2015 EMAS Statement
This environmental statement has been prepared in accordance with the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Regulation No 1221/2009). This is a voluntary scheme which demonstrates companies’ commitment to reducing their impact on the environment through continually improving their performance. EMAS is designed to encourage good business sense together with environmental responsibility. The format of this statement is based on the guidance recommendations from the European Commission 2001/680/EC. This environmental statement is valid from September 2015 until September 2018. Interim statements will be published in 2016 and 2017 to update the performance information. This statement will be distributed to local organisations and any interested parties. As a housing organisation committed to becoming the Greenest Housing Association, Accord Housing is proud of continuous improvement in environmental performance. The company has been certified to the International Standard for Environmental Management - ISO 14001, since April 2008.
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Welcome 4
Our environmental journey 8
Our Group 14
Environmental management responsibilities 16
Environmental Management System (EMS) 18
Group Environmental Policy 20
Examination of significant environmental aspects 23
Environmental programme 28
Energy efficiencies 42
Past activities Support of local environmental groups to promote dialogue with interested parties 43
Other relevant environmental issues 44
Validation
EMAS Statement 2015
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WELCOME
from Dr Chris Handy OBE Group Chief Executive
I am delighted to be able to introduce this year’s EMAS statement with the news that we are reporting a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions per property since we began reporting our CO2 emissions. Our average property has improved from releasing 3.28 tonnes of CO2 a year into the atmosphere to 2.60 tonnes a year. This is still too much but it is a significant milestone and does mean that we are on course to achieve the ambitious CO2 reduction target we originally set. This year also saw the Group generate our millionth kWh of power from renewable sources which has saved 170 tonnes of CO2 this year. We have also seen 9.7% reduction in our office energy consumption per employee as a result of a number of energy efficiency measures being taken and due to the rationalisation of our offices. It has resulted in reduced CO2 emissions from offices. To achieve these impressive results we have been investing significantly in both our new and our existing homes. We have been carrying out external wall insulation and we have been fitting new heating systems. In this way protecting the environment not only helps the planet, it also reduces fuel bills for our residents and it helps to stimulate the local economy creating work and enterprise in the West Midlands. Key to this achievement has been three essential elements. Firstly a commitment across the group to improve the performance of our stock and to build resilience into our existing homes so that they are affordable for the communities in which we work. Secondly, our innovation, we want to do things better, this is best exemplified by the national award for the development of code 6 homes and in opening our own factory – LoCal Homes, building low carbon timber framed homes. Thirdly, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to continually improve emphasis on continual improvement through the Environmental Improvement Team.
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Accord Group
This is the fourth year that we have included in the EMAS statement the amount of electricity which we have generated from renewable sources. It is pleasing to think that our homes have saved around 170 tonnes of CO2 whilst providing our residents with free electricity. We were delighted to be awarded the Large Housing development of the year award for our development at Marlfield in Redditch. This fantastic green housing development not only includes ground breaking green technologies, it has helped the residents on the estate to have affordable fuel bills. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff across the group who enable our ambitious plans around environmental improvement to become a reality. We can only succeed with a commitment to make the environment a priority from the Board and right across all of our staff. All of the staff across the group contribute to our year on year improvement; those small measures of turning your computer off and saving that sheet of paper really do make a difference. Moving forward we anticipate another year of improvement in our environmental performance with significant improvement in our stock being matched by some exciting environmentally friendly new homes, helping to meet peoples housing needs. As we move forward our Environmental strategy will continue to place importance in reducing resident’s fuel bills and driving value for money in the business. We hope to continue to rise to the challenge of being the greenest Housing Association.
Dr Chris Handy OBE Group Chief Executive
EMAS Statement 2015
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1. OUR ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNEY Continually improving
Urban 180
The Accord Group is committed to continually improving our environmental performance we have now managed to improve our properties so that we have had a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions per property since we began reporting our CO2 emissions. Our average property has improved from releasing 3.28 tonnes of CO2 a year into the atmosphere to 2.60 tonnes a year. This is still too much but it is a significant milestone and does mean that we are on course to achieve the ambitious CO2 reduction target we originally set. We have also seen a 9.3% reduction in our office energy consumption per employee as a result of a number of energy efficiency measures being taken and due to the rationalisation of our offices. It has resulted in reduced CO2 emissions from offices.
Urban 180 is a development of 52 houses and 11 apartments. All homes meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level Four with each of the 63 three and four bedroom energy efficient houses and apartments built to the highest standards, featuring photo-voltaic panels, which convert sunlight into electricity. All homes have been orientated to maximise the opportunity for PV panels and solar thermal panels to use energy from the sun. Many designed with balconies and even larger sitting out areas that have allowed the increase of the public areas by using more of the actual footprint of the homes as amenity space.
PV/solar This year also saw the group generate our millionth kWh of power from renewable sources which has saved 170 tonnes of CO2 to date. The Accord Group is committed to generating power in this way. Not only does it help the planet it makes properties more affordable for our residents too. Over the next few years we plan to significantly increase the amount of electricity we generate.
Rubery Owen We have installed LED lighting at a number of homes and also at the offices in Rubery Owen. Not only do LED lighting save you money but also the time of having to replace the fluorescent tubes after the 15000hrs rated life. With a claimed 50% energy rating per fitting, LED’s are much more sustainable. LED lighting has many benefits, one being they don’t contain any harmful toxins such as mercury and are therefore better for the environment. As with all LEDs they produce a lot less heat than other lamps. LED’s work in most temperatures unlike the fluorescents which can on occasion not light up if the temperature is too low. The LED lighting installed at Rubery Owen was projected to pay itself back within two years.
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Accord Group
The design of large windows and considering the aspect and orientation of each house (including Juliet balconies) and the living spaces within so as to not over compensate for solar, gain gives a light and airy feel to the homes. This all contributes to the increased well-being that one feels living in these homes, and enjoying the community. We anticipate that running costs will be significantly less when compared to current building regulations.
Beechdale We believe that the Accord Group is the first housing association to set up an off-site manufacturing factory, which has supplied the homes for this site. Furthermore, the site has been designed, manufactured and built by Accord, again which is a unique holistic approach to construction. With many developing Housing Associations reporting concerns with cost, delivery and quality, by moving to an in-house model these problems can be reduced. By acting as the principle contractor we now engage with the entirety of the supply chain. This in turn enables us to work with local sub-contractors and suppliers which has inevitably helped stimulate the local economy. In addition, this is one of the first schemes to benefit from Accords fully integrated internal delivery team structure, true to the concepts of rethinking construction. With the in-house regeneration team having in-house architects, engineers linking directly to their own in-house off site Manufacturing
Urban 180
facility capable of producing up to around 200 closed panel timber framed homes per year to near code four standard without complicated renewables, with the final part of the delivery chain provided with their own in house construction team.
Marlfield Award The Accord Group has always led on innovation and strives to demonstrate - through exemplar housing schemes what can be achieved. The Group’s philosophy is one of a fabric first approach and as such look to reduce the energy usage in homes, and therefore reducing running costs for customers. Building on a relationship, spanning nearly 10 years with timber framing specialists from Norway, Marlfield Farm is the largest low carbon Norwegian timber frame housing development in the UK. Using unique fully factory clad timber frames, specialist insulation and a range of innovative techniques, each home was manufactured using a sustainable, environmentally conscious, low carbon alternative to more traditional brickbuilt structures.
