For the past two years, Burdens Utilities has been the logistic partner of Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water under an agreement that runs until 2015. The partnership is administered by NRG2, a joint-venture company between Radius Systems and Burdens to cater for the supply and distribution needs of the UK’s utility infrastructure market. NRG2 is one of the leading companies in this field, with a turnover standing at well over £300 million. The alliance offers many benefits. For example, Dŵr Cymru now has access to Burdens’ infrastructure, through their five nearest depots, with a stock throughput of up to £12 million a year. In addition, the catalogue ordering system gives up-to-the-minute stock availability, and performance is constantly monitored against the service level agreement, with a 24-hour emergency call-out, 365 days a year.
Energy monitoring helps sustainability in the supply chain
Burdens recognise the importance of sustainability in the supply chain and are requesting embodied energy records from its suppliers. The Company is being holistic trying to cover all aspects of the environmental supply chain, making it easier and more accessible for everyone, while sharing knowledge with suppliers and customers on best practice. Focussing on energy usage, waste management, miles travelled helps assess the carbon footprint’ for all materials and suppliers.
This monitoring of energy usage is being piloted through the Carbon Low Ongoing Emissions Evaluation system (CLOEE) – a comprehensive carbon accounting system that can be adopted in stages and which demonstrates a serious grasp of the climate change agenda and its impact on financial decision making.
CLOEE provides a unique platform, linking together commercial carbon footprints between suppliers and their customers and documenting the contribution of each to a product’s embedded carbon. Operational, delivery and ‘carried forward’ carbon details are all available. Reports and Carbon Statements can be made available to suppliers and customers alike so that financial decisions can be taken in full knowledge of the carbon cost. CLOEE also works in isolation within individual business units providing comprehensive carbon footprints, year-on-year comparisons and emissions reduction targeting and offers seamless offsetting of all or part of the footprint.
CLOEE is being introduced across the five depots for the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water partnership, namely:
- Brindley Road, Cardiff
- Steam Mills Road, Cinderford
- Hirwaun Industrial Estate, Aberdare
- Station Road, Llangadog
- Kinmel Park Ind. Estate, Bodelwyddan
This will provide a phased, integrated and aggregated reporting of carbon emissions across the day-to-day operation of Burdens depots and their product supply chain with particular reference to the delivery and pick up of product.
One of the problems we face is that there is no real or effective mechanism to promote the sustainability of the materials used to achieve energy efficiency in buildings, only a commitment to achieve the ambition. To make an analogy with obesity, most of what is done now in construction is the equivalent of a fad diet, when what is needed is to create the equivalent of a balanced diet where long-term health is the aim. There are hidden consequences if only the symptoms are fixed without the causes being addressed. The genuine concerns over how we treat our surroundings and our planet – highlighted and promoted by all the early environmental pioneers – are in danger of being green-washed away by a flood of overbearing regulation, clumsy legislation and synthetic products designed solely for energy efficiency and with no hint of sustainability in manufacture, use or disposal.”
Of course, like everything in the industrial world, what Burdens, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and nrg2 do, has to be viewed with both sustainability and climate change in mind. In this respect, NRG2 became involved in the carbon offsetting initiative through AVK, a significant supplier to Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. All parties are working together on initiatives to give a combined added value to its shared client base. The challenge of climate change is a significant challenge to all, and it therefore makes sense to work together to resolve it.
For more information on Burdens supply chain capabilities please contact us.
