News / general

The Planet Mark Awards 2018: Sustainability champions celebrated at glittering ceremony

Five years ago we took the bold step to launch a new sustainability brand – The Planet Mark. We wanted to do our bit to accelerate sustainability by making it easier for organisations to have more positive impacts on society and the environment.We wanted to empower individuals within organisations so that, if they were inspired to

IPCC Report: reaction from The Planet Mark

The report reveals unprecedented changes are required across society to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Doing so will reduce the severity of climate impacts ranging from extreme weather to rising seas, and in the wake of the report, campaigners urged rapid action from governments and individuals. The

William & Son brings customary high standards to bear on the issue of sustainability with The Planet Mark Certification

Founded in 1999 by William Asprey, the distinctive Mayfair-based retailer has been committed to excellence since its inception and is now looking to impose those same high standards on its approach to sustainability. The company’s unique level of service and commitment to excellence has earned international reputation, loyal clientele

Homerton University Hospital retains The Planet Mark

For the second year as the Trust cuts annual carbon footprint by 9.6%.

Abbey Business Group awarded The Planet Mark for sixth consecutive year after cutting their annual carbon footprint by 8.8%

This is Abbey Business Group’s sixth year of business carbon footprint reporting with The Planet Mark. They first calculated the carbon footprint of the Cheltenham office and fleet for the year ending October 2012 and set a target to reduce emissions by 5% annually.

Petroc cuts its carbon footprint by 14.4% and retains The Planet Mark

Petroc, one of Devon’s leading colleges provides a range of courses including apprenticeships, higher education, part time and adult evening classes.

The Planet Mark partners with Psychologies Magazine

Sustainability comes in many guises and means different things to different people. Many of us are passionate about eradicating plastic from our lives, others are tackling carbon emissions and climate change and for some, it is more about our health, wellbeing and positive impact on society. There is a common ground in all of these

Rokill, Royal Warrant Holder, achieves certification to The Planet Mark by showing good practice in sustainability

A market leader in the pest control industry, Rokill works in all sectors including retail, food manufacturing, hospitality and domestic property providing professional, safe and cost-effective solutions to pest control issues. It has become increasingly clear to Rokill that sustainability is key to business success, and as a result

The Planet Mark Awards Shortlist

We are thrilled to announce the shortlisted companies for this years inaugural Awards evening.The Awards will showcase outstanding achievements in sustainability from across our diverse and growing community of holders of The Planet Mark The awards, which are set to become an annual event, will present a chance for Planet Mark holders

Mediacom North recognised for sustainability commitment with The Planet Mark certification

The Planet Mark certificate was presented to Mediacom by Steve Malkin, founder of The Planet Mark at their Manchester office as part of the agency’s sustainability programme. “We are delighted to be certifying MediaCom for the first time,” Steve commented. “The company's commitment to reducing its carbon emissions in its operations

The Climate Coach: Transport

In the most recent of a series of blogs for The Planet Mark™, Carolina Karlstom founder of sustainability advisory & coaching company Jade Advisory discusses immediate and longer-term actions that individuals and organisations can take to make a difference specifically when it comes to road transport.

Sir Tim Smit to speak at The Planet Mark™ five year event

We are delighted to announce that Sir Tim Smit, Co-Founder of Eden Project, returns to give us another rousing and inspiring speech 5-years on from when he helped launch The Planet Mark. The awards, which are set to become an annual event, will present a chance for Planet Mark™ holders to celebrate their sustainable achievements,

SMES and the Sustainable Development Goals

There is no universal definition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It is however generally undisputed that the overwhelming majority of private-sector businesses in the world are SMEs and that they account for a very large share of world economic activity in both developed and developing countries. Small and medium enterprises

Impress Print Services becomes the first publication printer to achieve The Planet Mark™

Impress Print Services specialises in eco-friendly print services and is celebrated as one of only a handful of Carbon Balanced Publication Printers in the country. The Planet Mark™ certification augments an impressive sustainability agenda held by Impress, underpinned by an ISO14001 accreditation, supporting the World Land Trust

Carolina Karlstrom: Behaviour change – the key to energy efficiency

In the second of a series of blogs for The Planet Mark™, Carolina Karlstom founder of sustainability advisory & coaching company Jade Advisory discusses behavioural change within organisations. Why behaviour change? Reducing the use of energy and becoming more energy efficient is often one of the “low hanging fruits” of any

The Planet Mark™ Five Year Anniversary Awards

The awards, which are set to become an annual event, will present a chance for Planet Mark™ holders to celebrate their sustainable achievements, network with and learn from other businesses in The Planet Mark™ community. Their launch will also be an important milestone for The Planet Mark™ Certification programme itself, which celebrates

Carolina Karlstrom: the business case for taking climate action

Climate change is the most pressing and critical challenge humanity has faced in its history. We don’t have the time to rely on regulators to pass appropriate climate mitigation and adaption legislation. Climate action from across all industry sectors, whatever the size of organisation is essential, required and indeed increasingly

Earth Overshoot Day 2018: Mankind has eaten into its yearly supply of natural resources – in under seven months

To match our current consumption of resources, we would need the equivalent of 1.7 earths, according to Global Footprint Network GFN, an international research organisation that makes a yearly calculation of how far humanity is falling into ecological debt. Earth Overshoot Day began in the 1970s when growing populations and increased

CLARITY-The Soap Co. launches new brand BECỌ onto supermarket shelves

The new BECỌ products, which have been designed so consumers can purchase without compromise on social and environmental concerns, will launch onto supermarket shelves from July. BECỌ, which stands for Better Considered, is a new sister brand to The Soap Co., a premium luxury brand created by CLARITY, the UK’s oldest social enterprise

GreenZone invests in EV fleet to cut carbon and be one step ahead of ULEZ charge

GreenZone has just taken delivery of its first EVs – four zero emission Renault Zoes and one zero emission Nissan ENV 200 (pictured). The company has also purchased a Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to join its fleet of company cars and installed four charging pods outside its head offices in West London. It said it

CNG achieves The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification

CNG, which is based in Harrogate, Yorkshire, supplies energy to more than 45,000 business sites. The decision to report its carbon footprint for the first time followed a recent move by the company to move into electricity, with a key focus on renewable energy. “We realised that we needed to practice what we preach and start making

Oktra slashes carbon footprint by 30%

The reduction means Oktra has retained The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification for a fifth consecutive year. Oktra has been measuring and reporting its carbon footprint for eight years and has been a holder of The Planet Mark™ since 2014. Oktra’s total carbon footprint in its latest reporting period stood at 85.3 tonnes of

CLARITY – The Soap Co. celebrates World Environment Day as it retains The Planet Mark™

The reduction means CLARITY has retained The Planet Mark™ Sustainability Certification. It was first awarded the Certificate in 2017 based on its commitment to year-on-year improvements in its sustainability performance. CLARITY is a registered charity that creates high-quality toiletries, soap and cleaning products. It is the

Michael Sparks Associates cuts total carbon footprint by 13%

The carbon reduction means MSA has retained The Planet Mark™ Certification for a fourth consecutive year. As well as recording a fall in its absolute carbon footprint, MSA also measured a 13% year-on-year reduction in its carbon emissions per employee for the same period. The relative carbon footprint in year ending July 2017 was

DSV embraces sustainability at Prologis Park Sideway with three-year commitment to The Planet Mark™

Global transport and logistics company DSV has taken the bold step to reduce the year-on-year carbon footprint of its new UK distribution centre at Prologis Park Sideway through The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification. DSV has committed its new distribution centre at Prologis Park Sideway, Stoke-on-Trent, for the next three

Breakthrough Funding tackles own business impacts with The Planet Mark™ certification programme

Breakthrough Funding is a ‘profit for purpose’ social enterprise. It helps innovators claim back their R&D tax and then puts half of the profits it earns from that activity into social impact projects. The company has been awarded The Planet Mark™ for calculating the carbon footprint of its office in Ashford, Kent, for the

Five easy steps to a great carbon footprint.

As a sustainability consultant for The Planet Mark™, I have delivered a wide variety of carbon footprints. Measuring and year-on-year monitoring of an organisation’s carbon emissions, is an integral part of The Planet Mark™ certification process and this year alone, we will be issuing close to 100 certifications covering everything

"The entire world needs to up its game" interview with Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment

How satisfied are you with the progress being made by countries around the world to meeting the Paris Agreement? The science from the most recent Emissions Gap report is very clear on this: everybody needs to do better. Of course, it’s possible to single out nations that are doing well and other who are coasting along, but the general

A decade of protection: how our partnership with The Planet Mark™ and Cool Earth is helping local and global communities

By Andrew Griffiths, Managing Director and Regional Head UK, Prologis Twenty years ago, when Prologis in the UK was founded, industrial logistics buildings (or sheds as they are affectionately known) were regarded as little more than places to protect the goods inside from theft and the worst effects of the British weather. At

Turning the tide on plastic pollution

Q.What do you think would be the single most important thing for businesses and individuals to do to reduce their plastic pollution? Just 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling worldwide, one third ends up in the natural world and if current trends continue, by as early as 2050 our oceans could contain more plastics

The Planet Mark™ view on the UK Plastics Pact

Steve Malkin, founder of The Planet Mark™, comments on the UK Plastics Pact – an industry-wide initiative which says it aims to transform packaging and reduce avoidable plastic waste.