Using these latest off-site manufacturing technologies, employing a highly insulated closed panel timber frame, on average each house can be erected in one day using around 10 panels. Marlfield Farm also features two eco-homes based on designs proposed by a schoolgirl who won the Matrix Housing Partnership’s ‘Eco Home of the Future’ schools’ competition in 2008. Featuring lamb’s wool insulation, these comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes Level six and instead of being manufactured in Norway these built at the Group’s off-site manufacturing LoCaL Homes factory in Walsall.
Rationalisation of offices The Group choose to have an independent assessment of our office efficiency. As part of a programme of Office Rationalisation we have combined all Group activities in the Birmingham Area into the Moseley Office. This will have a significant impact in improving our environmental footprint, as we will no longer need to heat and power the Fairgate Office.
EMAS Statement 2015
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ERDF Project summary This project is about the stimulation the regional supply chain in the Retro-fit market whilst improving the performance of 250 of our existing hard to treat homes in Walsall. Six Demonstrator homes will enable us to conduct real-time research and will provide the opportunity to test near to market products and solutions. At a total cost of circa ÂŁ3m, 50% of the costs will be met by European Regional Development Funding (ERDF). Through demonstrating new and optimised energy efficiency technologies on the West Midlands housing stock, the project will stimulate the supply chain for innovative systems, materials, components and supporting knowledge. The problem identified is market failure due to the fact that SMEs do not understand the opportunities and or lack the ‘know how’ on how to diversify into the emerging retrofit market. The project will seek to help SMEs in the region to take advantage of the opportunities being created by the emerging housing retrofit market. It will look to support SMEs that already have products/installation experience in this field, those that could diversify into this type of activity and also seek to raise awareness amongst SMEs in other associated manufacturing sectors, and help encourage them to consider diversifying into this market in the future. This will be achieved through the roll-out of a large scale retrofit programme, which will act as a demonstrator for a range of building technologies and installation techniques, and an associated range of business support activities. We have also been piloting green technologies to bring to the market as part of an ERDF programme. As part of this work the following measures have been proposed. l
45x External wall insulation completed each saving 19 tons of carbon. Saving a total of 855 tons of carbon
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15x loft insulation top-ups
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2 x 2kw Solar panels fitted and 5 x 3.7kw solar panels with a combined electrical generation of about 50,000 kWhs/year
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2x solar thermal systems fitted
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A Daikin heat pump
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An Intergas boiler upgrade
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Cavity wall insulation on 89 flats saving 1,462 tonnes of carbon.
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Accord Group
2. OUR GROUP
The Accord Group is made up of seven organisations that provide over 13,000 affordable homes and services, including health and social care, to approximately 80,000 people across the Midlands and beyond. We are not-for-profit and one of the largest housing groups in the Midlands, with around 4,200 employees and an annual turnover, including new developments, of circa ÂŁ100 million. The Group members are Ashrammoseley, bchs, Caldmoreaccord Housing Association, Direct Health, Fry Housing Trust, Heantun Housing Association and Redditch Co-operative Homes. We are also known as: InDesign, Innovation Works @ Rubery Owen, Home and Garden Service Team and Planning for Real. Planning for Real is also hosted by the Group. All Group members share the same overall mission and values while retaining their own identity, governance structures and ethos and contributing their unique skills and expertise. As a Group we are financially robust and our future plans, while ambitious, are realistic. The majority of the Group has charitable status and specialise in involving customers and communities in shaping the homes and services that we provide. Our offices are based in Birmingham, Coventry, Redditch, Rowley Regis, Walsall and West Bromwich.
Our organisations Ashrammoseley A partnership borne out of two housing associations; Ashram Housing Association and Moseley and District, leading our work across Birmingham providing excellent homes and culturally sensitive services.
bchs is the leading provider of services to housing co-operatives across Birmingham and the UK, promoting and supporting a range of community empowerment and customer led initiatives tenant leadership and empowerment.
Caldmoreaccord manages over 7,200 homes and provides a range of housing and care services to meet the needs of local people across the Black Country.
Direct Health is one of the UK’s foremost providers of social and personal care services delivering over 50,000 hours of care a week to a core base of around 6,500 customers. The company acquired Domus in 2015 to further enhance coverage and services.
Fry Housing Trust provides housing and support to vulnerable people in the Midlands and was set up in the memory of Margery Fry, a renowned social justice campaigner.
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Accord Group
Gharana provides specialist housing and support to older people particularly from BME communities in the Northamptonshire area including two sheltered housing schemes and joined the Group in 2015.
Heantun is a charitable registered social landlord based in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire providing 1,200 homes and support services for over 3,000 individuals. Its community focus includes health, childcare and training activities employing over 400 staff.
Redditch Co-operative Homes is the largest new-build housing co-operative organisation in the UK and is at the forefront of developing new approaches to the delivery of housing and neighbourhood services and won Outstanding Development of the Year award for Marfield Farm in the 2015 UK Housing Awards.
Partnerships and operational division Our wider work includes three profit-making subsidiaries. The surplus from the business activities of these organisations is reinvested into our core housing and support services: The Matrix Partnership is an alliance of independent Housing Organisations led by the Accord Group. Matrix delivers over ÂŁ110 million of new development meeting top quartile performance for the Homes and Communities Agency.
Indesign our expert in-house design team provide architectural design services.
LoCaL Homes manufactures high quality, environmentally-friendly timber frame homes, innovatively designed to provide an exciting new housing product that offers modern low carbon living.
Home and Garden Services is the repairs and maintenance, landscaping, cleaning, gardening and estates services division.
EMAS Statement 2015
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Accord Group
Housing stock NUMBER OF UNITS PER LOCAL AUTHORITY AS AT 31 MARCH 2015 Birmingham 2,647
South Staffordshire
Bromsgrove 43
Stafford 79
Cannock Chase
Staffordshire 3
116
111
Coventry 587
Staffordshire Moorlands
Dudley 683
Tamworth 1
Hereford 86
Telford and Wrekin
Lichfield 9
Walsall 4,680
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Warwick 45
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114
Redditch 482
Wolverhampton 1,562
Sandwell 1,056
Worcester 39
Shropshire 50
Wyre Forest
Solihull 142
Total 12,632
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EMAS Statement 2015
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REGISTRATION DETAILS
ORGANISATION
REGISTRATION
REGISTERED OFFICE
Accord Housing Association Limited
Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 27052R) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. LH3902)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Ashram Housing Association Limited
Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 27926R) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. LH4034)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Birmingham Co-operative Housing Services Limited (bchs)
Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 22573R) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. L3030)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Caldmore Area Housing Association Limited
Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 20135R) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. L0883)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Direct Health Group Limited Company Limited by Shares (Company No. 05638085)
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Accord Group
Parkway House Haddenham Bus. Park Haddenham Buckinghamshire HP17 8LJ
ORGANISATION
REGISTRATION
REGISTERED OFFICE
Fry Housing Trust
Company Limited by Guarantee (Company No. 06297777) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. L4496) Charity Commission (Charity No. 1119879)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Heantun Housing Association Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 20928R) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. L1669)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Redditch Co-operative Homes
Company Limited by Guarantee (Company No. 3667984) Homes and Communities Agency under the Housing Act 1996 (Registration No. L4335) Charity Commission (Charity No. 1078304)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Accord Group Treasury Limited
Registry of Friendly Societies under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (formerly Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965) (Registration No. 27057R)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
Accord Care Services Limited Company limited by guarantee (Company No. 03465015) Charity Commission (Charity No. 1075621)
178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich West Midlands B70 6QG
EMAS Statement 2015
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3. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Accord Group environmental management structure
GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE Responsible for approving the Environmental Policy and Environmental Strategy in consultation with the Executive Board. Overall Environmental Management of the Company and is accountable to the Accord Group Board of Management.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE Responsibility for ensuring implementation of the Environmental Policy and understanding the environmental impacts of Accords significant aspects. They also agree or revise objectives and targets and ensure they are being met.
