EMAS report 2013

EMAS Statement 2013

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013

Introduction 2

Energy Efficiency

Material Efficiency 10

4

Water 16

Waste Generation

Emissions 26

Bio-diversity

18

22

Validation 32

1

Introduction ACCORD GROUP This year we want to celebrate how far we have travelled on our journey to becoming the ‘greenest’ housing association. We remain the only housing association in the country to have the externally accredited EMAS standard where we publically put our environmental performance up for external scrutiny. We also feel that we have a unique story to tell; one where we have made a difference and continue to make a difference. This EMAS report presents our key environmental indicators and it also celebrates our success.

recognised environmental management standard. This has two benefits:

You will read about our new homes which have reached level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes – the greenest new properties in the region, producing highly energy efficient homes from our LoCaL Homes factory, developing plans which will see us produce 4,205,000 kwh a year of power from our PV retro-fit programme and importantly, about every department having a plan for continual improvement.

We have chosen to achieve the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), a management tool for companies and organisations to evaluate, report, and improve their environmental performance. We believe that EMAS offers an independently audited Europeanwide standard that clearly demonstrates the level of excellence we are seeking to attain. EMAS also builds upon the continued achievement of ISO14001.

The world is facing a major challenge. Fuel has become much more costly and less available, the planet is getting warmer due to the growth in global carbon emissions and action needs to be taken now or the future could be very bleak indeed.

Through the creditable work of our Environmental Improvement team and the commitment of senior management to our environmental agenda, environmental management has become everyone’s responsibility and part of everyone’s job.

The Accord Group is taking a corporate stance – from the Board of management level down - to address some of these issues as a group of organisations. However, we cannot do it without the support, enthusiasm and commitment of our staff, customers and stakeholders.

We have not reached the end of the road yet, far from it. We have ambitious plans and further challenges and improvements which we will deliver in the next period.

This statement records our progress to date on our journey to environmental excellence. We started that journey back in 1999 with our first environmental policy, but there is certainly a long way to go and this will not all take place overnight. However, we have a strong commitment backed up by practical actions. We want to be the ‘greenest’ housing association in the country.

One important aspect of this is to continue to achieve a 2

l Achieving an accreditation gives a more formal structure to our existing and planned environmental management work l It makes a bold statement about our commitment to addressing environmental issues and our corporate carbon footprint.

I look forward, along with the rest of the Group, to rising to meet these very important challenges and targets for the future and continuing the journey of the Accord Group as the greenest housing association in the country.

Dr Chris Handy OBE Accord Group Chief Executive

EMAS STATEMENT 2013 Environmental Performance Data

Key highlights of the year

This interim statement reports the Accord Group’s performance against a set of prescriptive core indicators that organisations seeking registration under the EMAS standard must report on. This was to:

We have built the two most sustainable homes in the West Midlands (defined as being verified as meeting level six of the Code for Sustainable Homes). At the Marlfield site we are delighted that two of our properties achieved level six of the code for sustainable homes, the highest possible level. Features of our code six homes include:

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 energy efficiency, material efficiency, water, waste, bio-diversity and 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.

The last full statement was published in 2012. This gives a full description of the organisation and our environmental management systems. It is available on request from our Communications department, please call 0300 111 7000.

l l l l l l

Holistic approach to the fabric of the homes Lamb’s wool insulation A-rated appliances Energy saving lighting PV panels Solar hot water.

Our overall housing stock increased from 9,835 units to 9,962 units, our key target is to reduce the CO2 from the housing stock by 26 per cent to 32 per cent for our average home by 2020 from the baseline position we were at in 2005/06. Currently we are showing approximately a five per cent reduction in CO2 from our baseline position. We have also continued the work to retro-fit our existing properties and make them fit for purpose as we see climate change develop. The key highlights of this work include: l Solar hot water installation at Richardson House l Completed solid wall external insulation to 243 properties.

We have also developed plans for the future and set a target to produce 4,205,000 kWh’s of electricity a year from renewable sources which will save 1,854 tonnes of CO2.

3

Energy Efficiency

4

CORE INDICATOR ONE Energy consumption in our offices We have been monitoring our progress to reduce energy consumption in our offices. Measures taken to try to use less energy per employee have included “switch it off� campaigns, new machinery and a reduction in the number of printers.