Winvic retains The Planet Mark™ as carbon footprint down 8% per employee

Winvic is widely known as the UK's leading 'shed specialist' and now also regarded as an authority in privately-rented sector projects, specialist sustainable builds and retail and leisure schemes. The Planet Mark™ award is in recognition of Winvic achieving a 7.8% reduction in its carbon footprint per employee in its latest year-on-year

The Planet Mark™ view: single-use plastic ban is an opportunity for business

"Today's Government announcement of an upcoming consultation banning a number of single-use plastic products demonstrates the urgency of action required to protect our environment. Following on from Environment Secretary Michael Gove's announcement earlier this month to introduce a national deposit return scheme for single-use

Managing water strategically: an interview with Marcus Rose, managing director of Ecoprod:

Marcus Rose, managing director of Ecoprod, discusses the most cost-effective ways of minimising water consumption, and the increasing responsibility of businesses to ameliorate the global water crisis. Why should businesses include water consumption in their overall agenda? Water is a finite resource. By 2030 global water demand

Our top five tips for water stewardship in your business

Water is unlike any other commodity on Earth. It underpins almost every activity we pursue in life, not just in our everyday lives, but in food production, energy production and industries of all shapes and sizes. But with water shortages becoming omnipresent across the globe, water can no longer be seen as an infinite resource. Unprecedented

Case study: saving water at The Eden Project

The Eden Project, an educational charity, connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future. Eden is nestled in a huge crater. Here massive covered Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, Mediterranean landscapes, stunning plants, crop displays, art installations, exhibitions

The Dry Facts: 4 hard hitting infographics about the importance of water conservation

Help us fly the flag on water reduction and champion change across your online platforms by sharing these graphics

Plastic bottle deposit return scheme: The Planet Mark™ view

Today's announcement by Environment Secretary Michael Gove to introduce a national deposit return scheme for single-use plastic and glass bottles and cans sends all the right messages to people and business. The public have been shocked by the huge cost to our oceans and natural world from plastic pollution and are calling for

The Planet Mark™ Carbon Management Clinic returns to edie Live 2018

Following the launch of its popular Carbon Management Clinic last year, The Planet Mark™ team is returning for a second year to offer expert advice on a wide range of issues relating to carbon management at edie Live 2018, running from May 22-23 at Birmingham’s NEC. Visitors are invited to book their free 20-minute one-to-one surgeries

Smart thermostat developer Switchee wins Climate category at Impact Awards

Switchee, which describes itself as "the first smart thermostat for affordable housing", was voted winner of the Climate category at last week's Impact Awards which celebrate the best in 'tech for good'. The Impact Awards Climate category showcases technologies and services that help manage and understand environmental change better,

Top tips for commercial property tenants looking to get energy data from their landlords

Commercial property tenants looking to measure and report their environmental performance can often find it challenging to do so simply because they can't source their energy usage data for their business. This is particularly the case for tenants in a leased office space, where there are multiple occupiers and the landlord holds

Smartworking summit: how to attract and retain talent through sustainability

The Planet Mark™ is once again teaming up with workplace experts Quora Consulting for their latest Smartkworking Summit, being held on March 7 in London. Entitled 'Understanding the changing business model', the all-day summit will pose the question "how well do organisations understand the workforce?" in the face of big issues

The Planet Mark™ appoints PR and communications firm Speed to raise awareness of SDG work

Speed is an award-winning, full-service PR and communications consultancy that advises on a wide range of corporate, consumer, public sector and private organisations. Operating from offices in London, Bristol and Birmingham, Speed has already worked on a number of sustainability initiatives across its specialists divisions, which

The Planet Mark™ interview: Bidfood's Shirley Duncalf on why the foodservice giant is aligning with the SDGs

Q. What inspired Bidfood to incorporate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its business agenda? A. There were several reasons, but the primary reason stemmed from the results of a sustainability survey that targeted our customers and employees. The survey highlighted that our employees and customers were particularly

Planet First strengthens board with appointment of three new directors

The appointments have been made in response to the increasing uptake of The Planet Mark™ in the UK and internationally and in order to support ambitious growth plans for the business.

The Monarch Partnership gets The Planet Mark™; partners to deliver certification programme

The award comes as The Monarch Partnership joins The Planet Mark™ Associates Programme in order bolster its sustainability support for its existing roster of clients. The Monarch Partnership specialises in helping organisations save money on their utility costs. The company has over 30 years of experience of delivering energy, water

Three tech start-ups shortlisted for Climate Category at DigitalAgenda Impact Awards

Sponsored once again this year by The Planet Mark™, the Impact Awards have shortlisted three digital technologies in the Climate Category, including a mobile app to make freight journeys more efficient, a smart thermostat for social housing, and a collaborate workspace focused on designing sustainable food systems. The Impact Awards,

Bywaters recycling plant cuts total carbon footprint by 12%

Bywaters operates a major materials recovery facility (MRF) in East London. The facility at the Lea River site reduced its total carbon footprint by 12% to 4,065 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) in 2016, compared to 2015. The reduction easily outstripped the company’s carbon reduction target of 2.5% for that year. The reduction

The Planet Mark™ identifies seven Sustainable Development Goals businesses can address without delay in 2018

The announcement was made at a packed event in London yesterday (February 1) attended by over 150 guests representing UK and international organisations. The event, organised by The Planet Mark™ in partnership with the Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA) and hosted by legal firm Linklaters, addressed how business can prepare for

Ready, set, go: our top tips to a hassle-free carbon footprint in 2018

January is the traditional month to turn all that over-indulgence of the festive period into those new year resolutions. And here at The Planet Mark™ that includes focusing on taking the hassle out of carbon footprinting for holders of The Planet Mark™. So here are our top tips to help you get your carbon footprint into shape in

Reason Digital: "our overriding objective is to contribute to healthy and sustainable communities"

What inspired you to include sustainability in your business agenda? As a social enterprise we focus on social and environmental well-being. Our business model maximises social impact and ensures that society and the environment benefits. Do you think businesses have a responsibility to report their environmental impact? Yes,

Proper Oils: "sustainability is helping to grow the business"

What inspired you to include sustainability in your business agenda? I have always held an ardent interest in sustainability, the business was partly created due to my passion for it. My ambition was to help catalyze sustainability in the industry and break the supply chain by producing fuel locally. We have realised this ambition

Monarch Partnership: "reporting on environmental impacts is a proven advantage for organisations of all sizes"

What inspired you to include sustainability in your business agenda? As a leading energy and utility consultancy with over 30 years of providing intelligent procurement, smart asset management and strategic sustainability services to companies, SMEs, housing associations and charities across the UK, we have always been aware of

CNG: "a sustainable decision is a smart decision"

What inspired you to include sustainability in your business agenda? As we were developing the renewables department within CNG, the opportunity arose to incorporate sustainability within our business strategy. It’s a buzzword that people use frequently, but we find that they are often unaware of what it really means. On a very

CLARITY-The Soap Co. recognised at PwC's Building Public Trust Awards

Clarity-The Soap Co., which recently became a holder of The Planet Mark™, won in the Environmental Impact Category at PwC's Building Public Trust Awards held on November 30 2017. The awards recognise PwC Social Entrepreneurs Club members who are implementing innovative and impactful solutions to society's challenges. The winner is

The Soap Co. launches first consumer product to carry The Planet Mark™ logo

The Soap Co.’s new range – Geranium & Rhubarb and Wild Nettle & Sage – includes hand-crafted hand and body products and cold processed soaps. They are the first consumer products ever to carry The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification logo, having been made and packed in The Soap Co’s East London factory and a traditional

Mary Creagh MP, chair of EAC, to make keynote speech at The Planet Mark™: Business and the Global Goals

Mary Creagh MP (pictured right), chair, Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), is to make the keynote speech at the event held at Linklaters in London on February 1 2018 and organised by The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification programme. Louise Scott, Global Sustainability COO, PwC UK, and lead on the firm’s work in relation

Sky News’ ‘A Plastic Whale’ wins new Environmental Award at Global Sustainable Film Awards

The Environmental Storytelling Award is a new prize launched at this year’s GSFA, held at BAFTA. The GSFA are annual awards that put the spotlight on corporate innovation in sustainability through film. The awards are certified and supported by The Planet Mark™ through its partnership with the charity tve. A Plastic Whale exposed

Sustainable menus: 9 ways to create a healthy, low carbon and ethical dish for your restaurant

Proper Oils, the used cooking oil collection service that is working towards accreditation by The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification programme, attended plate2planet Live. Here it shares what it learnt on creating a sustainable menu: 1. Inspire your staff to follow your lead Make sure your staff are engaged in the same

plate2planet announces refocused content around UN Sustainable Development Goals at 2017 live event

Plate2planet, which is powered by Bidfood, a holder of The Planet Mark™ Sustainability Certificate, chose the theme of responsible production and consumption – Goal 12 of the SDGs – for its second ever live summit, held at sustainable building The Crystal, in London, on November 2.

The Planet Mark™ to sponsor Climate category at DigitalAgenda Impact Awards for 2nd year

The DigitalAgenda Impact Awards celebrate innovations that improve lives and the world around us. The Planet Mark™ is sponsoring the Climate category for a second year, It follows a successful inaugural awards at London’s Barbican on March 1 2017, which featured Sir Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project, (pictured) as keynote speaker. Next

GreenZone and Exterion Media recognised for sustainability at Green Apple Awards

GreenZone was awarded a Green Apple for taking a string of sustainability actions and after retaining The Planet Mark™ Certificate for slashing its carbon footprint by 22% in 2016 compared to 2015. Recent actions taken by GreenZone include the introduction of of electric and hybrid cars, using 100% recycled paper, tackling the

Homerton University Hospital is first NHS Trust to be awarded The Planet Mark™

The award means Homerton University Hospital is the first NHS Trust to achieve The Planet Mark™ – and the first hospital in the world to be accredited by the sustainability programme. Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is based in Hackney and provides general health services within both hospital and community environments.

CRC is dead… long live the SECR

In amongst the hype of the Clean Growth Strategy and the Draft Domestic Tariff Cap Bill, you would be forgiven for missing the fact that BEIS also put out five consultations that same day. These include a Call for Evidence on reforming the Green Deal Framework, a consultation to stimulate waste heat recovery in the industrial sector,

Office Coffee retains The Planet Mark™ as it slashes its carbon footprint by 33% per employee

The company has been awarded The Planet Mark™ sustainability certification for a fourth year, after slashing its carbon footprint by 32.7% per employee in the year 2016 compared to the previous year. Office Coffee’s absolute carbon footprint also fell by 2.7% in the same period. The carbon emissions reductions have been achieved

DP World London Gateway port retains The Planet Mark™ as its slashes carbon footprint by 28%

DP World London Gateway Port, reduced its carbon emissions by 28% per TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit/container) in 2016. This substantial reduction in emissions per container means that DP World London Gateway Port has achieved continued certification to the internationally recognised sustainability certification programme. The

Whole life carbon emissions in built environment contribute to 22% of UK carbon footprint

‘The State of the Sustainability in the UK Built Environment’, a specially commissioned project launched yesterday evening to mark the UK-GBC’s 10th anniversary, highlights that operational and embodied carbon, which make up the whole life carbon emissions of a building, account for 22% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. The UK-GBC

The Planet Mark™ event to shine spotlight on business and 'Global Goals'

The Planet Mark™ is planning to hold an event for 150 guests focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), what they mean for business and how they are helping change the world for the better. The UK Government is a signatory of the Global Goals and it is estimated the SDGs could create a $12 trillion economic opportunity

Manchester legal sector gets behind business case for sustainability workshop

The Business Case for Sustainability Workshop – Manchester is being organised by the Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA) in partnership with The Planet Mark™, in collaboration with the 3,000 member-strong Manchester Law Society. It will be hosted at the Manchester offices of global legal firm Eversheds Sutherland. The participatory

Higgins Construction cuts carbon footprint by 12.5%

The award is in recognition of Higgins Construction achieving a 12.5% reduction in its carbon footprint both as total measure and on per employee basis. The cut was against a target of a 5% reduction in emissions per employee. Higgins’ total carbon footprint amounted to 557.1 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) in 2016 compared to

The Planet Mark™ to exhibit at UK Construction Week

UK Construction Week is the annual exhibition designed to drive forward and promote the construction industry and describes itself as “the largest gathering of the UK’s built environment community”. It is being held at Birmingham’s National Convention Centre (NEC) from October 10th to 12th. The show is expected to attract more than

Building a sustainable SME: construction firm Decorean

Q. Can you describe Decorean and what sustainability means to you? A. Decorean is an Orthodox Jewish-owned construction business which has been trading since 2010. We’re based in Tottenham, London, and we number around 14-15 employees. Up until now, we have worked predominantly in the Jewish community and we’ve been expanding year-on-year.