DIRECTORS GROUP Responsible for ensuring implementation and monitoring of the Environmental Policy and Strategy.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT TEAM (EIT) Implements the Strategy and Policy across the Group, through projects, engagement and individual Action Plans. The EIT is responsible to the Senior Management Team through the two lead officers for Environmental Management.
INDIVIDUAL TEAMS/DEPARTMENTS Responsible for devising and delivering individual Action Plans and reporting progress back to the EIT.
OUR PEOPLE, CUSTOMERS AND CONTRACTORS Encouraged to take personal ownership of the Sustainability Agenda in a range of ways appropriate to the level of interaction
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Accord Group
Delivering our policy and strategy – ownership The two lead Directors for Environmental Management play a crucial role in delivering our Policy and Strategy on behalf of the Executive with the support of an Environmental Officer. Their specific responsibilities include: l
Reporting the performance of the environmental management system to the Directors Group for review and as a basis for improvement of the system
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Application of the EMS procedures where applicable
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Authorisation of the manual and the associated procedures
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Advising the Executive Board on the implementation of the environmental management system and maintenance of compliance with the standard
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Co-ordinating a Management Review
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Ensuring that the environmental management system requirements are established implemented and maintained to the criteria contained in the ISO14001 standard
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Responding to and maintaining records of environmental communications
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Maintaining a record of individuals with access to the EMS framework documents
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Scheduling the internal environmental audits, ensuring that they are carried out by a suitable auditor and maintaining the audit records
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Maintaining records described in the Environmental Management Procedures
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Dealing with the certification of the EMS.
Opening ceremony at Dennis Turner Close, our ÂŁ1.3m housing development in Bilston, West Midlands
EMAS Statement 2015
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4. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) Operation of Environmental Management System The following diagram shows how Accord’s Environmental Management System operates. It shows how all the different parts of the EMS work together which eventually lead into the Policy. It also shows how the audit and review ensures that all processes are carried out in a correct manner. Each part of the system is subject to regular review.
POLICY
Objectives
Targets ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Audit and review IDENTIFICATION OF ASPECTS
IDENTIFICACTION OF SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS
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ENVIRONMENTAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
OPERATING
IMPROVEMENT
PROCEDURES
PROGRAMME
Legal implications of activities A procedure has been set up to ensure that legal compliance is assured at all times. A matrix is compiled to list all legal requirements pertinent to Accord’s activities, products and services. The matrix is compiled by the Management Representatives with the assistance of an external consultant. It is assembled by reviewing the European, National and Local legislation requirements pertinent to the Accord’s activities, products and services and listing them. The matrix is kept up to date by the Management Representatives working alongside our external consultants. When an update is received from ESP we will respond by confirming whether there has been any change within the Group’s activities and they will make the necessary amendments to the Matrix whilst updating the relevant legislation, confirming whether it is still applicable to Accord activities, products and services. If any changes are required they will be carried out as soon as practicable.
Changes to the Environmental Management System management structure The Accord Group has grown since the last report. We have successfully acquired and merged with several organisations that support and enable us to meet our mission. The Senior Management of the organisation has therefore evolved in this period and this is reflected in this statement.
Major outsourced processes There are no major outsourced processes within the Accord Group. The Accord Group does have a significant number of contracts with a variety of suppliers, the most significant of which from an Environmental point of view are those for Repairs and Voids with Morgan Sindall Property Services and Status Heating. These Contracts do not remove the environmental risk from the Accord Group.
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5. GROUP ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Date of approval: 04.09.15 Date of issue: 07.09.15 Date of review: 22.06.18 Author: Carl Taylor, John Bedford and Jeneen Hamilton, Environmental Management Representatives.
Policy statement Accord is committed to continual improvement, always identifying ways to reduce pollution and striving to be the Greenest Housing Association in the UK. The scale of our activities means that our environmental impact is significant and we want to minimise it. The policy is intended to provide a framework for the setting and reviewing of environmental objectives and targets which form part of the Accord Environmental Management System. The policy will be communicated to all employees, contractors working for and on behalf of the Group, tenants and stakeholders and will be made available to the public.
Policy outline In particular, we are committed to saving energy, reducing waste, protecting wildlife/biodiversity, preventing pollution, and cutting the amount of carbon and other emissions generated by our operations, our staff and tenants, the homes that we let and our offices.
RESPONSIBILITY The Board of Management and Executive Team are committed to this Policy which was proposed by Accords Directors and Senior Managers and approved by Accords Board of Management.
Monitoring, review and performance information Accord has a continual improvement process to ensure compliance is maintained with ISO14001, EMAS and all applicable legislation and other requirements in line with the expectation of our regulators (which relate to our environmental aspects – see the Accord Group Environmental Management System, Aspects/Impacts Matrix).
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Accord Group
ASPECTS AND IMPACTS The Accord group have identified the following impacts which result from its service and operations: Aspect Impact Use of electricity Air Pollution & Depletion of Natural Resources and contribution to Climate Change Use of natural gas Air Pollution & Depletion of Natural Resources and contribution to Climate Change Use of vehicles Air Pollution & Depletion of Natural Resources and contribution to Climate Change Hazardous waste generation
Pollution
Effect on wildlife/ loss
Potential damage to habitats and biodiversity of Biodiversity
Use of office Depletion of Natural Resources consumables and contribution to climate change Use of printed materials
Depletion of Natural Resources, Toxicity and contribution to climate change
Use of natural resources e.g. building materials
Depletion of Natural Resources, Toxicity and contribution to climate change
Emissions to air
Contribution to climate change and Pollution
Generation of waste Pollution and Depletion of Natural Resources Water consumption
Depletion of Natural Resources
Waste water generation
Pollution
Objectives The Accord Group have agreed the following objectives to which the basis of our targets will be set. l
Objective 1 Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we emit.
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Objective 2 Reducing the primary energy use kWh M2 from existing housing stock
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Objective 3 To conserve and enhance existing biodiversity where ever practicable
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Objective 4 To reduce the amount of waste we produce
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Objective 5 To reduce our reliance on energy consumption in business premises and properties from unsustainable sources.
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Objective 6 To encourage sustainable methods of transportation, work and training
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Objective 7 To minimise the use of water across our organisation.