The following graph demonstrates our four year journey to reduce the energy our staff consume while at work.

Accord Group energy use per employee 3.5 3.0 2.5 (MWh) 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0

2010

2011

2012

2013

All owned offices

5

ACCORDEFFICIENCY ENERGY GROUP The following tables represent the ‘total direct annual energy consumption’ derived from electricity and gas usage within offices operated by the Accord Group.

Total annual energy consumption 2011/2012

Electricity

Gas

Total

Accord HA

287.45

185.77

473.22

150

3.15

Caldmore

98.36

74.84

173.20

52

3.33

Darlaston

44.14

43.03

87.17

27

3.23

0

0

0

64

0

Fry Housing Trust

18.84

41.29

60.13

12

5.01

Greenscape

14.23

0

14.23

45

0.32

Moseley and District

32.46

71.34

103.80

26

3.99

0

0

0

3

0

Rubery Owen***

146.36

128.91

275.27

19

14.49

Total

641.84

545.18

1187.02

398

2.98

Fairgate House*

Redditch Co-op**

6

Total direct input (MWh)

Number of employees

Office

Energy use per employee (MWh)

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013

Total annual energy consumption 2012/2013 Total direct input (MWh) Electricity

Gas

Total

Number of employees

Accord HA

307.20

251.58

558.78

155

3.61

Caldmore

122.80

77.72

200.52

64

3.13

Darlaston

13.97

59.09

73.06

26

2.81

0

0

0

57

0

Fry Housing Trust

18.30

47.08

65.39

10

6.54

Greenscape

13.32

0

13.32

41

0.32

Moseley and District

52.49

83.86

136.35

28

4.87

0

0

0

3

0

Rubery Owen***

107.77

135.76

243.54

51

4.78

Total

635.86

655.09

1290.95

435

2.97

Office

Fairgate House*

Redditch Co-op**

*Data for Redditch and Fairgate 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 can now be quantified. ***The energy use at Rubery Owen office has been restated to reflect more accurate usage in the year 2011/12.

Energy use per employee (MWh)

In 2012, the Group used a Monarch Report but we do not feel that this gave an accurate reflection of the energy used in all cases. Therefore, the Group has introduced a new process based upon invoiced energy consumption.

The table demonstrates that electrical usage has increased slightly over the period particularly at the Caldmore office where more staff are now based. However, looking at gas and electricity consumption combined, we can see that the amount of energy consumption of our employees has remained fairly static in the last period.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY In addition, the following tables demonstrate 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 2011/2012 Total annual emissions (tonnes)

Energy source

Total

Emissions per employee (tonnes)

Electricity

Gas

331.79

100.76

432.55

1.0868

CH4 (CO2e)

0.17

0.15

0.31

0.0008

N2O (CO2e)

20.3

0.06

20.9

0.0053

333.99

100.97

434.96

1.09

Total

Emissions per employee (tonnes)

CO2

Total Direct GHG CO2e)

Total annual emissions 2012/2013 Total annual emissions (tonnes)

Energy source Electricity

Gas

339.87

121.08

460.95

1.0597

CH4 (CO2e)

0.17

0.18

0.35

0.0008

N2O (CO2e)

2.08

0.07

2.16

0.0050

342.13

121.33

463.46

1.07

CO2

Total Direct GHG CO2e)

Total renewable energy use The Group is currently investigating a major investment in photovoltaic (PV) panels and are in active discussions with a number of suppliers. We have announced a new target to fit PV panels to 1,500 properties over the next five years.