Exterion Media achieves 11% cut in its total carbon footprint

Exterion Media’s total carbon footprint at the end of 2016 stood at 942 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), a decrease of 10.9% from 2015 on a normalised basis. Its relative carbon footprint in 2016 was 2.52 tCO2e per employee, compared to 2.81 tCO2e in 2015 – a 10.4% reduction. The cut follows a major push by the company to reduce

CNG's Shower Up campaign to build solar-powered shower blocks for school pupils in Kenya launches on Crowndfunder

The ambitious crowdfunded renewables project is set to transform the lives of more than 600 children in Kenya, CNG said. Shower Up - the namesake of CNG’s overriding philosophy to empower and educate energy users - will see fully-equipped, solar powered shower blocks (made from recycled shipping containers) provided for Turasha

#oceanhero: a whale of a time campaigning to combat a serious environmental problem

The facts are damming; there are over five trillion pieces of plastic currently in our oceans and by 2050 all the plastic in the ocean could outweigh all the fish. The death of the cuvier’s beaked whale in Norway, the whale full of plastic was a message – a message that we just couldn’t ignore anymore. This magnificent creature didn’t

Today is Earth Overshoot Day…what are you doing to cut your carbon footprint?

It’s hard to believe, but at the moment humanity is consuming the resources of 1.7 Earths. In the UK, our economy and way of living means we are actually consuming the resources of three planet earths – and in America and Australia the level of consumption is akin to living on five planet earths and five+ planet earths respectively!

CLARITY-The Soap Co. awarded The Planet Mark™ for committing to cut its carbon footprint

(Caption: Members of the Clarity-The Soap Co. team, with front left crouching Steve Malkin, founder of The Planet Mark™, back left standing, Yemi Onabolu, sales administrator and Green Team member at CLARITY-The Soap Co, and right crouching, Camilla Marcus-Dew, head of Commercial and Green Team) CLARITY is the UK’s oldest social

Steve’s blog: whole-life carbon target setting in infrastructure

From the outset, The Planet Mark™ has advocated whole-life carbon modelling and the use of lifecycle assessments to better inform the design, specifications, construction and operation of low carbon, sustainable buildings and infrastructure.  Working with leading developers, we know that a significant percentage of a building's

Reducing waste in the supply chain: 4 take-aways from the CILT seminar hosted by DP World London Gateway

Holding a supply chain seminar at DP World London Gateway seems fitting, especially when the topic is focused on reducing waste. It’s the UK’s first purpose built port for over 100 years and it deploys state-of-the-art design and technology to maximise efficiency. It was recently named Best Green Port and Terminal. If you haven’t

The Little Book of Making Big Change Happen: ideas and practical tools for sustainability leaders

Books can change lives. I know this for a fact. As a child, my mother gave me some money at the end of a week. I bought a book, S.O.S Save the Earth - A Vital Message for All the World’s Children. It was 1972. Something must have resonated. It resonates still. With simple cartoons and lots of things to pull out and play with, it

Martin Moore Stone awarded The Planet Mark™ for committing to ongoing progress in sustainability

This is Martin Moore Stone’s first year of certification with The Planet Mark™. The retailer, headquartered in Esher, Surrey, has a full e-commerce website and a range of 300 plus products. It also has showrooms around the country, including in London, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire and West Yorkshire. It employees four staff. In

10 years of Legal Sustainability Alliance sees UK leading law firms cut carbon and costs

The Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA), which counts top law firms Linklaters, DLA Piper International, Allen & Overy, Norton Rose Fulbright and Slaughter & May, among its members, released its 10th Anniversary Annual Report today. It shows these and other law firms that have been reporting their carbon data to the LSA reduced

Trump withdraws from Paris Climate Agreement: reaction from The Planet Mark™

On June 1 2017, President Trump confirmed that he was pulling the US out of Paris Climate Accord, and agreement which for the time has brought together almost every nation in the world in a commitment to keep global warming to well below 2C this century. President Trump’s retrograde and backward-looking decision has generated worldwide

Artificial intelligence: is it green?

All around us today people talk and write about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning and how they are multiplying our productivity, revolutionising our industry and threatening our jobs. This debate is set to long continue as AI and robotics progressively take over programmable repetitive tasks and jobs across the spectrum.

Sadie Mevlit joins Planet First as business development manager

Sadie, a sales professional of 17 years, will take up her new full-time position at Planet First at the start of June. She will be responsible for increasing the reach of The Planet Mark™ across all sectors in the UK and internationally. Sadie joins Planet First from Faversham House, where she has spent the last two years as market

Carbon management: why bother reducing your carbon emissions?

A majority of UK adults (64%) now believe that human activities are contributing to global warming – a consensus held by 97% of climate scientists for some time now. Yet climate change remains a complex issue that is just as likely to trigger an emotional response as it is to lead to reasoned argument. Moreover, our views on its

Carbon management: five steps to a great carbon footprint

As a sustainability consultant for The Planet Mark™, I have delivered a wide variety of carbon footprints. Measuring and year-on-year monitoring of an organisation’s carbon emissions, is an integral part of The Planet Mark™ certification process and this year alone, we will be issuing close to 100 certifications covering everything

Slave to Fashion: can we create a fairer, more ethical fashion industry?

I consider myself a green and ethical consumer; I live in a eco home, I purchase green energy, I don’t own a car, I consider the provenance of the food I buy, I’m a diligent recycler, etc, etc. But it was with a growing sense of unease I arrived at the book launch of Safia Minney’s ‘Slave to Fashion’ this week. Why? Because, as I

The Planet Mark™ brings Carbon Management Clinic for first time to edie Live 2017

The Planet Mark™’s Carbon Management Clinic will be open throughout the two-day edie Live event running from May 23-24 at Birmingham’s NEC. Visitors are already being invited to book their free 20-minute one-to-one surgeries with The Planet Mark™’s carbon footprinting and sustainability experts who will be offering advice on a

Planet Mark-certified M3 Solutions helps Chester Zoo cut carbon with switch to solar

The rooftop installation of 150 solar panels is the second in three years to be completed by M3 Solutions at Chester Zoo, bringing the total to 430 solar panels. The solar panels have been installed at Chester Zoo’s administration centre, Animal Health Centre and Zoo Entrance and provide enough power to run 25 homes. Phase One,

GreenZone awarded The Planet Mark™ for fourth year as cleaning company slashes carbon footprint

The big drop in carbon emissions per employee was partly attributable to a 14% reduction in electricity emissions at GreenZone’s Battersea office and an 18% reduction in fleet emissions per employee in 2016 compared to 2015. This is the fourth year GreenZone has retained The Planet Mark™ Certificate. The Planet Mark™ Certificate

Steve’s Blog: Celebrating the coming together of environment, society and digital technology at the DigitalAgenda Impact Awards

It was entirely fitting that our good friend and supporter, Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project, should speak at the inaugural DigitalAgenda Impact Awards. Digital technology, alongside science and our ever closer understanding that we are "part of nature, not apart from nature", as Sir Tim said, will have the power to

Bidvest Foodservice retains The Planet Mark™ as it is renamed Bidfood

Bidvest Foodservice UK has this week announced it will be trading under the new name of Bidfood. The change in name comes as the company is awarded The Planet Mark™ for a third year for showing good practice in sustainability. The new name follows the separation of the global Bidvest Foodservice businesses from the Bidvest Group,

Planet Mark-certified Wiles Greenworld supports local woodland education programme

Wiles Greenworld, which is owned by business services specialist Commercial Group, is donating £8,000 to Perivale Wood’s education programme over three years. The Perivale Wood education programme was chosen because it was local to Wiles Greenworld's offices and because of “the long-term benefits associated with hands-on environmental

World Water Day and why saving water matters

World Water Day was created by the United Nations as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. It is held annually on March 22nd and the theme for 2017 is ‘wastewater’. Wastewater and how to conserve it is something we understand only too

Sustainability in the workplace: spaces where tech meets nature

There is no escaping the fact that work is a huge part of our lives and this environment is increasingly coming under scrutiny. The penny seems to be dropping that work spaces are actually life spaces and currently these spaces generally don’t meet fundamental human needs. So we are asking ourselves the question, "how do we improve

Renewables and the impending power shift ignored by fossil fuel companies

New analysis published by the Carbon Tracker Initiative and Imperial College’s Grantham Institute suggests global demand for fossil fuels could peak by 2020. The power sector would see the most dramatic change, becoming virtually fossil-free by 2040. Changing assumptions Oil majors, including Shell and BP, have long published

WCG awarded The Planet Mark™ for third year
 as college group cuts annual carbon footprint by 4%

WCG, one of the largest further and higher education providers in the Midlands, has been awarded The Planet Mark™ in recognition of its commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability. The college group reported a 3.7% cut in its total carbon footprint in the year ending July 2016. The certification marks the third consecutive

Corporate growth catalyst: sustainability’s new role

As a term used to describe the business programmes, products, and practices built around environmental and social considerations, ‘sustainability’ is too frequently seen as a luxury investment or a PR device. However, evidence exists to show that sustainability initiatives create profits, opportunities and good employee karma. At

Sutton United: out of the FA Cup but still a sustainability winner

Sutton United Football Club made a valiant effort to defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round. In the end it didn't prove enough, but the club can be proud of what it has achieved – and not just on the pitch. The club, which is run by volunteers, cut its carbon footprint by 13.8% in 2016, ensuring it retains the title of being the

Sutton United Arsenal FA Cup clash to be played at first Planet Mark™-certified football ground

When Sutton United play Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup, next week, it will mark a football first for the National League side. Never before has the south-London club hosted such a prestigious game, being drawn against 12-times winner of the FA Cup, Arsenal. But in another one for the record books, this ‘David and Goliath’

