Projects & News - WSP Group

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Andrew Bright,Technical Directorat WSP Environment& Energy, examinesthe commercialimpact of carbonfootprinting.Placing a price on your footprintWhat do whisky, Vitamin C, contactlens fluid, computer software, a multinationalconstruction company and ahigh street retailer all have in common?The answer is that WSP Environment& Energy has been advising companiesin all of these sectors on developingand understanding the carbon emissionsassociated with delivering theseproducts and services to the marketplace. The need for this process is clear– it’s now recognised that climatechange is a fact of life and is playinga growing role in business strategy.With carbon emissions beingincreasingly examined, regulatedand priced, understanding the impacta product, a project or an organisationhas on carbon emissions has neverbeen more important. It can helpmaintain a competitive advantage andadapt to changes in the market placeand also to the possible physicalimpacts of climate change.Understanding carbon emissionsis not just an operational issue,but can offer key strategic advantageto organisations that have a clear pictureof their carbon emissions and whatimpact a changing climate may haveon their business model.One of the most effective waysof doing this is to understand thecarbon footprint of a product, projector even a whole organisation. To be trulystrategic, this has to be done rightthrough the value chain to measure thecarbon dioxide and other greenhousegases. This is then applied over the fulllife cycle of a product or service.This can be a complex undertaking,depending on the level of detail requiredand the client’s intended use for theinformation. WSP Environment & Energyhas developed a series of modelsto deliver detailed carbon footprintsat product, project and organisationallevel. A recent example looked at theContact: Andrew Bright, WSP Environment & EnergyTel: +44 (0)13 1344 2300Email: andrew.bright@wspgroup.comIt’s now recognisedthat climate change is afact of life and is playinga growing role inbusiness strategycarbon emissions associated withproducing a widely used food ingredient– Vitamin C – for a major globalmanufacturer. This involved developinga complex process map for a multiproductmanufacturing facility anddetermining the carbon emissionsassociated with the productionof the product. It included raw materialssupplied, the onsite processing and thefinal product distribution. The modelhas been independently verified andas a result, the product is now eligibleto carry a carbon label.We are currently advising a large multinationalproperty development and06
Highlights5,000000 m 3000 m 3Vehicle WashingShowersGlasswareCitrus growingLondon officeMadrid officeTirana officeThe food and drinkindustry consumeshundreds of billionsof litres of waterevery year, butwhere does thatwater come from?And what wouldhappen if thesupply dried up?Highlights‘Company X’ End to End Water Footprint 2009Traditional water footprints tell business only half the story. They either focus on just a company’s direct metered use or on individual products.WSP understands that our clients also need a high level overview across their business that incorporates the regions of water availability theyTotal ConsumptionWater in your supply chain (20,534,450 m 3 /yr)Ingredient Growing Processing GrowingDyeing Processing White Goods Consumer ElectronicsFOOD AND DRINK CLOTHINGWater in your operations (4,246,000 m 3 /yr)WCs Sinks CleaningSTORES / OFFICES WATER USEWater in the use of your goods and services (4,912,622 m 3 /yr)Washing MachineDishwasherWHITE GOODSMISC.00 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 12,000 13,000 14,000 15,000 16,000 17,000 18,000 19,000 20,000Water Availability - South America PRIORITYAbundant Stressed Extremely StressedWater availability in your supply chain (9,346,620 m 3 /yr)31% 39%30%Water availability in your operations (1,743,465 m 3 /yr)ELECTRICALMISC.GOODSArabica Coffee GrowingVineyard Irrigation SystemsSugar Cane GrowingMeat Processing0 5,00010,000South American head offices are located in Sao Paolo and Buenos AriesYour meat processing suppliers account for 20% of your extremely stressed water availabilityIrrigation of vines for wine production accounts for 17% of your stressed water availabilitySugar cane growing accounts for 11% of your extremely stressed water availabilityThe majority of your goods are exported to the USA and UK so negligible water availability impacts from the use of your products here.WCsWater Availability - EuropeAbundant Stressed Extremely StressedWater availability in your supply chain (2,314,071 m 3 /yr)PRIORITYWater availability in your operations (3,643,628 m 3 /yr)Water availability in the use of your goods and services (6,142,341 m 3 /yr)Your European head offices are located across Europe with 50% located with abundant water availabilityYour household items have a range of water availability impacts e.g. Glassware from Eastern Europe accounts for 10% of your stressed water availabilityFurniture Glassware Chinaware0 10,000Users of your white goods across Europe contribute significantly to gross water use and 20% of stressed and extremely stressed water availability in use.Washing Machines & Dishwasher use Mediterranean Europeconstruction business, to help themestablish the end-to-end carbon andecological footprint of the businessthroughout the world. The high levelstrategic project is now being furtherdeveloped to be used as a practical toolat project management level. This willboth establish the carbon intensityof individual projects and promotethe use of low carbon solutions, suchas renewable energy sources, specifyinglower carbon cements and lookingat waste generation and recycling.Of course knowing the carbonemissions associated with yourfavourite bottle of whisky doesn’tsave carbon. But it does help ourclients focus on the areas that will leadto significant reduction. These in turnare often areas where other partsof WSP Group can assist; with energysaving solutions, low carbon designand training and awareness.To try and answer these questions,WSP Environment & Energy haslaunched an innovative watercalculation tool which will allowcompanies to identify theirend to end water footprint.The tool measures three things:a company’s own water use, thewater use of their supply chain andthe “downstream” water consumptionof their products. Concerns about thewater footprint of imported Peruvianasparagus have recently been raised,for example, since the producton UK supermarket shelves is farmedin areas where water is becomingincreasingly scarce.Such communities are being exposedto future risk of water shortages dueto excessive and inefficient use of localsupplies. The uncertainties of howrainfall patterns will be affectedby climate change make it difficultto predict when and where droughtContact: Andrew Noone, WSP Environment & EnergyTel: +44 (0)16 1886 2675Email: andrew.noone@wspgroup.comwill occur. The tool therefore alsooffers an important interpretationof water “security” for a company’sfull operation, enabling them to protecta water-dependent supply chain likegrapes for wine production. Its resultswill identify areas of strategic focus forsustainability programmes.The tool works by using databasesto analyse lifecycles and produce grossconsumption figures compared againstregional water availability in the formof an output map. “It’s intuitive, highlygraphic and gives clients the abilityto plan the priority actions for theirown business,” says Andrew Noone,Consultant at WSP Environment & Energy.Clients from the food and drink industryare now in discussions to use thishigh-level approach to analyse theirwater footprint.07
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