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Products & Services
Information - Sustainability
& Environment
2 articles
23rd July 07 - GSH
Delivers E-Training as Part of Green Strategy
23rd July 07 - Business
leaders must embrace environmental change
GSH
Delivers E-Training as Part of Green Strategy
 GSH
Group is set to save around 4,500 miles of car travel per week,
making a significant reduction in harmful carbon emissions, thanks
to its new e-learning strategy.
As a leading facilities and energy management company, GSH Group
provides numerous training courses for its engineers, all delivered
at its head office in Forge Lane, Stoke-on-Trent. As the engineers
are based at various locations nationwide, this means extra travel
to and from Stoke for each of the courses, leading to more mileage
and more harmful carbon emissions.
GSH have addressed this emissions issue by investing the money
in a full suite of training programmes which can be undertaken
online at any agreed location, through an e-learning programme.
“This is a great opportunity for us to make a real difference
to our own carbon footprint,” said GSH Chief Executive Colin
Tennent. “We are known for our expertise in helping clients
to cut their energy consumption so it is vital we make significant
savings with our own activities.
“We will still be able to maintain our high training standards
but we will deliver them, on-line, at various sites. Obviously
this will cut down on travel for our engineers and will save on
fuel and carbon.
“It is a fantastic example of how we are not only addressing
traffic-related problems of congestion on the roads and parking
but also how we are having a positive impact on the environment,”
explained Colin.
Further information from: Isha Hibbert, Marketing Manager, GSH
Group plc, Tel: 01782 216969, Email: isha.hibbert@gshgroup.com
Business
leaders must embrace environmental change
 A
new report on the future of sustainable businesses claims that,
in the future, business success will mean appreciating how a company
is intimately linked to its social and environmental context.
Vision and values give a company a sense of direction, but long-term
success depends on embracing sustainable business practices. This
is one of the findings of Sustainable Futures, a new report from
global flooring company InterfaceFLOR.
With the rise of new economies in Asia, growing resource constraints
and more powerful information and communication technology are
all key drivers of business change. James Goodman, Head of Futures
at Forum for the Future, who wrote the report’s chapter
on ‘The Future of Business Leadership’, comments:
“Global climate change is accelerating and sustainable business
will depend not only on being very finely tuned to these changes,
but also being expert in understanding how they interact and tangibly
affect the company.”
Goodman continues: “We see change as an opportunity. Strategies
which respond to changes in consumers behaviour and build flexibility
to cope with more change will ultimately reap the rewards.”
Lindsey Parnell, President and CEO of the European division of
InterfaceFLOR, agrees with James Goodman and adds that companies
who rush to make sustainable claims which they cannot substantiate
and will not stand the scrutiny of third party audit will damage
their businesses and fail to achieve the business growth of proper
sustainable investment. He comments: “In the wake of the
Stern Report, businesses have two choices: be driven by legislation,
or make positive changes to their business to foster growth. Businesses
who decide on the latter course have to invest in making it happen,
but it has taken Interface 12 years to get to a point where we
can see the benefits of sustainable investment in business growth
and employee fulfilment. We want all businesses – and that
includes our competitors – to succeed in their quest for
sustainability, but greenwash won’t wash.”
In the mid-nineties, Interface published a vision statement which
challenged itself to change into a new kind of industrial company.
Through its Mission Zero promise, Interface is committed to reduce
its environmental footprint and is aiming for zero environmental
impact by 2020. As part of the drive to become a truly sustainable
business, InterfaceFLOR addresses sustainability on seven fronts.
These involve eliminating waste and harmful emissions; maximising
use of renewable energy; recycling waste materials and reusing
products; developing resource-efficient transportation methods;
creating a culture that integrates the principles of sustainability
into working lives and creating new models for businesses. A metrics
system which evaluates progress on each front is in place to enable
the company to track how the divisions are doing globally to minimise
their environmental impact.
Parnell continues: “Over the past 12 years since we started
to focus single-mindedly on making Interface a more sustainable
business with a zero environmental footprint by the year 2020,
the business has been subject to fluctuating profits, markets
and trends.
It is clear that without the cost savings and marketing activities
brought about by sustainable initiatives, which total $300 million
of cost avoidance since 1996, we would not be in business today.”
InterfaceFLOR’s report, Sustainable Futures, includes contributions
from the UK’s top thought leaders on trends across six key
areas of business: Leadership (Forum for the Future); Marketing
(University of Strathclyde Business School); Communications (Futerra);
Business Environment (The Climate Group); Employee Engagement
(The Work Foundation) and Design and Innovation (The Design Council).
All contributions clearly demonstrate a correlation between investment
in sustainable business practice and successful businesses.
InterfaceFLOR also lists 36 actions businesses can take now to
reduce their environmental footprint. However, Parnell warns that
many of these will require investment in time and money to deliver.
These include initiatives to win the hearts and minds of customers,
revolutionise manufacturing processes, design and innovation,
supplier relationships, recruitment and retention, and total business
vision.
For more information on InterfaceFLOR, please visit www.interfaceflor.eu
or www.interfacesustainability.com
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