Eden Project launches 2017 Hothouse sustainability leadership programme

The Eden Project, which is partner of The Planet Mark™, has launched its 2017 programme for educational charity's Hothouse: Creative Leadership professional development course. Based in the unique surroundings of the Eden Project, Cornwall, the four-day Hothouse residential leadership course invites participants to immerse themselves

Planet First strikes deal with Turnkey Group to deliver The Planet Mark™ in Asia

(From left to right: Tony Wines, CEO, Turnkey; Sarah Gillett, head of partnerships, Planet First; Ian Catley, business development director, Turnkey; Marta Bojarzynska, business development manager, Turnkey; Steve Malkin, CEO, Planet First and founder of The Planet Mark™) Under the new partnership, Turnkey Group, a global professional

The Planet Mark™ sponsors Climate category at inaugural DigitalAgenda Impact Awards

The DigitalAgenda Impact Awards are open to any business, government or non-profit using digital products or services to make the world a better place. The Planet Mark™ joins headline sponsor Nominet Trust, the UK’s leading social tech funder, and other category sponsors including Digital Catapult, Edtech UK and Future Cities Catapult,

Nadia Karagianni joins Planet First as sustainability consultant

Nadia, who’s appointment is effective immediately, brings over eight years experience in carbon and energy management consulting. She takes over responsibility for managing The Planet Mark™ Certifications, including all client relation activities. She will report to Andrew Prosser, acting head of Certification at Planet First. Commenting

Steve's Blog: it’s 2017…time to set three-year carbon targets with our ‘2020 Vision’ programme

Take a look into the future. Would you like your organisation to be a leaner, greener operation in three year’s time while contributing to the local and global effort to tackle climate change? We’re kicking off the new year by incentivising organisations to set and achieve three-year targets to reduce their carbon emissions. We’re

Flood of money wasted on wrong defences

New research from the think tank the Green Alliance has revealed that, in England: Nearly four times as much money (£1.5 billion) is spent on land management that ignores or even increases flood risk, than on land management that helps to prevent flooding (£419 million) Twice as much money (£613 million) is spent on dealing with

Bywaters crowned 'Champion of Champions' in Green Apple Awards

Bywaters, London’s largest waste management company, won the top award at the the International Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice presented in the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster in November. In addition the company won three green champion awards and two gold awards for its pioneering approach to the environment

The Planet Mark™ to be rolled out across East Africa in “ground-breaking” deal with Sunbird Group

Planet First Ltd, the creator and custodian of The Planet Mark™, has signed a licensing agreement with Sunbird Group, the fast-expanding construction and support services company with operations across East and Southern Africa. The deal marks the launch of The Planet Mark™ into Africa and is the first major step towards growing

DP World London Gateway wins Green Port Award

The accolade was awarded to DP World London Gateway at the inaugural IHS DPC Innovation Awards held on November 10 in London. DP World London Gateway was judged the best Green Ports and Terminals of the Year because of its pioneering global industry first in delivering a sustainable practice which demonstrates a commitment to carbon

Steve's Blog: is Trump's victory 'game over' for climate or is there room for optimism?

Climate scientists and environmentalists are warning that a Trump administration could mean “game over for the climate”. They have a point. Not only has Trump vowed to cut clean energy funding, dismantle the Obama-Clinton Climate Action Plan and scrap America’s Clean Power Plan, he’s described climate change as a Chinese hoax designed

Ecopare awarded The Planet Mark™ Sustainability Certification

The Planet Mark™ Certificate was presented to Ecopare by Steve Malkin, founder of The Planet Mark™ and Sir Tim Smit KBE, Co-founder of the Eden Project, at The Planet Mark™ 3rd anniversary celebration on November 1 in London.  Ecopare, based in Guildford, specialises in practical energy management for industrial, educational and

Plate2Planet live sustainability summit highlights need for collaboration in food industry

The need to work together was the main message that came out of the inaugural Plate2Planet live sustainability summit, marking the first anniversary of plate2planet.co.uk, the collaborative website for discussion and ideas on sustainability in foodservice, powered by Planet Mark-certified Bidvest Foodservice. Notable speakers included

Sustainability champions celebrated at The Planet Mark™’s 3 Year Anniversary event

Sir Tim Smit KBE, Executive Vice Chairman and Co-founder of the Eden Project, the founding partner of The Planet Mark™ was keynote speaker at You, Business and The Bigger Picture: the power of the individual to drive sustainability. The event attracted a packed audience to hear from Sir Tim (pictured), and other guests speakers

Where is the sustainability leadership in the world of media?

November is when we think about ‘The Bigger Picture’, encouraged by the week-long sustainability event of the same name hosted by Planet Mark-certified The Hospital Club – where media professionals like to meet. But what does sustainability mean to media professionals? Is it greener production? Is it social sustainability problems

3 Years of The Planet Mark™: what’s been achieved so far – infographic

The Planet Mark™ launched in 2013 with a mission to empower organisations and their people to make year-on-year progress in sustainability. The certification is awarded to businesses, properties, new developments and projects that are committed to reducing their carbon emissions. Here are the highlights: • Since launching, The

Steve's Blog: The Planet Mark™ – a new sustainability brand, but has it worked?

There were two stories in the media this month that I really loved because their timing was so prescient. The first involves the Paris Agreement, where countries committed to carbon reductions to keep global warming below 2C. Most expected significant dragging of heels and prevarication. Instead, 73 countries have ratified, which

The Planet Mark™ to protect an ‘Acre of Rainforest’ with every new business it certifies

The Planet Mark™ pledge is being made through Cool Earth, the charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. It is the first of its kind to be made through the award-winning charity. One acre of rainforest at risk from loggers will be protected every time a new Business Certificate is delivered by

6 tips for online conferencing

We now longer need to be tied to the office to conduct effective and efficient business meetings and often we can avoid the time, hassle, cost and carbon footprint implications of travelling to meetings – especially if we have already met face-to-face. Free applications such as Skype, Google Hangouts and FaceTime are familiar to

Kigali Signals Death Knell for Hydrofluorocarbons

These manmade substances which are used mainly in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, have a global warming effect up to 15,000 times greater than carbon dioxide and are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. The UK has been a leader in eliminating HFC. The recent agreement represents a significant step

Low Carbon Europe to deliver The Planet Mark™ in milestone deal

The milestone agreement marks the first time The Planet Mark™ Certification Programme will be delivered by a third-party company. The deal was signed last week between Low Carbon Europe and Planet First Ltd, the creator and custodian of The Planet Mark™. It means Low Carbon Europe, an engineering and environmental consultancy based

Digital designs: Giant Peach's 10 ways to sustainability

Eden Project’s Festival of Hope set to ‘Inspire Sustainability’

The inventors of edible bottle Ooho!, Fourth Element, a diving gear business behind swimwear fashioned from recycled fishing nets, and TOAST Ale, which makes ale out of bread destined for the bin, are amongst the green businesses and start-ups sharing their inspiring sustainability stories at the Festival of Hope at the iconic Eden

Historic Paris climate agreement to come into force in November

The UN confirmed on Wednesday that the climate treaty would take effect from November 4, after the European Union voted to ratify the historic agreement negotiated in Paris last December by almost 200 nations. The EU, with 28 members, accounts for 12 per cent of global emissions, which is enough to reach the 55 per cent threshold

Bidvest Foodservice celebrates landmark support for 1,200 charity causes

The milestone was unveiled today as part of 28 sustainability commitments made by the Planet Mark-certified company in its annual Sustainability Report 2016. The independently verified report highlights how the company is meeting its commitments on sustainability, including the environment, community engagement, responsible consumption

Paris Agreement on climate change set to come into force

The 31 countries, which include Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates, bring the total to have signed up to the agreement to 60 – representing 47.5% of global emissions. 13 other nations today committed to doing so this year. The Paris Treaty was a commitment made last December by almost 200 countries to keep global

Sustainable travel: 5 tips for Carfree Day in your business

Thursday 22nd September 2016 is World Carfree Day when people are encouraged to get around without driving alone in cars and instead car-share, use public transport, cycle, or walk. The objective is to reduce traffic congestion, fossil-fuel consumption and the associated CO2 emissions and air pollution. It is also an opportunity

Steve's Blog: Microbeads ban is a lesson to sustainability laggards

Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic in cosmetic products. But as waste product they are lethal to marine life when ingested and also get into our food chain. Last year, we joined CIDESCO, the world standard for spa and beauty therapy, in calling for a ban. This move was swiftly followed by Barack Obama confirming the end of microbeads

Hinkley not necessary says ECIU

The ECIU found that a mixture of established approaches including wind farms, cables connecting the UK grid with other countries and gas-fired power stations, together with measures to manage demand, would save the UK around £1 billion per year while keeping the lights on and meeting climate targets. ECIU director Richard Black said

The Planet Mark™ website gets a revamp

The main change to the website is a new homepage, redesigned to create a more compelling, vibrant and easier to navigate layout and clearer proposition to visitors. A new full-width ‘hero’ image at the top incorporates the bold new message “The Planet is In Your Hands” and invites visitors to “Join our community for a better future”.

Steve's blog: Drone videos help PV energise employee engagement

On a trip to Bywaters materials recycling facility in east London, I was impressed to see a large LED monitor in its reception displaying the performance of its £1m PV array designed and installed by M3 Solutions. But what really caught my eye was the awe-inspiring video footage of the huge array, apparently the largest retrofit

Deadline nears for entries to tve Global Sustainability Film Awards

The awards encourage companies large and small to showcase through their own films, pioneering innovations and their impact on the world, their workforce, their communities and the environment. The awards are being supported by The Planet Mark™ through its partnership with the charity tve. This year categories reflect the global

Enhancing your brand reputation: a sustainability communications case study

So how do you do it and how can you enhance your brand whilst doing so? Size doesn’t matter The first thing to recognise is that size doesn’t matter. Big or small, if you get it right your sustainability stories can inform, challenge and inspire and enhance your brand in so doing – whether you employ six people or 6,000. Join

Exciting sustainability consultant position opens at The Planet Mark™

The Planet Mark™ is an internationally-recognised and trusted sustainability certification programme that certifies businesses, properties, new developments and projects. This is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to work within an organisation whose mission is to empower organisations and their people to make year-on-year

Fleet management: 5 reasons to consider electric vehicles

For a business where travel is unavoidable (e.g. delivery), switching to electric cars and vans will make a major contribution towards reducing their carbon footprint, but many still point to the limited range of electric vehicles (EVs) as the main reason for sticking with fossil fuelled vehicles, or that the lease or purchase of

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP commits to 5% carbon cut and starts major LED refit at London office

The commitment was made as the firm announced it was undertaking a major lighting refurbishment set to slash its energy usage at its London office. “We are committing to a 5% reduction in our carbon emissions for our first year of being Planet Mark-certified and are delighted to be able to announce as part of this commitment we have

Steve's blog: is there life after DECC?

