Friday 30 April 2021
‘The FNZ Standard has illuminated a clear path forwards to reduce emissions’
The FNZ Standard has illuminated a clear path forwards to reduce emissions.
That's the suggestion from Guy Atkins, Managing Director of Jo Bird & Company Ltd, who spoke to future Net Zero about how the manufacturer of lifesaving and fire safety equipment storage had worked with Balanced Energy to accelerate its journey towards decarbonisation following an introduction from SWMAS (the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service) as part of their ‘Make it Net Zero’ programme.
Jo Bird & Company Ltd has recently adopted the future Net Zero Standard with CBN Expert and pledged to the UNFCCC Race to Zero, actions which Guy says have illuminated a clear path forwards in terms of reducing emissions and working towards a net zero future.
The manufacturer is no stranger to green projects, having previously deployed a solar array, fit insulated shutters, replaced all lighting with LEDS and incorporated more natural lighting into its workspaces - however, Guy notes the collaboration with Balanced Energy saw the firm conduct its first real audit of its environmental impacts and successfully identify where the "lower hanging fruit" was.
Talking about the role Balanced Energy played, he said: "Having someone to demystify some of the terms and to hold your hand and help you get the figures, and then start suggesting a pathway to how you can actually start making an impact on them, I think it makes it accessible to anyone."
Balanced Energy could soon be working closely with SWMAS as they launch a new programme of funded support designed to help manufacturing businesses reduce their carbon emissions on their journey towards net zero - I asked Guy what he thought these businesses could expect.
He told me: "They can expect a lot of help, they can expect help from people who know all the terms, who can demystify the language and who can show them simple steps they can take.
"This isn't about taking on huge costs just to meet some arbitrary target, it's actually something that will be worked into your business plan and hopefully it will take away some of the fear that this is all a cost-based thing. Actually, there are a lot of benefits as well to your business."
