Monthly Archives: March 2024

What is Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly?

Leave a Reply

What is Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly?

Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly is an initiative launched by Amazon to assist customers in finding and purchasing more sustainable products. Here’s a breakdown of the program:

  • Product identification: It highlights products that have achieved a certain level of sustainability through certifications.
  • Certification bodies: It involves collaboration with trusted third-party certifiers and also uses Amazon’s own certifications.
  • Focus areas: The program emphasizes various aspects of sustainability, including reduced life cycle impact, recycled content and eco-friendly packaging.
  • Product variety: Climate Pledge Friendly encompasses a wide range of products across various categories like household goods, fashion, electronics, and more.
This is a green oblong badge with the words climate pledge friendly in white to the right of the green oblong is a sand timer or egg timer with angelic style wings coming out of the side

Climate Pledge Friendly Logo

Overall, this program aims to:

  • Raise customer awareness: It educates consumers about sustainable choices available on the platform.
  • Facilitate eco-conscious shopping: The Climate Pledge Friendly badge helps customers easily identify products with sustainability certifications.
  • Promote eco-friendly practices: It encourages manufacturers to adopt sustainable practices in their products and processes.

How Do I Get the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Badge?

Earning the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on your Amazon product involves demonstrating its sustainability credentials. Here’s how you can approach it:

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Certification: Your product needs to meet specific sustainability standards established by independent bodies or Amazon’s own criteria.
  • Category Benchmarks: Amazon evaluates product efficiency within a particular category. Products exceeding the designated unit efficiency thresholds (e.g., reduced packaging size) for their category can qualify.

Steps to Acquire the Badge:

  1. Life Cycle: For a carbon neutral product you will need to work out how much carbon is in the product.
  2. Offset: Offset is purchased to cover the amount of carbon to offset.

  3. Certification: Obtain relevant sustainability certifications from independent organizations.

  4. Amazon’s Sustainability Standards: Alternatively, your product might meet Amazon’s internal sustainability standards for specific categories like “Compact by Design.”

  5. Seller Central Application: Through Seller Central, navigate to “Products, Listings, or Inventory” and select “Climate Pledge Friendly.” Provide essential details about your product, including any certifications, and submit the application.

Additional Resources:

Benefits the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Badge?

  • Fulfilling the program’s requirements can enhance your product’s visibility and potentially attract eco-conscious customers.
  • Continuously improving your product’s sustainability aspects can strengthen your eligibility for the badge in the long run.

Good Products & Bad Products Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Badge?

We have carried out life cycle assessment for many products on Amazon. From a feasibility point of view (from the sellers perspective) some work better than others.

Case Study 1 (Bad) – Yoga Matt

A yoga matt is a bulky item, that is made from plastic (polymers). Plastic has a relatively high carbon footprint (1 kg of plastic might emit 8kg of CO2e) so the problem with putting a Climate Pledge Friendly Badge on a yoga matt is that it may push the cost of the yoga matt quite high, and people will stop buying it.

A 0.5kg yoga matt will require around 4kg of carbon offsets, and as such the price might increase from say £10 to £11, this might make all the difference in a competitive volume based market.

Case Study 2 (Good) – Chopping Board

A wooden chopping board or butcher block would likely work out quite well. A 1kg wooden chopping board may emit only 0.5 kg of carbon per unit, and is sold for £12. To carbon offset would cost about £0.05 (5 pence) and as such the price barely changes.

Case Study 3 (Good) – Watch

An expensive watch may cost £100, and have arelaticly low carbon footprint, therefore any costs associated with offsets, would be proportionately small, and unlikely to impact on the sale price.

Top 5 Environmental Issues in Exeter

Leave a Reply

Top 5 Environmental Issues in Exeter

Here are the top 5 environmental issues in Exeter, Devon, UK. SWEL are Environmental Consultants based in Exeter, and are well placed to solve the below problems.

Air Pollution

Similar to many urban areas in the UK, Exeter struggles with air pollution. Traffic congestion, domestic solid fuel burning, and industrial activities contribute to elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. These pollutants can cause respiratory problems, heart disease, and even lung cancer.