This Policy has been written so that it is appropriate to the nature, scale and environmental impacts of Accord’s activities, products and services and is intended to provide a framework for the setting and reviewing of environmental objectives and targets.
Dr Chris Handy Accord Group Chief Executive
Procedure The Executive Team has responsibility for ensuring implementation of the Policy. The Group Management Team has responsibility for implementing the Policy through a co-ordinated environmental management system including setting objectives and targets and will ensure regular audit(s) are conducted. The Environmental Improvement Team will support the Group Management Team to implement the policy. Accord will make known this Policy to all employees, tenants and stakeholders. Existing forums and regular meetings between Accords suppliers and contractors will be used to communicate the Policy to them.
The framework for implementing the Policy The framework for implementing policy is set out in section 4.
Any major changes in Environmental Policy We have revised the objectives in our Environmental policy to make them “smart-er” and to have Targets which reflect where we are on our journey to being the Greenest Housing Association.
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6. EXAMINATION OF SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Each activity, product and service undertaken by the Group is systematically examined to identify the possible and actual environmental aspects and impact(s). The identification process looks at each individual site and determines the service and activity within the site. Likely emerging or future environmental aspects and the respective significance will be analysed as part of the Project Approval Panel process. The aspects identified by the procedure above are assessed on the basis of environmental risk. Each aspect is sieved to determine whether it is significant or has a significant environmental impact. We use a scoring system. The scoring system is outlined below.
Likelihood of environmental damage The likelihood of environmental damage based upon the environmental aspect of the activity is scored accordingly: 0 None 1 Low 2 Medium 3 High 4 Very High
Consequences of Environmental damage The potential consequences of the environmental damage is then scored using the following: 0 No consequences 1 Limited consequences 2 Local environmental damage 3 Local and borough wide environmental damage 4 National & European environmental damage 5 National or Global environmental damage
Legal requirements The legal requirements of the environmental aspect is taken into account: 0 No legal requirement 1 Impending Legal requirement 2 n/a 3 Legal requirement
Interested parties Whether there would be interested parties is also taken into account: 0 No interested parties 1 Interest of immediate neighbours. 2 Interest of immediate neighbours and employees. 3 Interested immediate neighbours, employees, regulators, the local community, local council and local media. 4 Attracts the interest of immediate neighbours, employees, regulators, the local community, local council, environmental interest groups, the general public and national media. 5 Interest of immediate neighbours, employees, regulators, the local community, local council, environmental interest groups, the general public, national media and worldwide media.
The scores Each individual score is added together. If the score is 6 and above then the environmental aspect is determined as significant. In addition the following colour identification is used to determine the significance scoring: n 0 - 6 n 7 - 12 n >13
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Accord Group
Accord Group’s aspects, impacts and significant aspects This above information is brought together in a matrix called “Accords aspects, impacts and legal register”.
SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS AND IMPACTS ASPECT IMPACT Use of electricity
Air pollution and depletion of natural resources and contribution to climate change
Use of natural gas
Air pollution and depletion of natural resources and contribution to climate change
Use of vehicles
Air pollution and depletion of natural resources and contribution to climate change
Hazardous waste generation
Pollution
Effect on wildlife/ biodiversity
Potential damage to habitats and loss of biodiversity
Use of office consumables
Depletion of natural resources and contribution to climate change
Use of printed materials
Depletion of natural resources, toxicity and contribution to climate change
Use of natural resources e.g. building materials
Depletion of natural resources, toxicity and contribution to climate change
Emissions to air
Contribution to climate change and pollution
Generation of waste
Pollution and depletion of natural resources
Water consumption
Depletion of natural resources
Waste water generation
Pollution
Accord Group’s legal requirements In order for the Group to remain legally compliant as well as considering the aspects and impacts listed within 6.1 employees have to ensure their actions comply with all applicable legislation the table below summarises key areas of legal requirement.
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Legislation Interpretation Waste Regulations
Imposes a duty to dispose of waste legally
Hazardous Waste Regulations
Imposes a duty to dispose of hazardous waste legally
The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) England and Wales Regulations
To provide an energy certificate for buildings which are to be sold, marketed or re-let
CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme
Requires companies who use over 6,000 MWh of electricity to pay for the amount of carbon they produce
Water Resources Act
Imposes a duty should there be any accidental discharges to controlled waters
Regulation on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer & Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations
If a company owns or operates stationary refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment that contains F-gases or Ozone depleting substances they must meet certain maintenance and testing requirements. Certain gases are in the process of being phased out
Wildlife and Countryside Act Gives protection to native species (especially those at threat), controls the release of non-native species, and enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act
Provides a mechanism for prosecution if a company cause a nuisance in a number of ways including noise, dust, vibration, light and smells
Heat Network Regulations
If the organisation operates a District Heat Network (DHN) or communal heating system, notification must be submitted to the Secretary of State from 18th December 2014 and if an existing meter is replaced the meter must accurately measure, memorise and display consumption of heating, cooling or hot water
The Group also recognises that it has a large direct and indirect impact on the environment. A particular consequence is the “carbon footprint” derived from the Group’s activities and from tenants’ energy use by heating their homes etc. For more information on this please see section 7. The area of operations with direct environmental impacts are where construction and maintenance operations are carried out due to the amount of building work involved. To mitigate this environmental impact the Group maintains procedures to ensure that legal requirements are met and that any environmental impact is reduced. All of the Accord Group consume natural resources and produce waste as a result of administrative processes such as paper, cardboard and toner cartridges. In addition to this the repair programmes and new build uses construction materials and also produces construction waste e.g. rubble, baths and kitchens.
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Accord Group
7. ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME Relationship between the environmental programme with its various activities and the potential nature of their environmental impacts.
5. To reduce our reliance on energy consumption in business premises and properties from unsustainable sources.
The Group has a clear Policy which sets out our ambitions for our Environmental Programme including our aims and objectives. Linked to this policy is a set of smart target for the Group to meet which we will report upon. These targets are monitored within the Group Action Plan which insures processes are managed to meet the desired outcome.
6. To encourage sustainable methods of transportation, work and training.
a) To reduce our corporate total energy consumption by 5% by 2020.
a) To facilitate the delivery of an electric car scheme by 2020 7. To minimise the use of water across our organisation. a) All new properties to be designed to achieve a maximum water consumption rate of 105 litres per person per day.
Delivery of environmental objectives CORPORATE OBJECTIVES The Directors Group and Executive Board have approved a series of Environmental targets through the Business Planning Process. The Business Plan is then approved by the Group Board and is reviewed and renewed annually. The following Corporate Objectives have been set. 1. Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we emit. a) Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from our properties by 26-32% by 2020 from a base year of 2005/6. 2. Reducing the primary energy use kWh per m2 from existing housing stock. a) To reduce kWh/M² primary energy use of our properties by 10% by 2020 from the 2015 base position of 282 kWh/ m². b) All new properties to be built to perform to a designed primary energy consumption level no greater than 180 kWh/m². 3. To conserve and enhance existing biodiversity where ever practicable. a) To create habitat for wildlife by fitting either bird or bat boxes on all new developments and specify at least 30% native species on all new sites. 4. To reduce the amount of waste we produce. a) To reduce the amount of General non-hazardous waste we produce by 2 tonnes per year until 2020
PROGRESS OF CORPORATE OBJECTIVES In order to meet these Corporate Objectives a number of targets have been set and progress against these targets is reported later in this statement.
