Case Studies

Retail Carbon Fund

Making the most of our most powerful natural resource - people

Sustainable thinking

For years we have offset our retail carbon emissions via a purchase scheme but our regionalised property teams have a passion for all things sustainable, so we decided to harness their enthusiasm: Could we continue to reduce our carbon emissions, and deliver even more value for our occupiers and retailers?

The brief

Employees were asking to be involved on a more fundamental level, initiating ideas and to make our environmental responsibility - not just something we farmed out to other organisations - but a key driver in making Land Securities a better business. Last year (2008/09) we decided to divert our carbon offset spend and make it available via a internal low carbon fund, so that our shopping centres could fund their own CO₂ reduction projects.

The response

The response from operational teams was overwhelming. We designed a campaign encouraging initiatives and were inundated with ideas. The Bon Accord Centre in Aberdeen proposed replacing all the 20-year-old fluorescent fittings on fire exits and service corridors to reduce energy consumption and running costs. The Princesshay Centre in Exeter specified timed-flow taps for washroom sinks that would turn off automatically saving thousands of litres of hot water. The White Rose Centre in Leeds decided to harvest their rainwater to flush toilets.

The benefits

We have reduced carbon emissions, made long term savings for us and retail partners, empowered management teams, and refocused environment thinking. More efficient lights in Aberdeen are saving £ 25,000 in utility bills and cutting 130 tonnes of CO₂ per annum. Smarter taps in Exeter have knocked £200 per year off utility bills. Flushing with rainwater in Leeds saves 70kg of CO₂ a year and cuts annual utility bills by £400. This year’s (2009/10) campaign 'Use it. Bank it. Pot it. Plant it' allows Centres to decide how they want to spend their money.

They can;

Use it to fund a scheme.
Bank it and add to next year’s allowance for a more ambitious project.
Pot it enables them to pool money with other centres and take turns to implement schemes.
Plant it with organisations like Planet Positive and the Carbon Army, who train the unemployed, retired and students to help people in the community to reduce CO₂ at home.

Last year’s Carbon Projects are estimated to save over £1 million in energy costs and approximately 5,400 tonnes of CO₂ over their lifetime.