Image of Air pollution in Exeter

Climate Change

Exeter, like most places globally, is experiencing the effects of climate change. This includes rising temperatures, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like flooding and heatwaves, and rising sea levels. These changes pose a significant threat to the city’s infrastructure, natural environment, and public health.

Climate change will exacerbate flood risk in exeter.

Exeter City Council has made a Climate Emergency declaration, the Council’s Net Zero plan, and other sustainability initiatives: https://exeter.gov.uk/climate-emergency/net-zero-for-exeter/net-zero-exeter-2030-plan/

Biodiversity Loss

The natural habitats around Exeter are under threat from development, pollution, and climate change. This is leading to a decline in the number and diversity of plant and animal species in the area. The loss of biodiversity can have a knock-on effect on the entire ecosystem, impacting everything from water quality to food security.

“Government conservation policies such as rewilding, organic farming and ‘nature friendly farming’ measures can accelerate global biodiversity loss,” says Ian Bateman – University of Exeter 

Image of Biodiversity loss in Exeter

Waste Management

Exeter faces challenges in managing its waste effectively. The amount of waste generated by the city is increasing, putting pressure on landfill sites and making recycling and composting essential.

If you require a waste disposal service, it is important to check that the company and person taking the refuse away is properly licensed. If not then YOU could get fine.

Water Quality

While the overall water quality in Exeter is good, there are still concerns about pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage discharge, and industrial activity. Protecting water sources and reducing pollution is crucial for maintaining a healthy water supply for the city.

Sewage Works discharging in to the river Exe, such as Countess Wear Sewage Works, spilled raw sewage in to the River Exe 41 times in 2022, and other infrastructure associated with  Countess Wear Sewage Works (Pumping Stations) Spilled an additional 150 times during the same period.

Is B2 Planning Class OK for Permitted Waste Activities?

Leave a Reply

Is B2 Planning Class OK for Permitted Waste Activities?

We were contacted re. B2 Use for Permitted Waste Activity. We have obtained waste permits in the past for Permitted Waste Activities on sites with B2 planning use, and we have also had the use contested. This is our research, to clarify the matter.

pile of waste wood

B2 Planning Class for Permitted Waste Activity – General UK Wide Consensus

Class B2 (General Industrial):

  • Activities: Used for a wide range of industrial processes that don’t fall under Class E. This includes:
    • Manufacturing (For Example Plastic Bags)
    • Engineering
    • Production facilities
    • Machine construction/repair
    • Lighter industrial uses not suitable for residential areas due to factors like noise, fumes, or machinery.
  • Exclusions: B2 excludes:
    • Incineration
    • Chemical treatment of waste
    • Landfill or hazardous waste (these are considered “sui generis” uses)

So is it OK?

So in conclusion B2 planning use is acceptable for some permitted waste activities provided they don’t include:

  • incineration or
  • chemical treatment of waste or
  • landfill or
  • hazardous waste

So being these exclusions are now known a number of permitted waste activities that could be included under B2 planning use these might include:

  • waste transfer without treatment waste transport with physical treatment or thermal treatment that doesn’t involve burning.

So which Environmental Permits can be used with B2 Planning?

With regards to stand permit,therefore the below truncated list may apply:

However bespoke permits may also be suitable for use under B2 Planning Use.

So That’s It Then? I can use B2!

Unfortunately it is not quite as simple as it seams.

B2 planning use allows for a variety of industrial processes, but with limitations on waste activities. Here are some examples of waste activities that might be compatible with B2 use, but remember to check with your local authority for specific regulations:

Lower-impact processing:

  • Bulky waste sorting and processing: This could involve separating bulky items like furniture or appliances for reuse, recycling, or dismantling.
  • Construction and demolition waste processing: Sorting, crushing, or separating inert construction waste materials (e.g., concrete, bricks, wood) for recycling or reuse.
  • Paper and cardboard recycling: Sorting, baling, or shredding paper and cardboard for recycling facilities.

