Our governing institute, IEMA, kindly published our article on evaluating the degree to which materials are responsibly sourced [1]. Here’s what we wrote. When using UK-based suppliers, it is easy to assume you are not using materials produced unethically or at the...
Governments have been encouraging businesses to incorporate sustainability for decades. New research has found that over the past 10 years, global ESG regulations have increased by 155% (1). Many companies see this as costly compliance work, that “burdens companies”...
Summertime overheating is a key risk for the elderly, as heatwaves coincide with increasing mortality rates [1]. The 2003 ten-day heatwave across England and Wales, caused a 33% increase in deaths for those aged above 75 [2]. The number of deaths in care homes were 9%...
Before Millie’s time here at SHIFT Environment, she completed her BSc in Environmental Biology at the University of Nottingham. During her final year, she grasped the opportunity to work alongside academic professionals on an ongoing project, launched by the...
Following our various environmental reports, many of our clients have gone on to install solar PV panels. That is a great thing and an even a better thing is to monitor the performance of those panels. We had a chat with Solar...
Hydrogen fueled maintenance fleet We recently had a query from a landlord looking to reduce emissions from their maintenance fleet (DLO). They requested a comparison of the emissions produced by travelling 12,000 miles in an average van of different fuel types,...
Building for a Net Zero future: What clients need to know The construction industry is evolving, with an increasing focus on sustainability and carbon reduction. Two key pieces of guidance - the LETI Client Guide for Net Zero Carbon Buildings[1] and the UKGBC’s...
Introduction In a recent blog we highlighted Government’s proposed changes to the EPC regime: Consultation on a new domestic and non-domestic EPC regime | SHIFT Environment We have now submitted our formal response. Here is what we said: Chapter 2: What EPCs measure...
Introduction The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero have released a consultation document [1]. The aims are: Better quality data will be particularly beneficial for businesses or landlords who...
Background COP 29, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. In essence, COP is where global leaders gather to make decisions on actions to combat the climate crisis. This includes efforts to limit global temperature...
In the course of our assessment work we look at supply chain sustainability in large organisations. We came across a particularly good example from Southern Housing and they very kindly shared their thoughts about the assessment. Here’s what they said: 1. What...
Chilworth Manor Vineyard and sustainable wine SHIFT Environment are known for our specialism in social housing. We also do work outside of that sector and here is one example. We recently worked with Chilworth Manor Vineyard to measure the embodied carbon footprint of...
We recently contributed to a water efficiency roundtable event hosted by netMAGmedia Ltd. Here’s a press release about the event. November 2024 Press Release Regulations for critical water saving measures in new properties need to be simplified, and focus on clear...
A long time coming Our governing body on domestic energy assessments has released news on long overdue updates to the way domestic energy assessments are carried out [1]. There are loads of rumours about when these changes come into force but no hard facts yet. In...
The importance of ecolabels Many organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of focusing on their environmental impacts[1], particularly in areas like carbon emissions and biodiversity. But when it comes to responsibly sourced materials, there's...
Response to National Planning Policy Framework proposals New government proposals for the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have been released and our governing institute (IEMA) asked us for a response. The NPPF provides a framework for how planning...
We work with a wide variety of organisations to produce excellent environmental reports. To do this we need some key business data, which, when working with us, is normally very easy for clients to collect. We normally work with one key point of contact in the...
We do loads of environmental reporting for clients which highlight key interventions that reduce energy use in non-domestic buildings, reduce carbon emissions and contribute to energy security. The next step is to actually install those interventions. To make this...
The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) is a global initiative to develop recommendations that enable businesses and investors to effectively identify, assess, and report on their inequality and social-related risks, opportunities,...
The latest data on local authority territorial greenhouse gas emissions is out [1]. Readers mustn’t get excited about the word “latest” because the data actually relates to 2022. The delay is due to the time required to collect and quality assure the data. The...