Continual improvement of Environmental Programme DEPARTMENTAL ACTION PLANS Firstly, each Department identified what they considered to be the environmental impact of each of their activities which were then scored in accordance with the procedure described in Section 6. All the significant aspects were then brought together to identify the following Common Significant Aspects across all the departments. l
Use of electricity
l
Use of natural gas
l
Use of vehicles
l
Effect on wildlife and biodiversity
l
Hazardous waste generation
l
Depletion of natural resources
l
Generation of waste
l
Water consumption
l
Release to land
l
Use of chemicals/soap use.
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Once these Common Significant Aspects were identified the individual department developed targets to reduce the aspects relevant to their activities. We hold regular Environmental Improvement Team (EIT) meetings where we seek best practice around a particular target either to share from within the group or where applicable from the experience of outside organisations. This is then used to facilitate a process of continual improvement. As set out in 3.1, EIT supports the Management Team in delivering Accord’s Environmental Programme and as part of the work of the EIT; individual departments are asked to participate in a workshop at each meeting feeding back any progress of applicable objectives so that the Group Departmental Action Plan can be updated.
REVISED TARGETS We will be introducing a suite of smart targets linked to our objectives, which we will report against in future years of this EMAS statement over the next 12 months.
ENGAGING CUSTOMERS The Accord Group delivers an excellent Customer Engagement service as accredited by TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service), ensuring that customers are involved in developing our key business areas. In September 2013 customers reviewed and developed their own strategy statement which is about “Customers are at the heart of everything that the Accord Group does and are key parts of the decision making processes. Our strategy is about working together to provide meaningful engagement which will lead to; improving the lives of all customers, providing even better homes and communities, and excellent services that are value for money”. and part of the Strategy also upholds the principles of our EMAS statement by seeking to deliver customer engagement initiatives and projects as part of (i) capacity building sustainable communities and (ii) safeguarding the neighbourhoods in which our customer already live. There are some great examples of such initiatives that have both involved customers in the development but have also targeted a much broader customer / community based audience. At a Group level, one example of this would be our Accord ERDF Sustainable Retrofit and S mart Grids project. The
24
Accord Group
project is funded to trial new to market technologies that have been developed to improve the energy efficiency of our housing stock through improving insulation, generating renewable energy or improving the performance of heating and lighting systems. The first activity for the team when it was appointed in June 2012 was to produce our Customer Information Pack. We used the lessons from previous projects to produce information that we felt useful and understandable for our customers even though we were dealing with quite technical issues. These packs have been given to the customers we have been working with and provide contact information and the details they need to keep safe during any works and to get in touch with us for help or to make comments. Once the technologies have been fitted we will provide information about each of them so that customers understand how to get the best performance from new products installed in their homes. Before any work starts we will have written to everyone who might be involved and invited them to express their interest in the project. They have all subsequently been contacted in writing and by phone before any third party arrives at their home and they have been regularly updated with courtesy calls and visits. We will have worked with 100 customers so that energy assessments could be carried out. The surveys were carried out by 4 companies which provided either EPC’s or Green Deal Assessment Reports and were recruited because they demonstrated good customer engagement skills at interviews that we carried out in a void property so we could do a realistic role play. We will then work with 45 of these customers to deliver a full external wall insulation project. The contractor selected for this work also provided good evidence before being appointed of their customer care approach and we were very pleased that we had no complaints about this project. Any problems reported by customers were sorted out efficiently, even when the root of the issue was to do with problems that were nothing to do with the contractor. The customer journey for the demonstration project where we are monitoring 12 homes and designing a package of energy efficiency works for 6 of these has been intensively supported. The project development has required lots of visits by the design team and separate contractors for surveys, assessments and installation of products. The customer relationships have been managed through the ERDF team. We have provided a single point of contact and continuity of contact which has enabled us to deliver a complex project without upsetting the customers involved.
Procurement policies Procurement features across all teams and processes are in place in the Accord Group to ensure that services and goods that we buy align to our values and policies on environmental issues and to procure as far as possible, “green” products and services. Our organisational spend, provides significant opportunities for investment in local communities either through direct commissioning of goods and services or indirectly through opening up our supply chains and ensuring our suppliers are committed to supporting the communities and residents we serve. We also aspire to direct that spend and align our work where possible with other agencies to increase impact and create greater significance in environmental sustainability as well as job creation, training and social investment.
2014 customer engagement event
The ERDF project is nearing completion of the installation of approximately 30 technologies to 6 homes. The carbon savings and product performance will be monitored going forward and continuing customer engagement will be required. However, at the time of this report, we are able to say that a complex project will have been delivered with the support of customers and our initial customer engagement plan has supported this process. We have also recently started installation on our Smart Grids trial. The final design has evolved and changed. As a result we have had to manage several groups of customers and are just getting to know the cohort on the 29 properties involved. The ERDF team will also have a stall during September’s customer conference which will have about 150 customers in attendance. Our customer annual report has also gone digital over the last three years, a panel of customers are involved in creating the film which is then published on the Accord Group website and the social media channels. So far over 1100 customers have viewed the annual reports with 1008 of those being online. In 2014 the customer conference had a digital theme, with over 60 people in attendance including partners. This conference allowed customers to get hands on with technology and shape how the Accord Group could interact with customers online.
Over the next 12 months we shall further develop our processes and introduce a Responsible Procurement Charter and Policy for ensuring that Sustainability is at the heart of the procurement decision making process. We support work on ISO14001 and EMAS and wherever possible, ensure that procurement of materials from sustainable sources is a prerequisite in purchasing decisions. We ask new suppliers to show their own green credentials and the tendering process requests that suppliers adhere to our ISO14001 procedures. As part of our internal work on social value, we shall further enhance how we measure and deliver on procurement added value including around our environmental agenda. In addition to this process the Group’s Procurement Manager has been instrumental in ensuring that all enquiries sent out for goods and services request a basic evaluation of the tender’s awareness and performance around environmental impact. This seeks to build up an approved list of suppliers of goods and services that have adequately demonstrated a like-minded understanding of environmental issues around business operations.
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8. ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND DATA COLLECTION Environmental performance regarding legal requirements and national or sector environmental targets ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE DATA The revised EMAS Regulation introduced for 2011 a set of prescriptive “core indicators” that organisations seeking registration under the EMAS standard must report on. This was to: l
Give an accurate appraisal of the organisation’s environmental performance
l
Be understandable and unambiguous
l
Give a year on year comparison to assess the development of the environmental performance of the organisation
l
Compare with sector, national or regional benchmarks as appropriate
l
Compare with regulatory requirements as appropriate.
The core indicators described in the EMAS Regulation are based upon the following: l
Energy efficiency
l
Material efficiency
l Water l Waste l Biodiversity l Emissions.
The Group has set out its performance data based upon the aforementioned headings. Where the indicator is not relevant to the Group an explanation has been given. In addition to the core indicators it has reported upon other performance indicators in relation to its specific sector.