Important Considerations:

  • Intensity of the activity: B2 is unlikely to be suitable for large-scale or intensive waste processing activities. Noise, dust, and traffic volume associated with the activity should be within acceptable limits.
  • No treatment or disposal: B2 excludes waste incineration, chemical treatment, and landfill operations. These require specific planning permissions under a different class.
  • Local authority policies: Even for permitted activities, your local council might have additional restrictions within their plans for B2 use class areas.

Here are some examples of waste activities that would likely NOT be suitable for B2 use:

  • Chemical processing of hazardous waste
  • Large-scale incineration of waste
  • Landfill operations
  • Large-scale composting facilities (might be considered under B2 with limitations depending on odor and traffic)

Conclusions

It cannot be said for certain as to whether a B2 use is suitable for a Permitted Waste Activity. It probably will be provided the activity doesn’t involve :

  • Incineration
  • Chemical treatment of waste
  • Landfill or hazardous waste (these are considered “sui generis” uses)

But there are also interpretations around intensity and nature of treatments, and also local authority polices.

Whilst we not maged to find example of where a local policy may prevent B2 planning use for waste, we can envisage that “intensity” in particular could be interpreted to incorporate a broad set of meaning by local planning authorities.

Worked Example of Soakaway with Costings

Leave a Reply

Worked Example of Soakaway with Costings

This is a fairly inaccurate walkthrough of a soakaway design to BRE 365 and an estimation of costs for installation of the designed soak away.

Design

Provided here is a worked example of a soakaway designed to BRE 365.

The soakaway is receiving  water from a roof of 323m2.

The site is set of sandy clay soil. With a permeability of 9X10-6 (Reference Value)

1:100 year rainfall event. With 40% climate change allowance.

Size of Soakaway is 22 m3.

Soakaway dimensions are 2 meters by 11 meters. And consists of crate type modular system.

Install

Below costs, for crate soakaway:

  • Crates: 110 crates at £30 each. £3300
  • Digger: £500
  • Soil Disposal: 40 tons @ £10 ton. £400
  • Pipe Work: £500
  • Labour: £2000

Total cost: Approximately £7000, with VAT on top probably.

Case Study

How much can I earn from BNG Credits?

Leave a Reply

How much can I earn from BNG Credits?

It has recently been requested of us to supply a client with a quote for BNG (Biodiversity Net Gain) Credits for a site near Chard and assessment of Carbon Credit Scoping.

This request is becoming more frequent as landowners may be interested in land use change, such as adapting disused or hard to manage land into biodiversity encouraging habitats.

Good areas to use for biodiversity credits might include boggy land, steep land, stoney land,  land with poor soil and any other area of underutilized Farmland.

The colour photograph showing English Farmland there is a hedge in the foreground which has been trimmed with the mechanical hedge trimmer behind the hedge is a field with known grass various hedge rows seen in the distance and small farm building with silver roof this is galvanized corrugated steel in the fields are sheep and cows and in the distance there are two Cyprus trees and the very far distance you can see a lime of electricity pylons of style built in the 1970s which include galvanized steel lattice work and Carry approximately four to six cables per pile on the sky is overcast with small patches of clear Sky and the center left of the picture there is also a small brick built agricultural building with a single opening visible

Kate Jewell / Farmland near Scalford

BNG Credit Case Study

We will now describe to you a case study involving biodiversity net gain credits: The project consisted of assessing farmland which produces low yields and is hard to manage, and evaluating the current biodiversity value and understanding the ideal habitat to convert the land into. The subsequent increase of biodiversity value that can be gained with the converted land can be equated into Habitat Credits/BNG Credits. These BNG Credits can then be sold for between £9,000 and £25,000 (Squires, 2023).

The ideal habitat to be introduced was Native Broadleaved Woodland, and with 1 hectare of land enhanced from farmland this roughly equates to 5 habitat credits or £45,000.

Added Benefits

The newly planted woodland, funded by a BNG Credit buyer, can also gain additional carbon credits (WCU’s – Woodland Carbon Units). WCU’s can be sold for a guaranteed price for up to 2055/56 and can be sold for any newly planted woodland, not just for BNG.

If you require assistance with BNG Credit evaluation or Carbon Credit Scoping, let us know.

Image: Kate Jewell / Farmland near Scalford