Sustainability isn’t just for the eco-focused companies out there with core values attaining to climate change, social justice and environmental conservation. Each and every organisation can take steps to make sure they are doing their utmost to protect the planet and the people on it, even if their central operation or service seems to be at odds with this task.
Event transport and logistics company, KB Event, have been doing just that. Whilst their transport is currently reliant on some fossil fuels, they’ve been working on what else they can do better as the industry transitions to more sustainable options. Their first step was to commission a full audit of their Nottingham head office facilities with a focus on where they could make environmental improvements. This audit was completed by the Energy Innovation and Collaboration (EIC) team at the University of Nottingham.
With this in hand, their next step was to ask Event Cycle to propose a sustainability policy informed by these findings and the knowledge of the Event Cycle team.
For their fleet, KB Event are already running vehicles that are up to the EURO 6 standard, have opted for aerodynamic features to increase fuel efficiency on all their trucks, encourage their clients to consider the benefits of load sharing across suppliers and offer HVO Biofuel (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) to all of their clients with an uptake of 19%, likely due to the slightly higher cost. KB hopes to increase this to 100% in the future, that is, until electric trucks are able to be sourced and sufficiently charged across the UK infrastructure.
But with bigger ambitions, Event Cycle assessed every action that could be taken within KB’s control. In consultation with KB Event, Event Cycle gave direction and recommendations on carbon footprint; energy; water; travel and transport; procurement and supply chain; waste; online storage and presence; banking, pensions and financial impacts; accessibility, diversity and inclusion; local community and social impacts; biodiversity; communications.
Among the most ambitious recommendations, Event Cycle set KB a goal to prepare and publish a sustainability report each year, sharing successes, challenges and data backed actions in regards to sustainability. This is to track progress and encourage accountability through transparency.
Additionally Event Cycle identified unused land and concrete areas which could be home to a biodiversity initiative, planting hedgerows, wildflowers and introducing planters, bat boxes and bird feeders to the property in line with local environmental needs. Further to this, KB committed to investigating how they can support the maintenance and clean up of their local waterway, the River Erewash as well as invest in external biodiversity projects in the area.
Other ambitions included incentivising staff lifestyle changes in regard to diet, changing their purchasing decisions to encompass local business, recycled and recyclable materials and capturing data on waste removal in order to inform a full waste management plan.
The full KB Event Sustainability Policy can be found here. The KB Event Sustainability Policy was written in conjunction with Event Cycle and the KB Event team. All targets and ambitions are the responsibility of KB Event to monitor and implement.