On World Earth Day, 22nd April, The Future Economy Network (FEN) and Future Leap hosted a morning Carbon Roundtable which was attended by a range of delegates seeking to discuss different areas around carbon emissions. Before the event began, the attendees enjoyed some pre-sessional networking in small breakout rooms facilitated by the FEN team.
Katherine Piper, Director of Partnerships at Future Leap welcomed attendees. The benefits of joining the network were highlighted and updates shared about the Carbon Neutral Hub in Bristol, Future Leap. Katherine also ran through plans for the Festival of Sustainable Business, in light of new Government guidance towards the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four rooms available throughout the event were:
· Understanding carbon neutrality
· Scope 3 and supply chains
· Transport and electric vehicles
· Energy and buildings
Speakers included:
· Sara Sloman, Elmtronics
· John Hewitt, Hewitt Studios
· Paul Younger, Hewitt Studios
· Kat Adair, UKGBC
· Ben Ross, Verco
· Eoin McQuone, Future Leap
· David McDonald, Nexus Carbon Management
· Simon Forsyth, Future Leap
· Stuart Woodham, Resource Futures
The first break out room highlighted our attention to our carbon impact through transport. Micro-mobility was reinforced as one of the most important changes we can make in our footprint, not with the cars that we own, but the scope 3 suppliers who should be using electric vehicles to transport their products from A to B.
A highlight of the conversation surrounded urban infrastructure needing to include electric transportation, but the conversation ended on the note that we cannot progress our carbon impact as a city without also ensuring accessibility to energy. It is a social issue as much as an environmental issue: we need to democratise transport charge accessibility.
The second break out room addressed core points to follow to ensure businesses are continuously aligning with their sustainable goals within the built environment.
Make sure you are energy efficient (in every single way)
Revamp your space. Is the equipment you are using in the kitchen, like the kettle, energy efficient?
Use Solar PV’s
Have a deep retrofit, internal and external cladding to better improve insulation
Renewable energy procurement, how you choose your suppliers
Carbon offsetting to ensure net zero carbon (try to exhaust all other options first before you look at offsetting)
Again, social injustice was brought to attention in the conversation. We cannot leave anyone behind in the green revolution so how do we support change throughout society?
The third breakout room tackled “Scope 3 and Carbon in the Supply Chain”. The range of delegate backgrounds led to a stimulating discussion on how Scope 3, as quite a complex concept, could be made doable and applicable for SMEs and for average businesses. Questions were raised about long-term accountability, the impact of embodied carbon and the never-ending assumptions about carbon impact that accompany investment along the supply chain. The discussion made clear there were no simple answers to these questions and highlighted the lengthy road that remains in tackling scope 3 emissions which are not quite as clear as scope 1 and 2.
The final breakout room was entitled “Measuring your Carbon Footprint and Understanding Carbon Neutrality”. Questions were raised about the ethical implications of offsetting, the difference between carbon neutrality and net-zero, the growth in popularity of negative emissions technologies, and the Oxford principles for net-zero. The discussion highlighted that whilst carbon offsetting can prove beneficial it should not be the primary goal in striving for carbon neutrality in place of widespread reduction of emissions. All delegates agreed that a behavioural change to reduce carbon emissions is required to ensure that offsetting does not become a license to pollute, with the discussion proving highly enlightening about the nuance behind carbon footprints.
Throughout, the audience were encouraged to ask questions which stimulated widespread debate. In between the discussion rooms there was time for reflection, where the expert speakers from each room gave a summary of the discussions that took place. This benefited those who were in different rooms at the time.
Thank you to all the speakers and attendees, which without our events calendar would not be possible. Katherine closed the event after another opportunity for networking, just in time for a lunch break.