Apart from another record-breaking hot month (Jan-June 2016 were the hottest 6-months since records began according to NASA), this summer is proving difficult to predict decisions and second-guess outcomes. The latest relates to the disbanding of DECC and the likely after effects. DECC has been merged or subsumed into the new Department

DP World London Gateway Port is first in the world to be awarded The Planet Mark™

DP World London Gateway Port the UK’s most advanced deep-sea container terminal, has been awarded The Planet Mark™ for demonstrating its commitment to carbon emissions reduction. This internationally recognised certification programme is wholly-owned by Planet First, a sustainability service provider working in conjunction with

Department of Energy and Climate Change axed

BIS has been renamed the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Greg Clark, former Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government, has been appointed to head the new ministry. The announcement was made yesterday, as part of May’s reshuffle, which also saw Andrea Leadsom, a former Climate

6 ways to communicate your sustainability programme

The power of communication is often over-looked, but it can make all the difference in attracting and retaining your best employees and valued customers. But communication is a creative process that unless done well, will waste you money and time – and ultimately could cost your business’ reputation. Here are six ways to effectively

Eden Project's Festival of Hope returns for a second year

Eden Project held its first Festival of Hope on the eve of the 2015 Paris Climate Talks. The event was dubbed "a celebration of the inspirational people, businesses and sustainable solutions paving the way for a low-carbon future" and was so successful that Eden is planning another this year on Sunday November 27th. We'll update

VolkerWessels UK cuts carbon footprint by 9%  

VolkerWessels UK, which employs over 2,500 people across six operating companies – VolkerFitzpatrick, VolkerRail, VolkerStevin, VolkerHighways, VolkerLaser and VolkerInfra – and their shared services, reported a total carbon footprint of 24,742 tonnes per CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) for last year, compared to 26,656 tCO2e in 2014 – representing

European greenhouse gas emissions fall

The survey published this week showed there was a 4.1% reduction in emissions to 24.4% below 1990 levels, according to the EU’s annual inventory by the European Environment Agency (EEA), ThisWeekInFM reports. It is certain that Europe has been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ’substantially’ since 1990 and believes it is

Brexit: Amber Rudd seeks to reassure businesses over climate action

Speaking at the Business and Climate Summit on Wednesday (June 29), Amber Rudd sought to quell businesses and investor nerves, saying the Government remained firmly committed to the Climate Change Act. She confirmed the Government would approve a world-leading carbon emissions reduction target for the early 2030s by tomorrow – the

Sustainable business travel: 5 questions to ask about your organisation’s culture

Planet Mark-certified construction company Higgins Group’s cut more than 10% of its carbon footprint last year. This was mainly due to a 32% cut in its diesel and petrol use across its 212-strong fleet, but also because it encouraged its employees to car share or use public transport. Consulting Group Capgemini, meanwhile, introduced

Acorn picked as sustainability finalist at PFM Awards

AIS BMS is a dedicated Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) maintenance and energy solutions company. It is part of The Planet Mark-certified Acorn Engineering Group (AEG). The Planet Mark™ is a sustainability certification awarded to businesses that show continuous improvement in their sustainability. AIS BMS was picked as

Planet First response to EU Referendum: "our mission as a business remains the same"

Steve Malkin, CEO of Planet First and founder of The Planet Mark™, commented: "The country has spoken and so has the Prime Minister. "Some will have woken this morning feeling euphoric and others disappointed. "This is a momentous day and the uncertainty will be disruptive as organisations come to terms with how leaving the

Digital agency Giant Peach “makes a difference” with The Planet Mark™

Giant Peach is a growing digital agency first established in 2005 with a head office in Wiltshire and an office in London. The 11-strong team offers digital solutions, from website design and development, user experience and digital strategy, to video production and content strategy. Giant Peach says it uses its digital expertise

Five ways to drive up energy efficiencies in your business

According to the International Energy Agency, approximately 40% of the emissions reductions required by 2050 to limit global temperature increase to less than 2 degrees centigrade would potentially come from energy efficiency. But, there are a myriad of energy efficiency and renewable technologies to choose from, and costs of installation

Bywaters: why we invested in our giant rooftop solar array

I am extremely proud that we are able to provide Londoners with a service that helps them improve their environmental performance. By minimising the amount of waste we send to landfill and maximising the availability of valuable secondary resources we are able to cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pressure on the earth’s primary

6 ways to cut your business travel carbon footprint

Consultants PwC report that “Business travel remains our single largest generator of carbon emissions, and – as we’ve continued to reduce our emissions from energy - has grown to represent 70% of our total carbon footprint in 2015." Business travel can often build strong relationships with customers and clients but it is also a

Higgins Construction cuts carbon emissions by 11%

The family-run business, which operates from offices in Loughton, Essex, cut its total carbon footprint equivalent to 637 tonnes between January and December 2015 – an 11.4 per cent fall on the previous year. The reduction is more than double the 5% carbon reduction target the company was committed to achieving in 2015, as part of

Sustainability at the heart of FREM’s new ‘Matrix 6’ workplace collection

The ‘Matrix 6’ collection is described as “a flexible, personalised ‘home from home’ environment” that integrates the latest digital technologies in a hexagonal modular ‘booth-style’ system that can be adapted to any size space. A collaboration between Frem, award-winning designer Rock Galpin and psychologist Dr. Craig Knight,

Join Bywaters, ThisWeekinFM and The Planet Mark™ at Facilities Show

With over 11, 000 visitors and around 300 exhibitors expected at this year’s Facilities Show, recycling and resource management firm Bywaters said it will again be exhibiting at the Excel-based event. Bywaters, which has been certified to The Planet Mark™ for the past three years, is leading the way on sustainability having recently

Cool Earth best charity at cutting carbon emissions through rainforest protection

The findings are the result of research by leading charity advisor Giving What We Can (GWWC). It assesses which charities around the world are most effective at what they do. GWWC looked at around 50 climate change charities and concluded the most cost effective is Cool Earth. Cool Earth works alongside indigenous villages putting

75% of offices overlook green supply chain

When it come to environmentally friendly actions, many office workers are doing the basics, such as switching off lights and recycling paper, cardboard and food and drink packaging, but more than 65% say they "could do more". Moreover, only 25% said they purchased from suppliers with green credentials, while only 27% claimed to

Sustainable business event edie Live to focus on "bottom line, compliance and reputation"

Amanda Barnes, chief executive of edie Live organiser Faversham House, said: “edie Live will cater for anyone whose organisation has to deal with the strategic as well as the practical aspects of sustainable business and resource efficiency – be it energy management, water, waste, corporate and social responsibility, or low-carbon

Wear it Wild with WWF on May 27th

This month, WWF is calling on people in workplaces, schools and homes in the UK to express their 'wild side' for a day and raise funds and awareness for WWF’s vital conservation work. Since 1970, populations of wild species have fallen by half. Iconic species like tigers, elephants and rhinos are at risk of becoming extinct in

Chapters Financial shortlisted for Investment Week CSR Award

Chapters Financial, the Planet Mark-certified chartered firm of financial planners and independent financial advisers which employees just six people, is up against financial heavyweights Aviva Investors and Hermes Investment Management in the CSR category. Its IMAIA nomination comes in the wake of the company achieving a 22% carbon

6 ways to scale up sustainable innovation in your business

In 2015, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson were among those putting their names to a multi-billion-dollar initiative to fund new clean energy technologies. Meanwhile, 30% of sustainability professionals said sustainable innovation was the most exciting opportunity for their organisations over the next five years (Ethical

New Planet Mark guide offers innovative ideas and practical steps to cutting carbon emissions

The guide contains innovative ideas, inspiring case studies and practical tips. It is being offered for free by The Planet Mark™, a unique sustainability certification that is aiding dozens of organisations make year-on-year improvements in their sustainability performance. The Planet Mark™ Practical Guide to Cutting Carbon Emissions

Planet First partner World Bank spreads learning on climate action through free online course

‘Turn Down The Heat: From Climate Science To Action’ is a five-week course based on the World Bank’s Turn Down The Heat series of reports. Described as an “action-orientated” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), it will bring together renowned scientists and policymakers to explain the most recent scientific evidence on climate change

Andrew Prosser joins Planet First as acting head of Certification

Andrew, a recognised expert on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental reporting, takes over the responsibilities of Monica Niermann, former head of Certification at Planet First. These include managing all activities relating to The Planet Mark™ certifications and Code of Practice. Andrew will remain acting head while the

What does ‘Smartworking' have to do with sustainability?

Last month, I attended a summit on so-called ‘Smartworking’. It was entitled ‘Stepping up to the workplace diversity challenge’. It was hosted by Quora, a consulting firm that’s been around for 14 years. It’s mission is to respond to the changing nature of work and avoid ‘solving the wrong problem really well’. The summit wasn't

Sustainability stories at 'Rethinking Business Seminar' inspire RWHA members

The RWHA’s ‘Sustainability: Rethinking Business’ Seminar, held in central London last week, challenged its members to think differently about business sustainability. The event also saw the RWHA officially presented with The Planet Mark™ certificate. ‘Sustainability: Rethinking Business' was attended by dozens of Royal Warrant holding

Planet First and BST Environmental partner on new sustainable travel workshop

The Sustainable Business Travel Workshop is a half-day session designed to offer organisations the “core knowledge, skills and confidence” to cut their business travel carbon footprint. Business travel can be responsible for a large part of an organisation’s carbon footprint, but is often overlooked in favour of other actions. PwC,

5 ways to embed sustainability in your supply chain

There are many environmental risks associated with your supply chain and eliminating supply chain risks is now seen as the top priority for CSR and supply chain professionals across the world, according to Ethical Corp. But aside from the risks, there are other benefits to taking a structured approach to supplier engagement. These

The Planet Mark™ goes underground to show the benefits of cutting carbon

An ad campaign calling on businesses to “cut their carbon and enjoy the benefits” will launch across the London Underground network on Monday (April 25th). The campaign, which is expected to be seen by more than one million Londoners over two weeks, has been created by The Planet Mark™ and is backed by a suite of free tools and

Street artists to paint giant mural in East London to raise awareness of endangered species

On Sunday April 10th, railway arches near Mile End in East London will become home to some of the world's most threatened animals and plants as 13 UK artists put 'paint to wall' to raise awareness of the growing number of endangered and extinct species in the world. ENDANGERED13, is a giant mural that when complete will stretch

