bleed)

£1,650 +VAT

Full Page (FP)

£950 +VAT (w)220mm x (h)307mm (INC 5mm bleed)

Half & Half (Advertorial)

£895 +VAT (w)180mm x (h)262mm (No bleed)

Half Page (HP)

£495 +VAT (w)180mm x (h)129mm (No bleed)

Quarter Page (QP)

(w)87.5mm x (h)129mm (No bleed)

£375 +VAT

This opportunity provides maximum coverage of key decision-makers in councils. Space is limited, so if you would like to know more or would like to take advantage of this unique opportunity, get in touch and contact; Matt Paton T: 07922 420985 E: m.paton@spacehouse.co.uk | Andy Lees T: 07843 632609 E: a.lees@spacehouse.co.uk

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Environmental Procurement Guide

ENVIRONMENTAL PROCUREMENT GUIDE

A GUIDE TO PRODUCTS & SERVICES

THE NODE

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Welcome to the preview issue of the Environmental Procurement Guide

Contacts

Paul Day | Editor

Contents

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES | 06-12

WASTE AND RECYCLING | 14-20

AIR QUALITY AND NET ZERO | 22-30

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT | 32-40

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Decarbonising the built environment through procurement

Clean Air Zones

EV Charging

Improving accountability in government procurement

HEADLINE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN BRIEF

Consequences for poor performance

Transparency

External scrutiny

Policies and controls

Capability and capacity

Worth the weight? Illegal gold mines are polluting Ghana

Air Quality Insights

Waitrose launches new cork recycling scheme

AIR QUALITY AND NET ZERO

A ventilation expert’s guide to Indoor Air Quality legislation in the UK

How

Vortex supports Cardiff Council with city-wide VTX Air network

Client. Cardiff City Council

Challenge. Lack of localised data

Solution. VTX Air Monitors

Outcome. Hyperlocal data on-demand

Overcoming the challenges: how councils can successfully integrate solar energy on public buildings

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

Budget Constraints

Public Perception and Policy Conflict

Technical and Structural Limitations

WHY SHOULD COUNCILS ACT NOW?

Environmental Benefits

THE PATH FORWARD

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT

PARTNERS

Five steps to decarbonise and digitise your fleet

02. Invest in solar

05. Data management

Anticipate further emissions regulations

EV Charging

Uniting what’s next in traffic.

Promoting active travel through secure cycle parking

Reduction of vehicle emissions

Health Benefits

Infrastructure investment

Public adoption

2025 NORTHERN AIR QUALITY CONFERENCE

Case study: London’s example

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE

Assessment

NEST Vision

Keeping an eye on every asset.

Funding opportunities

Corporate Social Responsibility

Shortening the path between monitoring & informed action

ENVIRONMENTAL PROCUREMENT GUIDE

ADVERTISING RATE CARD