8

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013

9

Material Efficiency

10

CORE INDICATOR TWO 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 chart below shows the proportion of paper that is used across the Group per year, in tonnes.

n n n n n n n n n

Accord HA, 5.46 Caldmore, 2.54 Darlaston, 1.46 Fairgate, 3.19 Fry, 1.40 Greenscape, 0.04 M&D, 2.28 Redditch, 1.54 Rubery Owen, 0.34

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MATERIAL EFFICIENCY

Total annual paper consumption 2011/2012, 2012/2013 2011 - 2012

Office

Total direct input

Normalisation

Total direct input

Normalisation

Tonnes

Number of Paper use employees per employee

Tonnes

Number of Paper use employees per employee

Accord HA

6.01

150

0.04

5.46

155

0.04

Caldmore

2.08

52

0.04

2.54

64

0.04

Darlaston

1.92

27

0.07

1.46

26

0.06

Fairgate House

3.43

64

0.05

3.19

57

0.06

Fry Housing Trust

0.11

12

0.01

1.40

10

0.14

Greenscape

0.04

45

0

0.04

41

0

M&D

2.00

26

0.08

2.28

28

0.08

Redditch Co-op

0.49

3

0.16

1.54

3

0.51

Rubery Owen

0.39

19

0.02

0.34

22

0.02

16.47

398

0.04

18.25

406

0.04

Total

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2012 - 2013

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013 Last year was the Group’s first year of reporting envelope consumption. In addition, the Group is now also able to confirm the amount of paper used when documents are printed externally; this is being reported for the first time this year. The table below is a record of our consumption for envelopes:

Envelope consumption 2011/2012, 2012/2013 2011 - 2012

Office

2012 - 2013

Total direct input

Normalisation

Total direct input

Normalisation

Tonnes

Number of Paper use employees per employee

Tonnes

Number of Paper use employees per employee

Accord HA

0.04

150

0

0.06

155

0

Caldmore

0.40

52

0.01

0.71

64

0.01

Darlaston

0.44

27

0.02

0.37

26

0.01

Fairgate House

0.33

64

0.01

0.07

57

0

Fry Housing Trust

0.03

12

0

0.05

10

0

Greenscape

0.01

45

0

0

41

0

M&D

0.22

26

0.01

0.14

28

0

Redditch Co-op

0.06

3

0.02

0.04

3

0.01

0

19

0

0.09

22

1

1.53

398

0.004

406

406

0.004

Rubery Owen Total

*A correction has been applied to the 2011/12 figure this was over estimated. Actual weights have been confirmed using Pitney Bowes franking machine weighing scales.

13

14

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013 External printing consumption 2012/2013 Total direct input Year 2012/2013

Normalisation

Tonnes

Number of employees*

Paper use per employee

63.46

1,324

0.05

Other material use In addition, the Decent Homes programme, repair programmes and new-build use construction materials.

These are the responsibility of contractors that are employed by the Group and have not been reported upon. As managed through our own ISO14001 procedures, works valued at less than £300,000 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 their works.

Projects with a value over £300,000 requires by legislation a site waste management action plan to be prepared, identifying the intent to manage and divert from landfill all waste. Again, 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 their work. Contractors are required to purchase materials according to the Group’s procurement policies.

15

Water

16

CORE INDICATOR THREE ONE The following table shows the amount of water consumed per employee within the Accord Group. This has been calculated using flow rates and capacities provided by Twyford’s bathrooms and considers toilets and urinals, hand basins, sinks, dishwashers and showers.

Water consumption

Total (m3)

Total water (m3) used

No of employees

per year

per day

2009/2010

4,575

387

11.82

0.05

2010/2011

4,862

421

11.55

0.05

2011/2012

4,549

398

11.43

0.05

2012/2013

4,576

406

11.27

0.05

Year

*A correction has been applied to the 2011/12 figure as this was originally under estimated.

Investment in improved facilities has seen significant improvement in our water usage.

Water usage per employee 2010-2013 14.00 12.00 10.00 (M3) 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0

2010

2011

2012

2013

17

Waste Generation

18

CORE INDICATOR FOUR The following charts show 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 the services provided, facilities in place or available data.