Carbon emissions from energy stay flat for second year running

The preliminary data released yesterday by the IEA shows CO2 emissions from energy related activity – the largest source of man-made greenhouse gas emissions – stood at 32.1 billion tonnes in 2015, having remained essentially flat since 2013. The figures suggest the surge in renewable energy, as well as improvements in energy efficiency,

Budget 2016: Carbon Reduction Commitment to be scrapped

The CRC, a mandatory scheme to drive up energy efficiency in large public and private sector organisations, is to be closed in 2018-19. It will be replaced by an increase in the Climate Change Levy (CCL), a tax on energy used by business. The move is part of a wider effort by the Treasury to simplify the energy tax regime. The abolishment

The Planet Mark Unsung Heroes of Sustainability: Bidvest Foodservice’s Stephen Foster

When Bidvest Foodservice transport supervisor Stephen Foster volunteered two years ago to head up the catering and food supplier’s sustainability activities in Wakefield, his biggest challenge was getting buy-in from his bosses. Now he runs a committee of eight volunteers and says the challenge today is how to manage all the fantastic

Paris Climate Deal to cut carbon emissions to zero to be enshrined in UK law

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom said on Monday: “The Government believes that we will need to take the step of enshrining the Paris goal for net zero emissions in UK law." The Paris Treaty, signed in December, commits countries to zero emissions by the second half of this century. Former Labour leader and Climate Change Secretary

Planet Mark-certified Eight Associates embraces year-on-year sustainability improvement

Eight Associates, a specialist in building standards, including BREEAM and LEED, maintained its Planet Mark certification in 2015 by achieving a 4.3 % carbon reduction per employee, equating to 0.7 tCO2e per person. The company is now looking to meet or exceed a 7% carbon reduction per employee in its next reporting year – in line

Earth Hour 2016: use The Planet Mark toolkits and “shine a light on climate action” on March 19th

To mark the special occasion, WWF, the charity behind Earth Hour, is urging supporters to “shine a light on climate action” and make Earth Hour 2016 bigger than ever – using the power of social media. On Saturday 19 March at 8:30pm local time, the world’s most iconic landmarks will switch off their lights for an hour to mark Earth

Planet Mark event praised for “real insight” on Paris Climate Deal and carbon action

“Beyond Paris: The Climate Deal and what it means for me” addressed the impact of the Paris Climate Deal on business and society. Those attending praised it for the “real insight” it brought to complex issues such as climate change and the carbon footprint of products and services, as well bringing home the importance of businesses

€2.35m building retrofit project launches across Europe

Build Upon is a €2.35m (£1.83m) building retrofit programme funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It will provide support to governments, industry and civil society across 13 European countries to create long-term national plans to green retrofit homes and commercial buildings. Emissions from existing

7 tips for better managing your carbon footprint

As part of our Act On 7 campaign, we want to help sustainability heads and environmental managers reduce the carbon footprint of their businesses simply and effectively. So here are our 7 tips to better managing your carbon emissions reductions: 1. Be clear about your what you are aiming for – a well-defined strategy for your

“A peace treaty for our times”: the Paris Climate Deal and the battle to get there

Day Thirteen, Saturday 12th December: I make my way to Le Bourget once again, hopefully for the last time. I have a Eurostar back to London booked for this evening. Outside my hotel, students are gathering for a demonstration 350.org has planned for today […] I find a far-flung spot in the media centre, stock up with food and

Fiji, the Paris Climate Deal and what next on tackling our carbon footprint?

On February 25th, climate experts and business and environment leaders will lift the lid on the Paris Climate Deal and what it means for businesses at an event being organised by The Planet Mark. 'Beyond Paris: The Climate Deal and what it means for me', will examine the outcomes of the Paris summit and discuss the next steps businesses

Cutting carbon: 39% of COP21 ‘climate pledges’ are from small business, UK-GBC reports

Planet First was one of more than 60 UK companies that showed their 'collective commitment' to put the buildings and construction sector on a “below 2°C path” at the climate change talks (COP21) in Paris last year. The companies included major corporations such as Land Securities, JLL and Hanson, but 39% were small businesses,

7 sustainability and green events you shouldn’t miss in 2016

But with so many events to choose from, it can be difficult to know which to pick and which to ditch. Here are seven top events to look out for in 2016: February 2016 25th – 'Beyond Paris: the Climate Deal and what it means for me' – The Paris Climate Deal has been described as a "historic" event, but what does its mean for you

Carbon reduction: 7 tips to creating a successful ‘green champions’ team

Sustainability champions will help you to deliver improvements to your organisation by promoting and implementing actions to achieve a reduction in your carbon footprint. There are other benefits to establishing a sustainability champions programme including: • cost savings associated with energy, waste, water and travel • changing

Carbon reduction: do psychologists hold the answer to behaviour change in energy management?

The recent Paris Climate Deal (COP21) has set challenging targets for carbon reduction in coming decades. Later this year, countries have to report the detail of how they will contribute. It is to be hoped that this will reinvigorate climate change as a driver for action. But what of energy efficiency and why, in the UK, has it

Sustainability engagement at work: how to get the best out of your 'Green Week'

But while some succeed in setting the office a-buzz with conversations about sustainability, others fizzle out with no impact on attitudes or behaviours. So how can you avoid your Green Week ending up as Greenwash? 1. Plan Green Weeks are like any other project; you need to plan carefully to ensure they are success. Work out at

The Planet Mark launches ‘Act On 7’ campaign to get business reducing carbon

‘Act On 7’ aims to address the needs of organisations that want to take action on their carbon footprint but either don’t know how to or are struggling to make year-on-year improvements on their carbon reduction programme. It will provide them with easy-to-understand tips, guidance and tools, as well as inspiring stories and compelling

Tackling climate change: why we need to standardise emissions measuring to ensure COP21 is a success

Consensus was finally reached in Paris in December with 195 nations agreeing a deal to tackle climate change. Nations have agreed that the rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases is to be kept "well below" 2°C, the point when global warming would pose a threat to life on Earth. This will be achieved through Intended

How to measure your carbon footprint: a beginners guide

Climate change is a global problem and business has a big role to play in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its threat. More than 190 heads of state agreed in Paris in December to keep the global temperature increase "well below" 2C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C. The impact of that historic agreement

Planet First event to lift lid on Paris Climate Deal

'Beyond Paris: The Climate Deal and what it means for me', will examine the outcomes of the Paris summit and discuss the next steps businesses can and should be taking. Keynote addresses by Jane Burston, head of Climate and Environment, National Physical Laboratory and member of The Planet Mark Advisory Panel, and Marcus Pearson,

The Planet Mark Unsung Heroes of Sustainability: M3 Solutions’ Megan Rayner

Eco champions, green team leaders, sustainability warriors – call them what you will – these are the people that can make your sustainability programme fizz instead of fizzle out. Megan Rayner, sustainability manager at M3 Solutions, explains why she calls herself a "sustainability warrior" and why the business world needs more people

DP World's London Gateway Logistics Centre has been awarded The Planet Mark

Phase one of the DP World London Gateway Logistics Centre has received The Planet Mark certification from Planet First, a sustainability and certification service provider, working in conjunction with the iconic Eden Project in Cornwall. The Logistics Centre, which was the first building to be constructed on the DP World London

Planet First's top tips on making your salon and spa sustainable

The health and beauty industry is perfectly placed to take the lead in ethical and environmental product development and services. This goes beyond technical solutions to communicating the deep and intrinsic connection between personal well-being and nature. Fundamentally, our health is dependent on the health and stability of the

Planet First welcomes call for ban on plastic microbeads in beauty industry

Last month, Barack Obama banned plastic microbeads, a product found extensively in beauty and health products. CIDESCO, the world standard for beauty and spa therapy, is now calling on its global membership to help protect the environment and health of the planet by replacing their skincare products containing plastic microbeads

Paris climate deal sets “clear roadmap” for business

Almost 200 countries, including the US, China and India, agreed on Saturday to strike the first climate deal to set out a clear long-term temperature limit for the planet. Partly legally binding and partly voluntary, the ‘Paris Agreement’ commits all countries to keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C and to pursue efforts

What’s at stake at COP21?

We’ve all seen the images of the melting ice caps, heard the stories of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and been shocked by sad facts concerning dwindling fish stocks or the scale of our wasteful, consumerist society. The trouble is, it’s easy to feel powerless in the face of it all. Meanwhile, year by year, the problems

COP21: its time for action…and a bit of fun and games

The ’12 Days of COPmas' campaign has been created by NGO Eco Action Games and playfully takes its lead from the traditional ‘12 days of Christmas’ theme. Instead, though, it explores the key issues that are going to be discussed at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) which kicks off on November 30 for 12 days. Planet First is

COP21 Buildings Day: Planet First adds pledge to global ‘collective commitment’

The companies, which include major corporations such as Land Securities, JLL and Hanson, as well as smaller firms such as Planet First and Planet Mark-certified Sustainable Commercial Solutions, have each entered individual pledges and committed to mobilise “a global market transformation” in the building sector the aim of which

COP21: a few little things we can all do

A mixture of inspiring talks, exhibits, music and art, made Eden's Festival of Hope on Sunday a fitting curtain-raiser to this week's Paris climate talks. And as the hard negotiating gets underway in France's capital, Eden's creative director Tony Kendle suggests a few things we can all do to lighten our impact on the planet: 1.

