Sustainable Achievement of the Year
BCHC Estates & Facilities Team
To support the Trust’s journey to Net Zero and achieve Sustainability, last year our E&F Team:
• Developed the Trust Green Plan, approved at Trust Board and submitted to the ICS in January 2022
• Ensured that 99% of our waste is diverted away from landfill
• Implemented an organic (food) waste stream for the production kitchens and patient food plates, and this alone has generated estimated 13 tonnes of diverted waste which now goes directly to an Anaerobic Digestion Facility where the food waste is converted into electricity and the digestate is sent to farmers to use as a fertiliser
• Introduced uniform recycling
• Introduced new waste receptacles that are recycled at end of life
• Implemented waste recycling stations
• Produced a bespoke waste training package to deliver to over 5,000 Trust staff
• Introduced a Trust dedicated waste intranet page
• Set up a new dedicated waste email address for the Trust
• Transitioning from infectious to offensive waste stream
• Implemented a system for distributing, reuse and recycle surplus redundant resources such as furniture, equipment, fixtures, and fittings
• Purchased 100% renewable energy for the Trust
• Introduced an energy module software system and sub metering across our 21 freehold sites that allows us to see how much energy is being used, building by building or block by block. This system enables us to capture DNO remote reads, sub metering data and provides an app-based solution for recording manual meter reads that feeds in the energy management system as the data is captured. Live time and historic dashboards can be easily created as well as a URL dashboard showing cumulative data via a web page.
The data from each meter can be analysed and graphed in multiple ways, high/low limits can set with the options of alarms if the pre-set limits are exceeded. This system provides the following information: • Anomaly Detection
• Identification of poor and good performance with site-by-site comparisons
• Data from any source
• Rich data visualisation
• Sustainability – it will help achieve measurable CO² savings and help to understand the energy carbon footprint
• Provide utility bill management
• Comprehensive energy analysis
• Baseline and targeting
• Tracking of upgrades and retrofit work
• Completed biodiversity plans for all community sites and are working with rehabilitation patients teaching them to build bird boxes and flower planters that are then sited across the Trust estate
• Worked with Shell Oil UK to access our Shell UK account and the data within to understand and analyse the amount of litres purchased and cost and look at where reductions in use can be implemented
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust-BESS Project
The Belfast Trust currently spends around £36 million on its energy and water and has carbon emissions of 80,000 tCO2 each year.
The Trust recognises that the poorest members of the community are worst affected by climate change and reducing the Trust’s carbon footprint will greatly help with the impact of climate change on health and inequalities.
The replacement of fossil fuels with alternative energy sources unavoidably creates an exponential increase in electricity consumption, which in turn places demands on not only customer, but also grid electrical infrastructure.
The Mater Hospital is located in North Belfast, a densely populated area where grid capacity is struggling to cope with the demands placed on it. Consultations with the Network provider quickly realised that the planned increase of maximum import capacity to meet on-site carbon reduction schemes would place the local supply grid under intense pressure. As a result, Belfast HSCT opted to install an energy storage facility rather than place unnecessary pressure and perhaps even compromise the local electricity network.
In addition, Northern Ireland has an overabundance of wind power at particular times and currently some £40m of power is paid for but effectively curtailed each year due to low demand at peak wind times.
As a result of all of the above Trust engineers moved to design and install a 1.8MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). This system has been designed and configured not only to manage peak loads but also to avail of additional capacity at off peak times effectively permitting carbon reduction technologies to move ahead without any negative impact on the load supply network.
In addition the positive impact of an installed BESS on patient safety, classed as non-monetary benefits, place the Mater in a position where the loss of power, even for a split second, will become a thing of the past. Taking a modern acute hospital to this position is unparalleled in terms of patient safety delivered through the built environment.
In a power failure/power interruption scenario, the BESS will seamlessly (< 0.02seconds) provide power to the site ensuring no interruption experienced by the hospital. The BESS will continue to provide power for a pre-determined period before initiating backup generation. This reduces risks and increases system resilience for the Trust to allow uninterrupted continuation of service thus increasing patient safety.
The intelligent battery system creates a ‘smart grid’ which depicts the connection and intelligent monitoring and usage of stored supplies which enables load sharing to be carried out throughout the network when required, this participation in the energy trading market for the provision of FFR provides an income for the Trust of approx. £100k per annum. This income is new income, which can then be reinvested into further carbon reduction projects.
The battery can also be used for arbitrage resulting in approx. savings of £10k per annum and as a result of the installation the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the standby generation plant has reduced by approx. 20%.