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Accord Group
EMAS Statement 2015
27
ENERGY EFFICIENCIES
28
Accord Group
ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN OUR OFFICES The following table represents the ‘total direct annual energy consumption’, derived from electricity and gas usage within offices operated by the Accord Group.
TOTAL ANNUAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION 2009 - 2015 Total direct input (MWh) Electricity
Gas
Total
Number of employees
Energy use per employee (MWh)
Accord HA
286.06
220.27
506.32
157
3.22
Caldmore
93.17
69.32
162.49
62
2.62
Darlaston
54.91
65.14
120.06
25
4.80
Fry Housing Trust
18.33
52.68
71.01
14
5.07
Home and Garden Services
14.63
0
14.63
60
0.24
Moseley and District
50.19
88.06
138.24
24
5.76
Total
517.29
495.47
1012.75
342
2.96
2013-2014
531.54
499.79
1031.33
314
3.28
2012-2013
549.85
519.33
1069.17
324
3.30
2011-2012
495.48
416.27
911.75
312
2.92
2010-2011
580.97
535.63
1116.60
323
3.46
2009-2010
526.97
479.77
1006.73
309
3.26
Office
(*Data for Fairgate, Redditch & Rubery Owen Offices is not obtainable and therefore not included in the calculation.) (**The Darlaston office had no available gas reading as of 2009/2010 but the gas supply within the Darlaston Office is now be quantified)
For this year, an Inenco Report has collected regular meter readings for the majority of the offices. The bills/invoices for a 12 month period for these offices have been used. Great effort has been made to reduce this risk by ensuring that calculations are as accurate as possible considering the extent of the data available. The table demonstrates that Electrical usage has overall reduced across the offices. This is due to a number of factors including our switch off campaign, our installation of PIR light switches to toilets in West Bromwich and to the more efficient use of resources. Energy use across our offices per employee has reduced by 9.7% in the last year, this has been achieved by a number of measures including fitting PIR Lights and rationalising our use of offices. Calculations have also included a normalisation stage, used to demonstrate energy consumption per employee.
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The following table in addition demonstrates the ‘total annual greenhouse gas emissions’ which are produced as a result of our office practices. DEFRA guidelines allow for conversion to tonnes of greenhouse gas equivalent. This includes carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4) and nitrous oxides (N2O).
TOTAL ANNUAL EMISSIONS 2013 - 2015 Total annual emissions (tonnes)
Energy source
Total
Emissions per employee (tonnes)
Electricity
Gas
253.59
91.44
345.03
1.0089
CH4 (CO2e)
0.17
0.15
0.32
0.0009
N2O (CO2e)
1.91
0.06
1.96
0.0057
Direct GHG
255.67
91.65
347.32
1.0155
2013-2014
262.71
92.45
355.16
1.1311
2012-2013
271.69
96.18
382.23
1.1797
2011-2012
257.83
77.10
334.93
1.0735
CO2
Total renewable energy use The Group are currently investigating a major investment in Photovoltaic panels and are in active discussions with a number of suppliers. This will provide approximately 10% of electricity from renewable sources. We have begun to collect data on the amount of Renewable energy that we generate through our properties and in the last 12 months we saved approximately 170 tonnes of CO2 by using Passive Solar Hot Water systems or PV panels on our properties.
TONNES OF CO2 SAVED FROM RENEWABLE POWER GENERATION ON OUR PROPERTIES 250 tonnes 200 tonnes 150 tonnes 100 tonnes 50 tonnes 0
30
2011/12
Accord Group
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
MATERIAL EFFICIENCY Material efficiency from administrative processes The Accord Group consume natural resources as a result of administrative processes. A common material that is used across the Group is paper. The table below shows the amount of paper that is used across the group per year.
TOTAL ANNUAL PAPER CONSUMPTION 2011 - 2015 Total direct input Office
Normalisation
Tonnes
Number of employees
Paper use per employee
Accord HA
5.73
157
0.04
Caldmore
2.08
62
0.03
Darlaston
2.10
25
0.08
Fairgate House
1.84
34
0.05
Fry Housing Trust
1.50
14
0.11
Home and Garden Services
0.03
60
0.00
M&D
1.72
24
0.07
Redditch Co-op
0.60
5
0.12
Rubery Owen
0.64
17
0.04
Total
16.25
398
0.041
2013-2014
18.25
392
0.047
2012-2013
18.25
406
0.045
2011-2012
16.47
398
0.041
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GROUP ANNUAL PAPER CONSUMPTION 2014 - 2015 (TONNES) 6.0
5.73
5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5
2.08
2.0
2.10 1.84
1.5
1.72 1.50
1 0.5
0.03
0 Accord
Caldmore
Darlaston
Fairgate
Fry
H&GS
M&D
0.6
0.64
Redditch
Rubery Owen
This year we have seen the roll out of new photocopiers with a personalised code system to minimise the use of unwanted photocopying, they are also programmed to print double sided by default. We have also continued our policy of where possible producing digital reports for example our Annual Tenants Report; these measures combined means that we are seeing a significant reduction in paper consumption which we hope to see reduce further going forward.
ENVELOPE CONSUMPTION 2012 - 2015 Total direct input Office
Normalisation
Tonnes
Number of employees
Paper use per employee
Accord HA
0.23
157
0.001
Caldmore
0.38
62
0.006
Darlaston
0.29
25
0.012
Fairgate House
0.13
34
0.004
Fry Housing Trust
0.08
14
0.005
Home and Garden Services
0.02
60
0.000
M&D
0.11
24
0.005
Redditch Co-op
0.07
5
0.014
Rubery Owen
0.03
17
0.001
Total
1.33
398
0.003
2013-2014
1.45
392
0.004
2012-2013
1.53
398
0.004
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Accord Group
Previous years have seen the Group only reporting on paper consumption however as of 2012/13 we chose to also report the Group’s usage of envelopes. We are pleased to note that our policies are facilitating a steady reduction in the amount of Envelopes being used. The table below is a record of our external printing:
EXTERNAL PRINTING CONSUMPTION 2012 - 2015 Total direct input Year
Normalisation
Tonnes
Number of employees*
Paper use per employee
2014-2015
1.729
1,627
0.0011
2013-2014
0.496
1,134
0.0004
2012-2013
6.537
1,324
0.0049
We have a dramatic reduction in external printing in 2012/13 to 2014/15 due to the decision to digitalise some of the information we present such as the tenants Annual Report. However in the last 12 months we produced a booklet which aimed to influence the sector in which we operate to build in a more sustainable manner. This has resulted in a slight increase in the amount of external production produced in the last 12 months
Other material use In addition to this the Decent Homes, repair programmes and new build uses construction materials. These are the responsibility of Contractors that are employed by the Group and have therefore not been reported upon. As managed through our own ISO14001 procedures works valued at less than £300K do not require a site waste management plan, but it is the intent of the building contract to establish that the contractor is responsible for the management and correct disposal of waste generated by his works. Despite regulation changes we have decided to continue with this process. Contractors are required to purchase materials according to the Group’s procurement policies.
