Our sustainability journey

Business West is committed to safeguarding our environment and addressing the climate crisis. We are carbon-neutral and aim to be net zero, having cut all our emissions, by 2030. 

We are committed to addressing the climate crisis by:   

• Reducing emissions: We are accelerating our existing carbon reduction programme across our organisation and business activity (Scope 1, 2, 3) and balancing remaining emissions with Gold Standard Verified Emissions Reduction (GS VER) offsets. To find out more about our offsetting program go to: https://ecologi.com/businesswestltd
• Engaging business:  Supporting our members and wider business communities to make a just transition on their journey towards net zero and climate resilience, while enhancing and protecting natural assets globally.  
• Accelerating the region: Working with our stakeholders on transitioning our region to meet Net Zero targets and achieving a climate and nature-resilient economy and place. 

 

Business West Chambers of Commerce and Initiative has signed up with the International Chambers of Commerce Chamber Climate Coalition and will use its certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and B Corp certification to help monitor and challenge our progress. Click here for more detail on our service standards.

Leigh Court and Park House

Leigh Court

Business West is based at Leigh Court, located just outside of Bristol, and Park House in Swindon, both Grade II* listed buildings, which certainly pose some challenges when trying to reduce our environmental impact and don't naturally lend themselves to energy efficiency, but we work hard to champion sustainable solutions and innovative technology to improve our carbon footprint and be as sustainable as possible. Here are some of the changes we have made to ensure we are leading by example and reducing our impact:

• Implemented and maintain an Environmental Management System which is certified to ISO14001 and we recently had a Carbon Trust environmental audit carried out, which aims to advise us on which areas to focus our energy-saving efforts in the future.
• Use Ecotricity for our electricity supply, meaning that our electricity is certified from 100% renewable sources.
• Installed electric car charging points at both Leigh Court and Park House.
• Installed a voltage optimisation system that reduces the mains voltage to the site, and reduces the power consumed by around 10% (it has the added bonus of increasing the life span of certain electrical equipment, such as light bulbs).
• Used thermal imaging equipment to pinpoint areas of heat lost to maximise the efficiency of any improvement works that take place, such as window and door insulation.
• Installed zoning controls, 7-day time controls and cleaning systems onto our central heating to ensure that our boilers run as efficiently as possible.
• Converted all lights where possible to LED replacements.
• Installed water-saving equipment to our internal plumbing meaning that the automatic flushing is reduced only once every hour rather than once every 15 minutes, meaning that they are using nearly 75% less water.
• Recycle all waste to send the absolute minimum to landfill.
• Provide a refill service for clients who bring their own water bottles.
• Encourage sustainable travel options and links to local bus travel for clients to plan more sustainable journeys.
• Select ethical suppliers as much as we can.  We recently changed suppliers for some consumable products as our new supplier had, amongst other things, reduced the packaging on their products by 50%, which means less waste for us.
• Leigh Court is the home of a number of beehives, and we are part of a national bee preservation project “Build the Buzz”. Our honey can often be found for sale in Business West reception. In October 2022, we were shortlisted for the Bee Bold  - Space for Nature award.
• We use Terracycle to collect and recycle single-use plastic, outside of what is collected by our waste contractor.
• When we replace any of our equipment, we buy equipment with the highest energy ratings possible for what we need. 
• We have food waste collection bins in all kitchens. This waste is then taken to an Anaerobic Digestion facility. Here it will be processed and ultimately converted into renewable energy.