TNEI WORKS TO REDUCE ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT
TNEI Services is embarking on a major energy exercise to develop the company’s sustainability programme and ensure that it remains at the core of its business.
Recycling, reusing and monitoring its carbon footprint have become the company’s mantra with league tables and an energy and environment action plan to set challenging targets for the business and its staff.
The 30-strong workforce at the company’s head office in Milburn House,
To address the environmental impact of corporate travel, one of the first steps for the company was to install tele-conferencing facilities between its offices to improve communication and reduce unnecessary travel between sites.
Although mainly an office based consultancy, the team also conducts regular site visits across the region and nationally and has built a monitoring tool into its monthly expense sheet to identify the carbon miles travelled by its consultants either by public transport or in cars.
The aim is to develop and offsetting scheme to compensate for the carbon impact of corporate travel and to develop a volunteer scheme for staff to get involved in environmental projects on a day-release basis. Staff have already been involved in tree planting schemes with Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
Another step the company has made is installing recycling boxes around the office and working with a company to shred and recycle the company’s confidential waste paper
Key energy saving tactics also deployed throughout the office include:
- Computers, lights and other equipment are turned off when not in use
- To minimise wasted materials – the company employs a detailed check list and review policy before commissioning printed materials – to determine whether another communications tool would be more appropriate and less environmentally harmful
- Telephone conferencing between the company’s three offices is used wherever possible to cut the carbon impact of travelling
- Consultants aim to use public transport when travelling to client business locally
The latest step in the company’s action plan has been to embark on a carbon footprint exercise for staff to determine their personal and household carbon footprints. The results are to be included in a company league table to encourage best practice across the team with advice offered by in-house energy management experts.
Commenting on the company’s energy action plan, Business Development Director, Matthew Lumsden explained: “Energy management and renewables is a young, vibrant industry, staff join TNEI expressly because of their personal commitment to sustainability. To support their efforts and to demonstrate our own corporate beliefs we are embarking on a programme that aims to create a business that promotes sustainability in its widest sense and minimises its impact on the environment.”
“Opinion polls* show that 64% of customers are more likely to buy products or services from companies that have a low carbon footprint, we recognise that when we are working with Clients to advise on sustainable and renewable energy – or advising on energy management – we need to demonstrate best practice.”
TNEI aims to roll out the energy and environment action plan across its 3 offices in