Best Foot Forward

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) is an internationally-acclaimed architectural practice which seeks to incorporate sustainability issues into all their projects. RSHP was keen to address similar considerations in the operation of its own offices. The practice commissioned BFF to follow ISO14064 to assess the carbon footprint of its London office to obtain a baseline against which to develop a strategy for reducing its environmental impacts.

Sheppard Robson is one of the largest architectural practices in the UK and has won major awards for design and innovation. Sheppard Robson commissioned BFF to assess the carbon and ecological footprints of their annual office activities in London and Manchester. The results from the study have enabled them to develop a strategy to monitor and reduce their footprint in the future.

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Ofcom commissioned us to undertake a full carbon and ecological footprint analysis of all offices, publications, data storage and vehicle fleets. The results from the study are being used to develop targets for Ofcom to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions year on year.

Sunderland based people and property business, Gentoo, is aiming to create a benchmark to measure and therefore effectively manage their environmental impact in order to contribute to the UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment. BFF was commissioned by Gentoo to carry out a comprehensive footprint assessment (both carbon and ecological) of its entire business as part of its ongoing work aimed at improving the efficiency of the Group and lessening its impact on the environment.

The ARENA Network Carbon Reduction Program has been established to assist small-to-medium-sized enterprises across Northern Ireland with their energy consumption. ARENA Network—the environmental arm of Business in the Community— commissioned BFF to provide a footprinting application for use by SMEs engaged with the Program. We developed Footprinter™ NI and it is now freely available to users on the Program’s website.

The government-funded Envirowise programme is dedicated to improving resource efficiency in UK businesses. BFF was commissioned to develop a simple tool to demonstrate the relationship between resource use, costs and carbon efficiency. The resulting 'Envirowise Indicator' can be used by visitors to their website.

We have completed numerous office footprints and wanted to develop a tool for clients to have in-house to enable ongoing footprint measurment. 'Office Footprinter' is the first completed product in the Footprinter series, and is being used by a number of clients for tracking Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Office Footprinter is a subscription-based model although a free trial version is available on the dedicated Footprinter website.

CABE (The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) plays a key role in raising awareness of sustainability across the industry. CABE wanted to manage its own footprint, so commissioned BFF to calculate the ecological and carbon footprint of its office activities.

Trócaire is the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland with its head office in Maynooth and international offices around the world. Trócaire campaigns on climate change issues and wished to carefully assess its own impacts as an organisation. BFF calculated the carbon and ecological footprints of three Irish and three international Trócaire offices as well as all international travel. Our findings helped Trócaire understand the relative impacts of different activities, and allowed it to start tackling the major challenge for an international aid agency of minimising air travel.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) used BFF to calculate the total carbon footprint of its HQ offices. The results were used by their Sustainable Development Team to investigate opportunities for BERR to target plans to reduce its footprint. BFF was invited to share the findings with Whitehall's Sustainable Development Policy Working Group.

The CBI plays a pivotal role representing UK businesses, and closely follows the climate change debate. BFF was commissioned to undertake a footprint of the CBI's own operations to demonstrate where its own impacts lie. The results influenced their coporate carbon reduction strategy.

The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) manages a number of rural estates and National Nature Reserves. BFF was approached by CCW to consider the impact of its utility usage, but our wider study showed the highest emissions actually come from material inputs and staff transport. CCW used these results to target emissions reduction actions.

The National Health Service (NHS) is one of the world’s largest employers, and its size and function necessitate intensive resource use. BFF’s ‘Material Health’ study investigates the mass balance and ecological footprint of the NHS in England and Wales - the first time a measure of this kind had been attempted. The objective of the study was to influence future environmental policy while supporting the NHS’s primary purpose of improving the health of the nation. The Material Health report has been broadly received as an insightful and sophisticated analysis of a highly complex organisation.

We have been training organisations and individuals on the ecological footprint since 2004. Over 300 people have passed through the training course, which is delivered from our Oxford offices and externally for clients. The course explains the principle of ecological footprinting, and provides opportunities for practical application of the methodology with a series of case studies.