HUTH Capital Development
All new works is delivered by the Capital team, which incorporates development, Sustainability, PFI and Property. Anaesthetic gases are one of the most environmentally damaging products the Trust uses, as such the NHS has set specific targets around the reduction of their usage. All of these gases are significantly more damaging that carbon dioxide emissions, some over 3,000 times more harmful.
In 2020/21 17% of the Trust standard carbon footprint came from anaesthetic gases, over 5,000 tonnes. The Trust has set a target to reduce this by 50% by 2025. The anaesthetic team are engaged with this process and aware of the impact and also the changes that can be made in their area of influence.
A recent piece of work has been to to save 4,000 tonnes from Entonox use in Maternity, through reviews of the current state of system~ ave car driving round the earth 592 times The Trust installed 24 EV chargers across the three main sites to support EV vehicles and staff and patient user groups. To support this move and the increased demand from staff and public EV chargers will also be installed later this financial year.
A number of schemes have been delivered where existing systems have been optimised to increase heat recovery and ensure existing systems such as medical gas usage. Energy usage is optimised The Trust was successful late 2020 in securing a grant of £12.6M to support the phase 1 decarbonisation of the Trust with schemes delivered over the FY21/22.
The projected target was to save 1,000 tonnes of CO2, upon completion of the works it was assessed that in fact the Trust had got closer to 1500 tonnes for the same cost which is a significant achievement by the development and sustainability teams and a perfect start towards the Zero30 target. This was achieved by the Capital team delivering over 150 individual works orders, covering a raft of disciplines such as lighting, heat pumps, PV arrays. This is all being delivered by the Trust in-house Capital development department alongside all other capital buildings works and is not under any EPC contract arrangement, key highlights for the year have been:
• New 24 bed Intensive care unit delivered in Dec 2021
• 1500 tonnes of CO2 saved by decarbonisation works
• 5MW Solar Array delivered in Mar 22
• Award winning Allam Diabetes centre opened in Nov 2021
• 16 Heat pump installations over FY 21/22
• First phase of new 12 bed Day Surgery unit
• New front entrance to Hull Royal Infirmary
• New 1.5MW CHP unit
There has been a significant amount of work carried out by the Trust over the years with the key ethos of sustainability and innovation at the forefront of every decision made by the wider capital team which includes development and sustainability teams focused on a common strategy for continued sustainability.
Recirculate Project
The Re-circulate initiative (originally “Lifecycle Project”) has been established by three corporate entities: Bouygues Energies & Services (leader in energy, digital and industrial transformation), InfraRed (a market leading Infrastructure investment manager) and Vercity (a whole life leader of major infrastructure and property projects with societal impact) At the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020, discussions between all three entities quickly led to a common desire to do something positive to support NHS frontline workers.
These businesses work together with numerous schools, hospitals, prisons, and other public sector infrastructure around the UK and internationally. This project leverages the extended corporate network to source unwanted products, upcycle them and provide them to key workers and others who will benefit most – donate, renovate, locate The first phase was to create a ‘circular economy’ social initiative.
The Re-circulate project took donated bikes sourced from employees and the wider community, renovated them in prison workshops or by using social enterprises and specialist schools, and located homes for the bikes with key workers and other people who need them, including children. The attached form went out to all staff from the three entities and the project facilitated the collection of bikes from staff and suppliers (whom engaged enthusiastically in the initiative) and from the wider community to be taken to several locations around the country for refurbishment. This work was undertaken by social enterprises and in prisons, where inmates received training in bike repair and maintenance and were able to recondition the bicycles to make them fit for use.
The inmates were also able to qualify for City & Guild certificates, a recognised training award that they could use when released into society. The first batch of the bikes donated by our teams were given to key workers at West Middlesex Hospital. One of the first donations went to a nurse that had been working an 11hrs shift at the ICU to then find her bike had been stolen before she went home. Subsequently bikes have also gone to schools and, most recently, to a family of Ukrainian refugees, where three children were delighted to be given bikes.
So far, a total of 300 refurbished bikes have gone through the Re-Circulate initiative but we look forward to growing the initiative to cover other products which follow the same process of donate, renovate and locate. Waste tonnage avoided and Co2 emissions saved by Re-circulate 300 bikes have been donated, and out of these, 32 had to be scrapped. Given that the average weight of a bike is 9kg, we calculated that the bikes which have been recycled for a second life weighed in at around 2412kg, or 2.4 tonnes. Through these bikes not going to landfill, Re-circulate has avoided producing two tons of CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gases and generated 1320 kWh of renewable energy.