Group waste percentages 2012/2013

General waste: 52.43%

Green waste: 32.91%

Dried, mixed recycling (DMR): 7.63% Confidential: 6.42% Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment: 0.61%

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WASTE GENERATION Total annual generation of waste 2011/2012 Waste type

Total waste production Kilograms

Tonnes

Number of employees

19,851

19.85

149,497

Waste production per employee Kilograms

Tonnes

247

80.37

0.080

149.50

331

451.65

0.452

16,964

16.96

279

60.8

0.061

Total

186,312

186.31

398

592.82

0.593

Green waste

165,162

165.16

2,326

2.33

1,597

1.46

0.001

Kilograms

Tonnes

Number of employees

18,821

18.82

102,154

DMR General waste Confidential

WEEE

Total annual generation of waste 2012/2013 Waste type

Waste production per employee Kilograms

Tonnes

334

56.35

0.056

102.15

375

272.41

0.272

15,856

15.86

276

57.54

0.057

Total

136,831

136.83

435

386.21

0.386

Green waste

204,175

204.18

1,510

1.51

1,324

1.14

0.001

DMR General waste Confidential

WEEE

20

Total waste production

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013 The peak in the graph below demonstrates Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) disposal, capturing the three year trend to replace hardware. We can see the peak reducing until the next replacement of major parts of the Information Technology (IT) installation forecast in 2014/15.

Accord Group WEEE 2010-2013

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 it’s 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.

2.50 tonnes 2.00 tonnes

Construction

1.50 tonnes 1.00 tonnes 0.50 tonnes 0

2010

2011

2012

2013

The Accord Group has adopted a waste hierarchy designed to minimise the amount of waste we produce and to minimise the effect on the environment. We have also been introducing paperless systems for processes like invoice and annual leave authorisation.

This has led to a reduction in waste produced in certain areas. Therefore, there has been a general reduction in our confidential shredding waste from all offices apart from Caldmore. In addition, our dry-mixed recycling waste has also seen a reduction.

The 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 project’s 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 customer then has 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 the Accord Group is actively endeavouring to implement ‘greener’ actions where possible.

21

Bio-diversity

22

CORE INDICATOR FIVE Use of managed land 2009-2013

Number of properties managed

Built up area (m2)

Green space area managed (m2)

2009-10

10,764

376,740

2,100,000

2010-11

10,824

378,840

2,000,000

2011-12

10,570

369,950

1,370,311

2012-13

10,493

367,255

1,440,311

The adjustment in results follows a reduction in the amount of managed land and the increase in staff levels.

The Group manages approximately 200 hectares of community and shared amenity space over and above any private gardens enjoyed by our customers.

In consultation with our own BRE Environmental Assessment Method (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 bio-diversity.

The Group commit 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 bio-diversity. This commitment will be demonstrated by the appointment of qualified ecological reports for significant works.

23

BIO-DIVERSITY All new build schemes commit to achieving code level three of the Code for Sustainable Homes. 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 and meadows. 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 and parkland.

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 a 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 l Development of a full Bio-diversity 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 a site.

A good example of this approach can be seen at the recent development designed by our in-house design team at Blakes Hill, North Littleton. The team developed 10 homes and added a swale to allow natural water to collect to encourage birds and reptiles to enhance their habitat. Bat and bird boxes were strategically placed around the site so the number of roosting areas was enhanced. Additional native trees and shrubs were planted to further provide the environment for biodiversity to flourish. Allotments and an orchard were provided on the site to further encourage bio-diversity and the production of local produce.

25

Emissions

26

CORE INDICATOR SIX 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.

Standard Assessment Procedure The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating is a Government defined method for calculating the energy efficiency of houses. In 2005, the SAP method of calculation was adjusted by the Government. Before this date the method of calculation was based upon the previous 2001 method. The objective of reducing our CO2 emissions by between 26 per cent and 32 per cent of our average home by 2020 is a long-term target.

We are confident that the investment in stock which we have planned and the research we are carrying out into the development of low carbon housing will result in the Group meeting this target.

The consistent SAP figure using the 2005 method of calculation demonstrates an improvement in energy efficiency which will lead to the CO2 calculation reducing.

27

EMISSIONS Homes In an ideal situation, the CO2 calculation of the Accord Group’s homes would be based on the annual energy consumption over the past year. The Group has no access to such data, this is not possible. The existing method of calculation is based on the technical aspects of a property and is detailed enough to show a reduction in the level of CO2 after refurbishment of a home. The calculation method relies on the SAP calculation for properties. The SAP calculation is a regulatory requirement for the Accord Group and is subject to audit by the Audit Commission. This method of calculation doesn’t take into account, for example, improved behaviour of Accord’s customers (e.g. greater awareness of saving energy behaviour such as switching off lights when not in use).

