Sustainable Development measures can boost bottom line results
With companies across all sectors experiencing increased pressures on operating costs combined with highly competitive markets, it makes sense to look at maximising resource efficiency and eliminating waste. Invest Northern Ireland’s Sustainable Development Team offers advice and support to help companies achieve cost savings and ensure they are getting the most out of their energy, water and raw materials. Invest NI’s support covers the full spectrum of sustainable development issues from auditing resource usage through to facilitating linkages between companies to stimulate opportunities for sharing resources and developing supply chain benefits. Resource efficiency audits are offered to those companies with the greatest potential to make timely and cost effective resource savings. Typically these are small or medium sized businesses that spend more than £60,000 a year on water, waste and raw materials. The audit aims to identify opportunities for resource efficiency cost savings that can be achieved in a reasonable timescale and at reasonable cost. It includes creating an action plan for achieving these. Invest NI can also arrange on-site energy surveys for companies with energy spends of more than £30,000 a year. These aim to identify quick and effective ways to reduce energy usage, typically yielding a 20% cut in a business’s energy costs. The surveys are conducted by independent accredited consultants who work with businesses to identify energy-saving opportunities and help with implementing the changes needed to achieve the projected savings. For companies with an energy spend of less than £30k Invest NI’s Technical Advisors and/or www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk will provide advice or one-to-one support as appropriate. Having identified resource use issues, businesses can access support for implementing energy and resource improvements. Invest NI can provide up to five days of consultancy to help businesses implement appropriate projects across a range of areas from refrigeration, through lighting, heating, waste and water management, to new technologies and renewable energy sources. Making changes to achieve energy efficiencies can initially involve some capital outlay. To help with this energy efficiency loans of between £3,000 and £100,000 are available for appropriate projects. The interest free loans can be repaid over a period of up to four years. The size of the loan offered and its repayment period will be based on the projected CO2 savings and on-site fossil fuel savings. Cost savings can also come through sharing and exchanging resources and Invest NI can help companies do this through an approach known as industrial symbiosis. This may involve the commercial exchange of materials, energy, water or by-products or the shared use of assets, logistics and expertise. It works by identifying profitable links between companies so that previously unused or discarded resources from one company are recovered, reprocessed or reused by others. As well as helping businesses improve profitability through resource efficiency Invest NI can also help them exploit the fast emerging sustainable energy markets. This renewables business development support offers companies that want to be involved in renewable energy supply chains the chance to build a profile of their capability. Initially a company is asked to complete a scoping form for one of four sustainable energy areas – offshore energy (wind and marine), bio-energy, integrated buildings technologies or energy storage, which includes Smart Grid – after which those with the necessary capabilities will be invited to agree trade literature that will be used during various trade and technology transfer programmes and events. Companies will be informed of suitable supply chain opportunities and events or trade missions being organised by Invest NI. Specific Resource Efficiency events being organised by Invest NI’s Sustainable Development Team during 2011–2012 include two regional water efficiency events targeted at the food and construction sectors. For details of these events and for more information about Invest NI’s support for sustainable development log on to: www.investni.com/index/already/maximising or call 0800 181 4422. Content of this article is provided for information purposes and does not constitute professional or other advice. |
