Albion’s ABC of Waste Management – S – Sustainability

Do you know what is meant by sustainability?

Would you like to learn about how we can decrease our carbon footprint?

Sustainability is made up of 3 key factors

• Environment
• Economic
• Social

This is also called 3 P’s – People, Planet, Profit.

The concept is that you need all 3 to make a difference.  There is no point making profit if this harms the environment you are making your money from e.g. intensive agriculture.

Having a pristine environment does not work if this impacts on producing goods that people need.

There is no point having money and a great environment if you cannot enjoy it!

We are using far more resources than the planet produces; if we continue in the way we are consuming resources then it will take 3 planets to sustain our way of living.

By looking at ways to be more sustainable in our home and work life we can help reverse this.

Some of our key resources are being impacted through over-use, by being more sustainable in how we use these resources we can make a difference.

Water – we think we have a lot of water in Scotland, but many places do not. 

Every day we use 1.34 billion litres of drinking water equivalent to around 540 Olympic size swimming pools and 847 million litres of waste water is removed from our homes and businesses.

Scottish water is the biggest energy user in Scotland to treat water and sewage.  The energy used is enough to power 140,000 homes.

Phosphorous – without this element, plants cannot grow. Essential for fertiliser, phosphate rock is only found in a handful of countries, including the US, China, and Morocco. We could run out of phosphorus in 50 to 100 years unless new reserves of the element are found.

Cobalt – Cobalt is used for making high performance metal alloys and is a key component in rechargeable batteries used in electronics and electric vehicles. It is also used in the manufacture of steel, glass, ceramics, and as a pigment. The UK is 100% dependent on imports and is a large user. Cobalt has high price volatility and there are limited opportunities for substitution.

These are only some examples.  By discussing the impacts, we are having on the environment we can also identify what we can do to minimise those impacts.  An example – although extreme, is the impact noticed as a result of COVID-19 on the environment. 

The reduction in nitrogen dioxide across Europe has been particularly significant because of travel restriction.  In China, emissions fell by 25% at the start of the year as people were instructed to stay at home, factories shut and coal use fell by 40% at China’s six largest power plants since the last quarter of 2019. 

This is obviously not a long-term solution, but are there some lessons here that we could learn on how to work more sustainably and reduce our travel requirements? 

To reduce our carbon footprint is important, but do you know what your baseline is now?  What resources are you using in your company that could be reduced?

At Albion, we can review your carbon footprint and develop a carbon management plan to help you track your carbon use and identify ways in which this could be reduced?

More information on training courses and bespoke training can be found here

To discuss your carbon management plan and ways to become more sustainable within your business please contact Jane Bond,  Project & Business Development Director.

Albion have developed a course designed to provide a basic understanding of Sustainability and how we can be more sustainable in our home and work life.

Our course has been developed to give your staff an overall appreciation of the impact they have on sustainability and climate change and ways to reduce this impact.

Find out how we can support you with your training needs contact Kirstie MacDougall. Office & Training / VQ Administrator

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