3 steps to demonstrate you’re a sustainable supplier

Suppliers constantly need to improve their sustainability credentials, particularly in response to information requests and pre-qualification questionnaires. In order to award contracts, many public sector organisations and private companies require their suppliers to provide evidence of sustainability in their business and their

Planet Mark-certified SMEs recognised in Mayor’s Business Energy Challenge Awards

Casual Films, the online video production company and corporate film specialist, and Harmsen Tilney Shane, a leading commercial design consultant, were both recognised for their commitment to reducing their energy usage and their carbon footprint at the Mayor’s Business Energy Challenge Awards, held earlier this month. They were

Sustainability Week at Hospital Club hailed “best ever”

“We launched Sustainability Week three years ago with the aim of generating a meaningful dialogue about global sustainability issues,” said Sue Walter, CEO of The Hospital Club. “The creative and business industries have an important voice in this space, with a huge audience, and we are delighted with their passion for the subject

Harrow Green cuts carbon footprint by 12% per employee

Harrow Green, the UK’s leading business relocation firm, has cut its carbon footprint per employee by 12 per cent in the last year, according to The Planet Mark, the certification programme provided by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project. The improvement comes despite the business seeing rapid growth, which has led

Green businesses join Eden Festival of Hope on eve of Paris climate talks

Electric car manufacturer Tesla, ethical clothing company Finisterre, sustainable manufacturer Interface and coffee recycler bio-bean are among the new breed of green enterprises that will be sharing their inspiring stories of sustainable innovation at the Festival of Hope taking place at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Planet First,

5 ways to engage people in energy efficiency

Last week, Planet First ceo Steve Malkin and Planet First head of certification Monica Niermann were invited to present an answer to that question respectively at the Energy Management Exhibition in London and Greenbuild Expo in Manchester. But for those of you who were unable to come to either show, below we have summarised Steve's

Greenbuild Expo: three reasons to attend next week’s show

1. Future cities and Manchester’s low carbon future – with Government plans to create a ‘northern powerhouse’, Manchester is re-inventing itself to be at the centre of the region’s low carbon future. Not only has Manchester council this summer unveiled plans for a shiny new city centre, including multi-billion pound new neighbourhoods

Planet First partners with Bidvest Foodservice on major sustainability initiative

Bidvest Foodservice and a ‘green alliance’ made up of Planet First, Unilever, Premier Foods, Delifrance UK, Vegware, and Jacobs Douwe Egberts have today launched plate2planet, a ‘one-stop-shop’ digital platform that aims to address the growing demand in the food sector for useful and practical information about sustainability. "Our

Sustainability on the menu at The Hospital Club

Duncan Cruickshanks, head chef at The Hospital Club, holds regular supper clubs at the uber-trendy London private members club, at the start of which he tells his diners the story behind each item of food on the menu – where it's originated from and how it's ended up on their dish. “When I look at a menu I like to know what season

Last call for entries to EMA Energy Management Awards

There are 10 award categories in the inaugural Private Sector Energy Management Awards, organised by the Energy Managers Association. They include Energy Manager of the Year, Energy Reduction Project through Organisational Behaviour Change of the Year, Best Practice ESOS Compliance Project of the Year and the Most Inspiring Energy

5 ways to turn the sport fan in your workplace into a sustainability champion

Last week, BT got together with sports industry and sustainability experts from around the world to find ways to tap into the power of sports fans to tackle climate change. It followed the launch of 100% Sport, a BT campaign launched last month with sailing champion Sir Ben Ainslie to inspire sports fans to adopt renewable energies.

COP21: “we’re in a very good mood”, says UN climate chief

But Figueres warned the talks on their own would not solve climate change and called on all those participating to act responsibly. “We’re in a very good mood,” Figueres told a climate event in London. “We’ve already done about 95 per cent of the job [to bring down the rate of emissions].” Referring to post-2020 climate actions,

ESOS: EA deadline extension no excuse for delay

The December 5 deadline for notifying the Environment Agency (EA) that you have to comply with the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) has been known for some time now. But this month, the EA quietly updated its compliance guidance for ESOS, saying it was “not normally expecting to take enforcement action for late notification

Energy bills soar by £600m as household gadgets surge

The survey commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust and carried out by Ipsos MORI, found the average number of gadgets in people’s homes has increased by 31 per cent since 2010. This increase along with leaving devices on stand-by is leading to an average £30 a year hike in energy bills.

Eden Project joins pioneering renewable energy online marketplace

Piclo is the UK’s first renewable electricity peer-to-peer online marketplace. It is being trialled by renewable energy supplier Good Energy and its developer, the tech start-up Open Utility. Eden Project said it had signed up to Piclo in order to select local generators as its main supplier, creating “a Cornwall-based energy market”.

Chapters Financial slashes carbon footprint by 22%

Surrey-based Chapters Financial, a chartered firm of financial planners and Independent Financial Advisers, achieved a 22 per cent reduction in its comparative carbon emissions between June 2014 and June 2015, according to figures released by The Planet Mark, the fast-expanding certification programme operated by Planet First. Chapters

Get "enlivened" at Sustainability Week

The seven-day programme, which runs from 14th to 20th November, will focus on a different theme each day, including climate change, smart cities, green entrepreneurs and sustainable foods. It is being curated with the help of Planet First and Guy Battle, founder of The Sustainable Business Partnership. Speakers will include Professor

Cool Earth raises £97,000 at launch of Papua New Guinea rainforest project

Cool Earth, the Planet Mark-certified charity that is working to halt rainforest destruction, has raised tens of thousands of pounds in one night to save 120,000 acres of land in Papua New Guinea from illegal logging. The charity, announced today that it had raised £97,000 at a launch event it held in London last week. The event

CBI calls for tougher action on carbon emissions

Britain’s biggest business group the CBI, this week, joined forces with former US vice president and environmentalist, Al Gore, to call for tougher action to cut global carbon emissions so as to unleash the business opportunities of going green. At an event on Tuesday (Sept 22), co-hosted by the CBI and environmental think-tank

Business sustainability: what can broadcasting learn from other industries?

Broadcasters, such as Sky (pictured) and UKTV, now make it a mandatory requirement for TV and film production companies in their supply chain to demonstrate they are making progress on reducing their carbon footprint. The BBC does it internally and is expected to extend this to independent production companies soon. But broadcasting

Planet First bolsters senior team with new head of marketing and communications

Planet First has appointed Louise Bateman to head up its marketing and communications operation. Louise (pictured) is a communications expert, journalist and content marketing practitioner with deep sector knowledge of the green business agenda and proven skills in how to engage audiences around sustainability. She co-founded GreenWise

Energy efficiency: How can innovation help consumers reduce their energy use?

When we think about innovation in energy efficiency, we often only consider technological solutions — such as LED lights – and high tech new appliances. But these can be expensive or take a while to make a difference to household bills. It is in-fact the everyday actions in daily life that can have the easiest and most immediate

Apply for the Mayor of London’s Business Energy Challenge

If you are a London-based business with 50 or fewer employees, your energy reduction initiatives in your offices and operations can get recognised through the Business Energy Challenge. It is being run for the first year, following the success of the Challenge for larger businesses. The winner will be awarded a trophy at the awards

Sustainability Definitions: Sustainable Development, an Elusive Concept

The recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has once again brought the interrelated issues of climate change, sustainable development and sustainability definitions to the fore. In his keynote speech in the plenary session Tackling Climate, Development and Growth, UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon asserted that “climate change

Essence join the Planet First Network and achieve The Planet Mark Sustainability certification

Essence has successfully achieved The Planet Mark, a sustainability certification issued by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project. Essence is the world’s largest independent buyer of digital media. The agency aims to make advertising more valuable to the world by optimising its real value and building connections between

CIBSE Building Performance Awards

Following on from the Awards that took place earlier in 2015, CIBSE are now calling for entries into the 2016 Building Performance Awards. This year winners included : Operational Control Centre - Barclays Cundall Birmingham - Cundall Light4 International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong - Kai Shing Management Services "Are your

Win Business with a Sustainable Supply Chain.

To be included in a new supply chain and win business, suppliers constantly need to improve their sustainability credentials, particularly in response to information requests and prequalification questionnaires. This is one of the biggest business benefits from The Planet Mark certification and corporate sustainability more generally. Every

The Sunday Times focuses on Sustainability and SMEs

Planet First and The Planet Mark have been featured in the Sunday Times discussing sustainability for SMEs 'As more start-ups make sustainability a priority, initiatives such as the Planet Mark have become a way of identifying the businesses that are taking green issues seriously.' Click here to read the article

Reduce your carbon footprint

Reporting is a Small World ‘I am a carbon footprinter. Me and those of my ilk play crucial roles in the theatre of sustainability. I take sustainability to my spreadsheet paradise, pivot tabling my way through greenhouse gas emissions and watching as the numbers reveal the story of whether a business has been good or bad that year.

Corporate sustainability and your business in 2015

We (yes you as well) are heading into a huge year for corporate sustainability and climate change with news, announcements, legislation, data, decisions and challenges being presented daily. This is why 2015 is the year to take action. Improve corporate sustainability in your organisation. “We definitely face challenges, but

UBM Facilities Show - Facilities Managers discover The Planet Mark

Having presented a 15 minute webinar with UBM about sustainability at the show, Planet First met Sustainability Managers and Facilities Managers on their stand at UBM's Facilities Show. Following the recent launch of The Planet Mark for Properties, Steve Malkin, CEO, Planet First, led a workshop 'Facilities Managers; Your Role

Wiles Greenworld surpass carbon reduction target

Wiles Greenworld specialise in office supplies, design supplies, printing, IT systems, consumables and accessories, catering and cleaning products and furniture, but what makes them different is the way they operate. Wiles Greenworld has measured its carbon footprint since 2008 and has achieved The Planet Mark since 2013. In

BOS say B Green!

Planet Mark certified packaging design consultancy Brand on Shelf have launched their new initiative 'B Green' to get employees at all levels to get involved with reducing BOS's carbon footprint. 'We have named our initiative “B Green”, it being not only a brand, but a call to action.' Read the full article by clicking here

Listen again to UBM's '15 Minute How To' webinar with Planet First

Today, Planet First's Head of Certification, Monica Niermann was joined by Lucie Thomas, Sustainability Coordinator at UBM EMEA to discuss the ins and outs of sustainable events. This webinar covers everything from how UBM manages the sustainability of their own events through to how they communicate with visitors to encourage

Businesses call for the government to take action this year on climate change

Companies are calling for the government to take strong action on climate change this year ahead of the UN Climate talks and the UK's fifth carbon budget. Planet First Spoke to a group of CEOs to find out why they thought sustainability is important. Click here to find out what they had to say. Among the household brands including

Join Planet First at the Facilities Show!

Are you going to the Facilities Show between 16th - 18th June? Haven't registered yet? Click here to get your visitors badge to come and see Planet First at stand S1000 and to join us for Steve Malkin, CEO, Planet First seminar on 18th June at 3.20pm.

