Monday 18th November 2019: To mark the 10th anniversary of the Suffolk Carbon Charter accreditation, a selection of Suffolk’s greenest companies came together to share ideas on what low carbon business means in the context of a climate emergency. The event was hosted by the East of England Coop at Wherstead Hall, near Ipswich.
More than 500 accreditations have been awarded since the launch of the Carbon Charter, building a community of sustainable businesses that now spans across Norfolk and Suffolk.
Despite the glitz of the Wherstead Hall setting, the event was more about looking ahead to future challenges than resting on the laurels of what has been achieved to date. As Pathfinder Partners of the Charter, the East of England Co-op have supported their local suppliers to cut their carbon and gain accreditation. Their Chief Executive, Doug Field, discussed this in the context of the group’s wider sustainability record, and the challenges of responding to new issues such as public expectations around plastic.
Sharing experience across small and medium businesses has always been central to the Charter network. Annie Adamson, owner of Queen Bee Coffee (Carbon Charter Silver) spoke about setting up her business from scratch with “a steely core of greenness at its heart”. She described the steps taken in getting to grips with the main areas of impacts, and working to keep the supply chain as short, local and sustainable as possible.
The Royal Hospital School are long-standing Carbon Charter holders (Gold), and had quite a story to tell about driving sustainability within a growing school housed in listed buildings. Three members of eco-committee (Finn Corcoran, Joel Sheldon and Fin Dinnick) described the work they’d done ranging from improvements to the energy infrastructure to campaigns to engage their fellow students. The passion and expertise they spoke with was a credit to them and their school, and an inspiration to all who were there. As Mr. Sheldon commented, reviewing the school’s 60% carbon reduction since their 2010 baseline year, their progress is testament to how a series of small changes can have a big impact.
Carbon Charter accreditation can help businesses to save money through reduced energy bills and be in a better position to attract new customers who are increasingly concerned by the sustainability of their purchases. A new website (www.beeanglia.org) and expansion on the support provided to Charter holders was also launched on the night.
The event was supported by Businesses Energy Efficiency (BEE) Anglia, which provides advice and grants to help businesses cut their energy use, and is co-financed by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