The figure has been created using an average CO2 figure from a sample of the Energy Performance Certificates (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 on-line 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, the Group stock was increased this year by approximately 300 new build family homes that have air source heat pump technology employed. Whilst these are renewable fuels, they rely on electricity and thus the emission figures have increased disproportionately due to this.

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Using the EPC information for the basis of our CO2 calculation, whilst robust as a calculation method, tends to overstate the amount of carbon we use, as an EPC is only obtained at the point when a property becomes void. Therefore it tends to be older and also properties with a higher turnover that are overly represented in our stock sample. Despite adopting a more challenging calculation method, we have still seen a five per cent drop in the average emissions per home since we started measuring our CO2 output.

We have developed a detailed asset management plan in order to ensure that we reach the target by 2020. The key highlights of this plan include: l Fitting PV panels to 1,500 properties l Extensive insulation of solid wall insulation across the Group stock l Installing A-rated central heating boilers as older heating systems become obsolete.

In addition to this we have been leading the way in the West Midlands region by producing the region’s most sustainable homes. We built the first level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes properties at the Marlfield site in Redditch. These properties have: l A positive carbon contribution of 1.7 tones a year with a SAP rating of 116 l Lamb’s wool insulation l Closed panel timber frame construction method l Community allotment and orchard l Low energy lighting in all rooms l PV electricity generation.

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013

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ACCORD GROUP EMISSIONS Group total carbon footprint - yearly comparison Year

30

SAP Number of converted properties 2005 method

Total annual emissions of CO2 (tonnes) Homes

Homes (per property)

Offices

Vehicles

Total

Annual difference CO2 (tonnes)

2005-6

6,444

67

21,107

3.28

240

41

21,388

0

2006-7

6,746

67

22,495

3.33

229

42

22,766

1,378

2007-8

6,827

68

22,905

3.36

223

40

23,168

402

2008-9

7,084

71

23,767

3.36

272

37

24,076

908

2009-10

8,329

74

24,935

2.99

430

119

25,484

1,408

2010-11

9,018

74

28,686

3.18

484

123

29,293

3,809

2011-12

9,835

74

30,484

3.10

435

188

31,107

1,814

2012-13

9,962

74

31,932

3.21

463

173

32,569

1,461

ACCORD GROUP EMAS STATEMENT 2013 Offices

Power generation

To calculate the CO2 production from our offices, the Accord Group has utilised the ‘2011 Guidelines to DEFRA/DECC’s GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting’ document. This advanced spread sheet provides accurate conversion factors for the 2012 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).

The Accord Group is increasingly fitting both PV panels and solar hot water panels to our properties that generate renewable power. We have therefore decided to record the CO2 saved by the use of these technologies. We have set ourselves the target to produce approximately 4,205,000 kWh hours of energy using these technologies over the next five years. (We also have a number of air source heat pumps and bio mass boilers which we have excluded from this calculation). Our current power generation is as follows:

Year

Tonnes of CO2 saved from renewable power generation on our properties

2012

16.12

2013

50.61

Vehicles The 2011 DEFRA/DECC document was again ideal in providing up-to-date and accurate conversions from the ‘claimed mileage’ (data obtained from the payroll) for the 2012/2013 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).

In the last 12 months we recorded 42,123 miles of journeys which were car shared out of a total of 553,183 business miles. Car sharing reduces the number of miles and therefore carbon emissions.

Reflection The Group’s carbon footprint per property over the last five years has gone from an average of 3.30 tonnes of CO2 per property to an average of 3.1 tonnes of CO2, a reduction of approximately just over 5 per cent.

The Group is confident that further research around dwelling efficiency and design will see us reach our target Group emissions reduced by 2020, to approximately 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per dwelling.

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VALIDATION Bureau Veritas Certification, accreditation No. UK-V003, 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.

Bureau Veritas Certification Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1LB.

Verified:

Date:

Auditor:

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accordgroup.org.uk

Accord Group 178 Birmingham Road West Bromwich B70 6QG Tel: 0300 111 7000 Email: customerfirst@accordgroup.org.uk Twitter: @theaccordgroup Facebook: facebook.com/accordgroup Flickr: flickr.com/photos/accordgroup Printed on 100% recycled paper