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In recent years we have all become much more aware of the fragility of the environment on which we depend.
Scott Wilson is committed to working with its clients to try and reverse adverse changes and to conserve natural resources and processes.

introduction

In this section we set out our approach to corporate environmental responsibility by reference to our internal organisation, external relationships and in relation to our skills, services and projects.

In terms of internal organisation, we describe our policies and practices related to the environment, our ISO 14001 certification, carbon footprint and procurement.

For our external relationships, we describe our policies and practice related to the precautionary principle, promoting awareness and environmental technologies.

within scott wilson

environmental policy

All our activities are shaped by our Environment and Sustainability Policies. Overall responsibility for the implementation of the policies rests with the Main Board and is delegated as appropriate to the Executive Committee.

We have committed to reducing the amount of resources we use, to increasing the use of recycled paper and other products and to informing and educating employees, clients and other stakeholders as to their impact on the environment and the ways in which it can be reduced. In terms of service delivery we continue to apply our Project Environmental Management System (PEMS) to avoid or mitigate any direct adverse environmental impacts and to encourage our clients to act sustainably.

An Environmental Committee has been established in order to help drive new initiatives. The Committee meets monthly and is chaired by the Group Environmental Manager and is attended by the Group Business Systems Director, Group Facilities Manager, Regional Systems Managers, Supply Chain Manager and other key representatives as and when required. The Committee is responsible for all environmental and sustainability initiatives including but not limited to energy management, waste minimisation and recycling, sustainable procurement and ongoing staff training.

To date, the Committee has implemented the SMART metering initiative (see ‘Carbon Footprint’ on the opposite page) and is now focussing on extending this to more offices. Going forward, the Committee is seeking the means of capturing accurate CO2 emissions data for other fuels and for Group travel. The Committee is in the process of developing an action plan for measures to be taken over the next financial year to reduce the Group’s CO2 emissions.

iso 14001

Scott Wilson received its first ISO 14001 certification in 2002 and has retained it ever since, through the development and ongoing application of our Environmental Management System (EMS). During the year, the Group extended its environmental certification to cover the Brisbane office and six acquired businesses all of whom had previous certification. The EMS seeks to manage the environmental aspects and impacts associated with both our operational and project activities. The EMS is under continual review to achieve improved outcomes.

environmental monitoring

A large and ever changing portfolio of office and site locations ensures that monitoring and data collection is one of our main challenges. A move towards fewer, larger offices will in some ways facilitate simpler data collection however this often results in co-occupation with other organisations within the same building. This can result in the need to apportion our share of the environmental impact which can be difficult and can result in inaccuracies.

carbon footprint

Recognising that monitoring and managing our carbon footprint is vital we are continually seeking means to identify improved ways of capturing energy use data.

Scott Wilson has established an extensive skills base in the field of carbon management. This expertise enables us to have a greater understanding of the causes and effects of climate change. The skills and expertise of our in-house experts are playing an important role in developing strategies to reduce Scott Wilson’s carbon footprint year on year.

During this period we have seen the successful installation of four SMART electricity meters in our Basingstoke, Chesterfield, London and Nottingham offices together with the appointment of a dedicated energy consultancy to host and manage the web-based data portal.

Eighteen offices, where Scott Wilson is directly responsible for purchasing energy, continue to procure electricity produced from Good Quality CHP sources.

In 2007 a carbon management scoping review was undertaken in order to begin to understand our carbon footprint for UK operations. The outcome of this study was an estimated carbon footprint for 2006. Subsequently we began to establish means of better gathering energy use and travel data and were able to produce a further estimation of our carbon footprint based on actual data for 2007.

For the period January 2008 to January 2009 an improved calculation was undertaken to determine the carbon footprint of our UK operations using the best practicable methods and following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol principles. The outcome of this exercise recorded Scott Wilson’s total UK emissions of CO2 as just under 9,052 tonnes.

caring for climate: the business leadership platform

In July 2007, Scott Wilson was one of the first global businesses to sign up to the Caring for Climate Initiative. We remain fully committed to confronting the various uncertainties and challenges of climate change and publish a progress report as an annex to this Report.