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WATER The following table shows the amount of water consumed per employee within the Accord Group. Water consumption has been calculated by using flow rates and capacities provided by Twyford’s bathrooms, and have considered the following fittings: l
Toilets and urinals
l
Washing hand basins and sinks
l Dishwashers l Showers
Over the last period the Accord Group has been increasing its use of in-house maintenance services, this has had the effect of increasing our water consumption calculated pro-rata employees.
WATER CONSUMPTION 2009 - 2015 Total (m3) Total water (m3) used/year
No of employees
per year
per day
2009/2010
3,781
387
9.77
0.041
2010/2011
3,864
383
10.09
0.043
2011/2012
3,659
376
9.73
0.039
2012/2013
3,626
381
9.52
0.039
2012/2013
3,143
370
8.49
0.035
2014/2015
3,806
376
10.12
0.041
Year
WATER USE PER EMPLOYEE (M3) 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0
34
’09-’10
Accord Group
’10-’11
’11-’12
’12-’13
’13-’14
‘14-’15
WASTE GENERATION The following table shows the amount of non-hazardous and hazardous waste produced by employees or operations delivered by the Group’s seven main office locations. Data collection categories from each office may vary due to services provided, the facilities in place or available data.
TOTAL WASTE PRODUCED FOR THE GROUP HEAD OFFICES PER EMPLOYEE, 2014/2015 Total waste production
Waste type
Kilograms
Tonnes
Number of employees
16,564
16.56
114,856
Waste production per employee Kilograms
Tonnes
282
58.74
0.06
114.86
347
331.00
0.33
22,220
22.22
254
87.48
0.09
Total
153,640
153.64
398
477.22
0.48
Green waste
436,965
436.97
Construction
1,230
1.23
WEEE
2,701
2.70
1,627
1.66
0.002
DMR General waste Confidential
TOTAL ANNUAL GENERATION OF WASTE 2012 - 2015
6 tonnes 4 tonnes
n Green waste
2 tonnes
n Non-hazardous 0
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
n Hazardous
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35
Due to the limited verifiable information provided for some locations assumptions have been made based on the waste type and size of container. These estimates have been based on either average exact weights at collections or estimates from the contractor. Weights for offices within shared accommodation have not been included in either general waste or dry mixed recycling. Nether construction or green waste is reported against employee numbers as there is no direct correlation between the two. This waste instead depends on the either the area of land managed or the number of external and internal contracts. We continue to improve our reporting mechanisms in regard to waste, in particular to ensure that we capture all waste across the group. This has resulted in both a more accurate measurement of waste generated. The offices have attempted to decrease the amount of waste intended for landfill, the least desirable environmental outcome, in a number of ways: l
Offices introduced a ‘dried mixed recycling’ (DMR) scheme in early 2011 in an attempt to increase the proportion of waste recycled. (Data was not obtainable from Redditch Co-op or Fairgate House)
l
The offices have reduced the number of landfill bins in an attempt to divert waste away from this outcome.
Accord also endeavours to reduce the amount of waste created by others operating on our behalf by ensuring contractors have or are working towards ISO14001. The design of our properties strives to consider the impacts on the environment throughout the entire procurement process, to include design, construction on site and the end use by that of our tenants.
36
Accord Group
Design During design the selection of materials by the Group’s in-house architects consider not only robustness and appearance but their contribution to minimising site waste. The Group’s recent initiative around constructing its own homes in a factory environment utilises timber panels, amongst other low carbon natural resources that create energy efficient homes whilst significantly reducing waste in the supply chain.
Construction This factory process also has great benefits for our contractors erecting each property on site, offering both time and waste savings. A site waste management plan is provided for the contractor which considers the projects design and access statement, to ensure that our efforts are maintained in reducing the creation of waste on site from building, in line with our environmental policy, Environment Management System (EMS) and the legal requirements.
End Use The residents then have a more energy efficient property which will enable them to reduce the impact that their home may have on the environment, also offering them financial benefits such as reduced fuel bills. This reflects the fact that Accord is actively endeavouring to implement greener actions where possible.
BIODIVERSITY The built up area is based upon a calculation of the average footprint of a dwelling. We do not quote a value per employee as staff numbers are in no way related to the biodiversity indicator.
USE OF MANAGED LAND Number of properties owned
Built up area (m2)
Green space area managed (m2)
2010-11
9,018
315,630
2,000,000
2011-12
9,812
343,420
1,370,311
2012-13
9,939
347,865
1,440,311
2013-14
10,249
358,715
1,934,815
2014-15
11,298
395,430
1,007,256
The adjustment in results follows a reduction in the amount of managed land. In future we will only report on land under our direct control. 2014/15 is the first year we are able to identify internal green space that is in our control. The Group manages approximately 157 hectares of community and shared amenity space over and above any private gardens enjoyed by our residents. In consultation with our own BREEAM Accredited Professional, we have determined in accordance with standards of assessment published by the Countryside Survey and the Digest of Environmental Statistics, that this land has a neutral impact on wildlife and biodiversity. The Group commitment to ensure that, through management and future monitoring, any works both to new build and existing will have a positive impact upon both wildlife and biodiversity. This commitment will be demonstrated by the appointment of qualified ecological reports for significant works. All new build schemes commit to achieving an environmental performance standard equal or better than the former code for sustainable level 3 this states that where possible there is a benefit in development being restricted to land that already has a limited value to wildlife. The ecological value of a site is affected by previous uses and the presence of ecological features such as trees, hedges, watercourses, wetlands, meadows, etc. Therefore, the re-use of existing sites will help to slow down the destruction of natural habitats and the wildlife they support, as well as preventing loss of land used for agriculture, parkland, etc. Wherever homes are constructed, there is always a risk that however environmentally benign the building or development itself is, it may present a threat to local ecology or areas of natural beauty. The principle here is to minimise the damage to existing local ecology and then, where possible, to enhance it. Damage can be minimised either by selecting a site of low ecological value or by developing a site in a way that protects the most important ecological features. House building need not reduce the ecological value of the site; it may enhance it in many cases. There will always be some temporary disturbance to the local ecology, but wildlife will return once construction is complete, providing an appropriate habitat is provided.
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Based on the above the Group endeavour on each site to carry out the following works: l
The planting of native species
l
The adoption of horticultural good practice (e.g. no, or low, use of residual pesticides)
l
The installation of bird, bat and/or insect boxes at appropriate locations on the site (to date these have been employed on Fairview Court, Old Rectory Gardens Walsall, Bat House at Swadlincote)
l
Development of a full Biodiversity Management Plan including avoiding clearance/works at key times of the year (e.g. breeding seasons)
l
The proper integration, design and maintenance of SUDs and green roofs, community orchards etc.
Only native floral species or those with a known attraction or benefit to local wildlife can be considered for the purpose of enhancing the ecological value of the site.
EMISSIONS The main quantifiable emissions produced by the Group are those of CO2. The quantities of these emissions are derived from different sources; including electricity and gas usage in both the properties and offices that we manage, and also from the fuel used in our vehicles.