Sustainability project 2021/22 – Croydon Health Services Estates team and Sustainability Group
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust was awarded £570,000 of PSDS 2 funding to decarbonise Croydon University Hospital (CUH). A significant step in our decarbonisation journey, we installed our first heat pump at CUH for the Estates and Facilities building, removing its reliance on gas for heating from an aged gas boiler. Energy efficiency has also been improved across the site.
Air handling units (AHU) were upgraded to more energy-efficient EC fans, moving away from noisy, high maintenance and inefficient belt-driven fans. Upgrades to the site BMS system with added analytics will help bring back visibility and control to aged systems. Additional works completed also include the installation of double-glazed windows and LED lighting.
The successful delivery of energy-efficient works and a new heat pump in the space of 12 months demonstrates the Trust’s commitment and drive towards sustainability and its target set out in its green plan. All in all, the improvement works will help the Trust reduce its emissions by 219 tCO2e. Further to the works completed as part of PSDS 2 funding, the Trusts sustainability delivery group (SDG) has also taken advantage of innovative technology and practices and delivered the following in the last year:
Green Space – In recognition of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and as part of our Trust Green plan to utilise and improve our Green space and biodiversity, the Trust with the support of the Queen’s Green Canopy planted a row of cherry trees. These trees will help to rejuvenate our Estates surroundings to create a more welcoming and sustainable environment to further our plans for a healthier, happier future for the people of Croydon.
Medicines – The Trust continues to reduce its use of Desflurane, a high carbon-intensive anaesthetic for Sevoflurane low carbon alternatives. A 50% decrease of desflurane usage was recorded when compared to 2020/21 levels.
EV Vehicles – Delivery for use of two Electric Ambulances being the first Trust within South West London Trusts. The first electric ambulance has covered 1,400 miles and has saved around 430 kilograms of carbon dioxide. This submission would like to recognise the Estates and SDG for the efforts and successes in the past year, delivering carbon savings and continuously improving the environment for NHS staff, patients and visitors.
Tarkett UK
Tarkett’s forward-thinking and holistic stance on sustainability has been cemented by its 2021 achievements. The global flooring group has secured an industry-first Platinum Medal from Eco Vadis, leaping from Silver level accreditation to the highest possible accolade in just 12 months.
The various initiatives Tarkett have in place are both good for people and the planet and have helped them achieve a B score ‘management level’ performance with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which is Tarkett’s highest attainment to date.
These 2021 ‘wins’ join a back catalogue of bold action from Tarkett tackling broader environmental, health, wellness and social fairness issues through responsible manufacturing, which started back in 1957. In fact, Tarkett were the first flooring manufacturer to voluntarily engage with the United Nations Global Compact in 2021 – and has achieved the NGO’s most advanced level of sustainability reporting. Tarkett’s transparent approach to addressing human and material health, alongside global carbon footprint concerns, shapes everything the business does and stands for as a champion of the circular economy. Integral to translating these universal principles into action has been Tarkett’s decade-long product development drive using the Cradle to Cradle CertifiedⓇ (C2C) programme. This includes having 98% of their raw materials scrutinised by stringent third parties to source ever-healthier ingredients that can help reduce carbon and be recycled endlessly. And only pioneering initiatives that are good for people and for the planet.
Tarkett’s success working with the C2C global standard has confidently placed the company on the path to net zero. The business is going above and beyond in terms of its circular strategy on many levels but in particular their investment in harnessing industry-first recycling technologies. 2021 was another ground-breaking year for Tarkett, they became the only flooring manufacturer with the capability to recycle post-use homogeneous vinyl. This is another important transition as they continue their mission to ‘close the loop’ across its phthalate-free, low VOC, ever-expanding ‘Circular’ product portfolio, which already includes post-use recycling of their Linoleum and Carpet Tiles.
2022 continues to be a year of wins for Tarkett, commending their sustainability efforts they have been awarded ‘Circular Economy Initiative of the Year’, ‘Take Back Partner of the Year’ and ‘Recycler of the Year’ by Carpet Recycling UK and were also awarded ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ by Mix Interiors. They have also just launched their Carbon Calculator, available on their website, the calculator provides a carbon footprint for their products over their life cycle.
Tarkett were keen to develop this tool to support architects, designers and property owners as the building and construction industry can make a major difference to the impact on global warming as they represent 39% of global GHG emissions and 60-70% of total waste! All the calculations are based on Environmental Product Declarations’ which are third-party verified, ensuring complete transparency once again.