sustainable procurement

The appointment of a Group Supply Chain Manager in 2009 is seen as a major step in our endeavours to procure goods and services with a reduced environmental impact. The Manager has started a review and evaluation of existing procurement policies and procedures. The first phase involves identifying and meeting key stakeholders and suppliers and is under way. The next stage will be to undertake a Supply Chain Capability Review (SCCR) across all parts of the business identifying how and at what cost products and services are procured. Action plans will then be prepared for sustainable, cost effective procurement procedures.

environmental incidents

No environmental incidents were reported during the period.

regulatory compliance

Our annual review of compliance with legislative and other requirements concluded that we are compliant with all applicable environmental legislation and other requirements to which we subscribe. We have received no cautions, warnings or prohibition notices and have not been prosecuted for any breach of environmental law.

external relationships

the precautionary principle

Much of our work is associated with assessing the likely impacts of policies, programmes and projects. Through tools such as Sustainability Appraisals and Environmental Impact Assessments we seek to apply the precautionary principle and create better environmental outcomes. Over the year, we have advised governments, government agencies and private developers as to the environmental impacts of their proposals and have successfully modified their plans to make them more environmentally sensitive.

Examples are discussed on the following pages in relation to specific projects.

promoting awareness

We are involved both in developing projects and campaigns with government to promote environmental awareness and in encouraging our clients to enhance their environmental performance.

We manage the National Industrial Symbiosis Project (NISP) in London, the south east and the east of England. The goal of the project is to reduce the overall amount of waste sent to landfill and to promote reuse and recycling. During the year, our efforts helped divert 565,600 metric tonnes of material from landfill and reduced associated carbon emissions by 252,200 metric tonnes.

We encourage our clients to consider sustainability in all projects. We have pioneered a questionnaire for new clients designed to enable them to provide their current views on and aspirations for sustainability so that we may tailor our advice appropriately. Our staff includes registered assessors for all the main sustainability assessment tools (BREEAM, LEAD, CEEQUAL) and we encourage their use wherever possible.

environmental technologies

Scott Wilson seeks to promote new technologies to its clients to enhance environmental performance and provide more sustainable solutions. Total Integrated Earthworks Solution (TIES) is a unique product/working methodology developed by Scott Wilson that allows the compression of earthworks programmes by up to 20 per cent. This is achieved through improved efficiencies, waste reduction, material reuse and the single rather than double or even triple handling of materials. On one major project involving moving 300,000m3 of material, we saved the contractor 15 per cent of his overall costs and compressed his programme by 20 per cent (in time).

We have also been working in West Africa with a view to developing projects under the Clean Development Mechanism. These projects are likely to involve the introduction of new technologies related to waste disposal including methane collection and anaerobic digestion.

skills, services, projects and awards

range of skills/services

Scott Wilson possesses a very wide range of environmental skills which enable us to provide comprehensive advice to clients on all aspects of sustainability. These include air quality, building physics, carbon management, ecology, energy, landscape, noise, planning and sustainable construction.

notable projects

We have chosen five projects to profile our active involvement in promoting environmental best practice.

ECO TOWNS
During the year, we undertook a sustainability appraisal of the UK Government’s eco towns programme. This controversial programme has been designed to encourage the development of sustainable new settlements in England. We advised on the draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on eco towns and carried out a sustainability appraisal of the 15 shortlisted sites and alternatives.

RECYCLING IN CONSTRUCTION
We carried out a study for the UK Government-funded WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to establish a target market for a minimum level of recycled content in construction projects. The research project involved identifying best practice and encouraging other consultancies, local authorities and decision makers to incorporate the targets into the planning policy.

CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE
We have been appointed to undertake a review of the environmental impacts of Changi Airport in Singapore and to make proposals for this multi-award winning airport to enhance its environmental performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Scott Wilson offers advice to companies and organisations across a range of different sectors on developing environmental management systems and assisting with external certification. During the year, we worked with OMV (UK), a subsidiary of the Austrian oil and gas company, and helped them to develop their EMS and obtain their ISO 14001 certification as well as developing a compliant system for OMV Norway.

SECONDMENTS
Our growing environmental expertise has seen a number of staff seconded to UK government departments to undertake specific research studies. Secondments in the year included to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) with a focus on eco-development and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) with a focus on exporting UK expertise in green buildings.

awards

The Orchard Building at Stranmillis College, Belfast has won no less than six awards for its design and sustainability. Scott Wilson was the Design Architect and Client’s Technical Adviser providing architectural, structural and civil engineering and landscape architecture services.