CALCULATION OF GROUP CARBON FOOTPRINT FROM 2005/6 TO 2014/15 Average % CO2 annual change/ CO2 change prop.* (tonnes)
Offices
Vehicles
Total
Annual difference CO2 (tonnes)
3.28
240
41
21,388
0
0
0
22,495
3.33
229
42
22,766
1,378
0.06
1.8
6,827
22,905
3.36
223
40
23,168
402
0.08
2.4
2008-9
7,084
23,767
3.36
272
37
24,076
908
0.08
2.4
2009-10
8,329
24,935
2.99
430
119
25,484
1,341
-0.28
-8.6
2010-11
9,018
28,686
3.18
484
123
29,293
1,936
-0.30
-9.1
2011-12
9,835
30,484
3.10
435
188
31,107
782
-0.41
-12.5
2012-13
9,962
31,932
3.21
463
173
32,569
122
-0.43
-13.2
2013-14
10,249
28,878
2.82
355
162
29,395
1,137
-0.46
-14.0
2014-15
11,485
29,839
2.60
256
178
30,273
903
-0.68
-20.7
Homes
2005-6
6,444
21,107
2006-7
6,746
2007-8
Year
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Accord Group
Homes (per property)
*Since 2006
Total annual emissions of CO2 (tonnes)
Number of properties
Homes We have reduced CO2 per property by over 20% since we started measuring our impact. This is the most significant environmental indicator for our environmental work. It demonstrates a significant investment in our stock and green technologies. The calculation method used in 2011 has been used each year since however we have used a more detailed criteria, the figure has been created using an average CO2 figure from a sample of the EPCs for our existing stock and the average CO2 figure from a sample of the EPC’s for all of our new builds and adding them together, the figures used in 2010 were based on an estimated average amount of CO2 produced per property size which was taken off an online website. We feel this was inaccurate as it is based around a normal property which doesn’t take into account new homes such as ours that are more efficient. In addition, we have scrutinised the stock held by Fry Housing trust and allowed for the fact that there are 147 bedsits with communal facilities however there are only 29 properties in total with 147 bead spaces therefore an adjustment has been made last year. We no longer intend to report an overall average SAP per dwelling value as we feel the measurement of CO2 and kWh/ m² are better measures of our environmental performance. Our baseline measure for the total kWh used is 1,266,319.
Offices We have reduced CO2 emissions by almost 10%. To calculate the CO2 production from our offices, Accord have utilised the 2014 DCFC Carbon Factors document. This advanced spreadsheet provides accurate conversion factors for the 2015 year. These figures represent the kilograms of CO2 per kWh of gas and electricity, allowing for conversion from both ‘purchased electricity use’ and from the ‘natural gas’ energy type (on a gross CV basis) to the equivalent CO2 emissions. This provides an accurate estimation of the CO2 produced within our offices (although there is no data available for the leased and rented offices).
Vehicles The 2014 DCFC Carbon Factors document was ideal in providing up to date and accurate conversions from the ‘claimed mileage’ (data obtained from the payroll) for the 2014/15 year into the ‘total amount of CO2 produced’. This simply provides a figure which represents the ‘production of CO2 grams per kilometre’. This is then multiplied by the total number of claimed miles (converted to kilometres) travelled within the year. This method does however use figures for an ‘average car of unknown fuel’ so doesn’t entirely account for variations in engine size (fuel consumption) and fuel type (petrol, diesel, etc.). The most resent conversion table will be used for this calculation going forward and will also be applied to all previous years.
Power generation We have set a target from a base year of 2012 to produce approximately 1.2m kWh of energy from renewable technology. In the last year we generated 1,012,914 KWHs and this has been saved cumulatively so far, this has a significant saving on CO2 from our current properties.
Year
Tonnes of CO2 saved from renewable power generation on our properties
2011-12
16.12
2012-13
50.61
2013-14
129.70
2014-15
170.91
EMAS Statement 2015
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Reflection We have restated our CO2 Emissions data for 2011 using more accurate information which we have achieved from using data for this year. All empty properties receive an Environmental Performance Certificate as part of the re-let process. This Certificate is independently produced and states the CO2 generated in the property. We have compiled this data for new build properties and for re-lets. From this data we can see that the new properties we are building are becoming more efficient and the measures we are applying to existing properties are also improving their energy efficiency.
40
Accord Group
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9. PAST ACTIVITIES Contaminated land In the development of new housing the Accord Group often purchases land that is contaminated by past activities. On all new sites a detailed site investigation takes place prior to the commencement of any development. This Site Investigation actively seeks to identify land that is contaminated. A remediation plan is then developed with specialist advice in conjunction with statutory authorities. The remedial work is then carefully monitored, managed and recorded as part of the development process. An example of this is the site at Beechdale Walsall, where we remediated a former School Site that upon investigation saw historic dumping of opencast mining slag. With careful engineering solutions, contaminated material was contained on the site avoiding transferring pollutants elsewhere and enabled the site to be developed meeting all current regulatory standards.
Other past activities The other activities undertaken and managed in the EMS are representative of the current activities undertaken. Although the business activities have not changed there are environmental risks associated with older housing stock in the form of asbestos. The Group has procedures to deal with asbestos.
10. SUPPORT OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE WITH INTERESTED PARTIES The Group promotes dialogue with interested parties on a local level. We engage with a wide range of local stakeholders and the level of engagement may vary as the intensity of various projects and activities fluctuates. An example of this has been the involvement of Redditch Co-operative Homes in the development of the Environmental statement and policies contained within Redditch Borough Councils local strategic plan. Here the organisation combined with the Local Friends of the Earth Group, the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, the Council for Protection of Rural England and other interested parties to assist the local authority in driving forward and improving the environmental standards to which new development would be expected to meet.
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Accord Group
11. OTHER RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Reporting on existing safety plans where relevant to environment There are Health and Safety plans in relation to Biological hazards and Asbestos Removal. These ensure that the Accord Group conform to all legal requirements in relation to the environment on these issues.
Precautionary actions/environmental protection activities/preventative measures Within the aspects and impacts analysis there is a designated area to describe any controls that are in place to reduce the environmental impact. This means that all environmental impacts can be limited and the controls audited to ensure continual compliance.
Complaints, public or community concerns No complaints on environmental issues have been recorded.
Description of impacts due to accidents and any other environmental liabilities There have been no environmental related accidents, incidents or breaches in legislation.
Acquisitions, mergers and divestments In the last twelve months Heantun Housing Association joined the Accord Group.
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VALIDATION Further to consideration of the documentation, data and information resulting from the organisation’s internal procedures examined on a sampling basis during the verification process, it is evident that the environmental policy, program, management system, review (or audit procedure) and environmental statement meet the requirements of Regulation 1221/2009 (The EMAS Regulation). SGS UK, accreditation No. UK-V0005, as appointed verifiers to the Accord Group, has verified the Environmental Management System and validated this Environmental Statement, according to all the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009; the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. SGS United Kingdom Limited, Inward Way, Rossmore Business Park, Ellesmere Port, CH65 3EN
Verified: Date: 5th October 2015 Auditor: Graham Walford
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Accord Group
178 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 6QG Telephone: 0300 111 7000 Email: customerfirst@accordgroup.org.uk Visit: accordgroup.org.uk Tweet: @theaccordgroup Like: facebook.com/accordgroup Watch: youtube.com/theaccordgroup