Planet Mark '15MinuteHowTo' Webinar with UBM, organisers of Facilities Show

Join us on 11th June at 12.30 for The Planet Mark ‘15 Minute How To’ Webinar when we will be joined by Lucie Thomas, Sustainability Co-ordinator from UBM to discover how to achieve success and sustainability running and participating in large scale events including the Facilities Show. Visitors of conferences and expos know that

Ecoprod; Saving gallons of water and measuring their own sustainability

Ecoprod Technique supplies products, services and support systems that are environmentally responsible (Eco – green) and engineered (Technique) to meet the needs of its customers. “The clean solution”. Ecoprod also has a detailed understanding of the operation of commercial washrooms and the potential problems that owners can face

Why accurate measurement is essential for effective climate action

Many people don't know that the UK is leading in accurate measurement of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Jane Burston, Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and member of the Planet First Advisory Panel considers the importance of accurate measurement when it comes to effective

Eden Project comes to Puller Primary School

Hertfordshire based construction company, VolkerWessels UK, helped children at Puller Memorial School in Ware to get a unique experience and understanding of the environment with a visit by the education team from the world famous Eden Project. Pupils from two classes at the school learned about where their food comes from and

Planet First announces new sustainability certification, The Planet Mark for Properties in partnership with the Eden Project

The Planet Mark for Properties, a new sustainability certification provided by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project, is the first of its type to combine robust measurement, occupier engagement and communications. The official launch of this certification will take place at Holborn Bars, Holborn, at a joint event between

Keepmoat achieves compliance with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme

Keepmoat has become one of the first companies in the UK to successfully conduct a full energy audit of its operations and notify the Environment Agency of compliance with the UK government’s new Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) regulations. This puts the national construction company ahead of the curve when compared with

Get recognition for your sustainable building by entering the B&EE Awards

The Buildings & Energy Efficiency (B&EE) Awards is looking to recognise outstanding projects and innovative products that are promoting excellence in buildings across the UK. Across key sectors of construction, the awards will showcase innovation, celebrate best practice and expertise in energy usage and the ways it contributes

The DoNation host breakfast at Bristol's Big Green Week

Planet First partners The DoNation are going to be in Bristol during the Big Green Week, but even better, they will be sharing their wisdom with you during a breakfast meeting hosted with ERM. Here you can discover ten key lessons and insights on from their experience of encouraging behaviour change on scale, particularly focusing

Don't miss Bristol’s Big Green Week whilst Bristol is European Green Capital

Rathbone Greenbank Investments is delighted to announce Sir Tim Smit KBE, co-founder and Executive Vice Chair of the Eden Project, will be the keynote speaker at its ‘Investing in the Future’ event, taking place on 18 June 2015 at 11.30am at the At-Bristol science centre. Tim’s presentation will be followed by a series of short

Bidvest has become the first foodservice provider to obtain The Planet Mark for Business

The company has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 2.5% year-on-year for three years across water, waste and energy, which it hopes to achieve through a variety of initiatives including investment in highly efficient delivery vehicles. Shirley Duncalf, head of sustainability at Bidvest FoodService said: “As a key player in

Did you know that one Google search can equate to the same CO2 as boiling a pot of tea?

Find out more about how to lower your carbon footprint with The Planet Mark here

Act locally or wait for the international deals to be made on climate change? Jane Burston explores the possibilities.

With the upcoming elections, climate change awareness events taking place around the world and The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) quickly approaching in December, it is important to look back at the discussions that took place during and immediately after previous climate change debates and conferences so that

Building Futures Group - Kick start sustainability in your building

Discover how your Facilities Manager can kickstart sustainability through The Building Futures Group latest news. London is tackling the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainability head on. Buildings account for approximately 75% of London’s carbon dioxide emissions with 42% coming from workplaces. In association

Building sustainability: three ways to drive value in property through collaboration

The latest survey from CBRE, 2015 EMEA Investor Intentions Survey, highlights the effects of occupier corporate social responsibility, investment risk, and regulations in terms of sustainability and property. These three factors bring commonly antagonistic characters – the occupier and the landlord – together through the buzzword

Moving from greener buildings to better buildings

Steve Malkin comments on the 2014 report by the World Green Building Council ‘Health wellbeing and productivity in offices’ in the newly released Leesman Review. In this review, we take a closer look at the importance of interdepartmental relationships and the practical framework to measure the relationships between the physical,

Growing Sustainability : The FM Ball and Acorn Engineering

The facilities management industry gathered at the historic Great Connaught Rooms in London last week for the annual FM Ball celebration and fundraising event. Acorn Engineering hosted three full tables for the event in aid of The Royal Marsden Cancer Research Hospital. The coincided with the first anniversary of Planet First's

Greener Britain Hustings

The Greener Britain Hustings were held last night, 23rd March 2015 in anticipation of the upcoming elections. On the panel was: Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Conservative Rt Hon Ed Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Liberal Democrat Rt Hon Caroline

Will you join forces with the planet and participate in Earth Hour 2015?

There is a huge call to action on climate change in 2015. With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) being held in Paris at the end of the year, the effects of climate change hitting closer to home and risk increasing for businesses that continue to ignore it, climate change is firmly on the agends. Saturday 28th March is WWF’s

Waking up to Sustainability at The Hospital Club with Russell Sage Studio

Planet Mark certified members’ club The Hospital Club, designed and opened 15 brand new bedrooms in the famous Club in Covent Garden in January 2015. These are no ordinary bedrooms; in each room the art has been individually curated by emerging artists and every bedroom has been designed and furnished using recycled and re-used materials

Get voting in the 2degrees Champions Awards!

We are delighted that two Planet Mark certified businesses, Dunlop Systems and Components and Eight Associates have been selected for the 2 degrees Champions Awards! 2degrees has unveiled the organisations, projects and people that are driving sustainable business forward, inspiring others and leading by example through innovation

Eight Associates expert carbon witness in the controversial ‘super-basement’ planning appeal

Eight Associates, the sustainability consultancy commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to be the carbon expert witness in the controversial ‘super-basement’ planning appeal, has released its findings that subterranean extensions in dwellings are generally characterised by a more carbon intense building

GreenZone Cleaning and Support Services achieve The Planet Mark for their third year

As mentioned in the Planet First article for the CBI’s Great Business Debate, providing green services to enable other businesses to become ‘greener’ is an important and growing area. GreenZone Cleaning and Support Services provide expert cleaning services whilst minimising the environmental impact of their operations. For the

Resource leads the way on sustainability by measuring their carbon footprint

Planet First, the sustainability consultancy which provides The Planet Mark certification to businesses, buildings and projects in partnership with The Eden Project, has announced that Resource is working towards achieving The Planet Mark Sustainability Certification. Resource is the world leading event on corporate strategies for

BUILDINGS & ENERGY EFFICIENCY AWARDS 2015 – ENTRIES OPEN NOW

Entries are now open for the 2015 Buildings & Energy Efficiency (B&EE) Awards. New for 2015, the B&EE Awards celebrate buildings and products that truly encapsulate energy efficiency. Culminating in a glamorous event held at the Palace Hotel Manchester on Tuesday 10th November 2015, the B&EE Awards will seek out

Greenbuild Expo returns alongside new show, Buildings & Energy Efficiency

Greenbuild Expo 2015 is the premier exhibition for the sustainable built environment professional, and, new for this year, it will run alongside the new Buildings & Energy Efficiency Event, a show dedicated to helping businesses meet their energy efficiency objectives. Returning for its sixth year, Greenbuild Expo takes place

The Furniture Practice: employees embracing sustainability

The Furniture Practice is a furniture consultancy working on products, services and all aspects of furniture specification and procurement on projects around the globe. Since 2013 The Furniture Practice has been working to integrate sustainability into the business to ensure that it becomes the normal way of working. Matt Davies,

Higgins construction achieve 28% carbon footprint reduction

The Higgins Group, which includes the recognised delivery companies; Higgins Construction and Higgins Homes, has once again achieved The Planet Mark with a carbon footprint reduction of 28%. As part of Higgins Group PLC, Higgins Construction and Higgins Homes work together to provide a huge variety of services across the construction,

Winning Business with Sustainability at Better Bankside

Employee Engagement: 50 Shades of Green

On a rare wander through the internet on a quiet Friday afternoon, I came across the Facebook site, Fifty Shades of Green, who “talk dirty about the environment”. It’s a fabulous feed of green curioso mainly pointing at the horrors in the food we eat. Society is made up of all sorts and I live in amazement of how each of us understand

GMI Energy and University of Law undertake Energy Management Project

The University of Law is undertaking a pioneering energy management project with GMI Energy that has already identified immediate energy cost savings of 19% and avoided a 55% higher energy spend by 2020. Faced with concerns over rising energy costs and compliance with impending carbon legislation, such as ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity

The Office Coffee Company reduce their carbon footprint by 38% per £’000 turnover.

Office Coffee Company provide ethically sourced coffee to businesses. To ensure sustainability is threaded right the way through the organisation, the Office Coffee Company measure their sustainability with The Planet Mark. Having achieved The Planet Mark since 2011, they have successfully been certified this year with a carbon reduction

CBI and Which? Event - The Great Business Debate

Planet First has joined The Great Business Debate, run by the CBI through an article looking at whether successful business and sustainability can go hand in hand. Read Steve's article here As part of this debate, CBI and Which? are hosting an event in central London on Wednesday 25 February from 3.00pm till 5.00pm. Katja Hall,

3 reasons why you can't afford to miss out on sustainability in 2015

It’s not been an easy ride these past few years for those that have been prepared to take a leadership position on sustainability. But 2015 is shaping up to be the year of sustainability. With COP21 approaching, climate change becoming more visible to all of us and the business opportunities becoming clearer, it will be impossible

Brand on Shelf

Brand on Shelf, specialist packaging design consultancy achieved The Planet Mark in 2014. Their carbon footprint was measured at 53.9 tCO2e or 2.3 tCO2e per employee. Brand on Shelf’s carbon reduction target is 5%. Take a look at the initiatives they have introduced to reach their reduction target here “We are delighted to welcome

Better Bankside and Planet First present 'Winning Business with Sustainability'

Members of Better Bankside are invited to join Steve Malkin CEO of Planet First as he fits the puzzle pieces together and runs a session on 'Winning Business With Sustainability'. With business sustainability growing on the organisational agenda through regulation, legislation and consumer demand, now is the time to understand and

GMI Construction Group achieve 13% reduction in their carbon footprint per employee in 2013-2014

This is the fourth year that GMI Construction Group has achieved The Planet Mark for Business. By introducing new initiatives and committing to reach their reduction target every year, continual improvement has been made possible. Nick Shepherd, Pre-Construction Director at GMI Construction stated, “We are delighted with our latest

CBI ask ' Can businesses be successful and at the same time minimise their impact on the environment?' Steve Malkin answers

The CBI lobby for businesses and business people to ensure that business interests are kept 'at the heart of policy in Westminster, the devolved administrations, across the UK regions and internationally.' Find out more about the CBI here http://www.cbi.org.uk/about-the-cbi/what-we-do/. The Great Business Debate is a CBI led

Resource to measure sustainability through The Planet Mark.

Resource is the world leading event on corporate strategies around resource security and the circular economy. A three day conference-lead trade show that is a neighbour of Ecobuild, the show has 120 speakers across two theatres, 20 workshops, 80 exhibitors and over 11,000 visitors. This year, Planet First will capture the carbon

Reach your carbon reduction target with The Planet Mark Toolkits.

To ensure that you can start reducing your carbon footprint from the beginning of the year and get the most out of your certification, Planet First has developed ‘Planet Mark Toolkits’. Planet Mark certified businesses have access to four toolkits; Energy, Waste, Water and Travel. All hosted on the login area of the planetfirst.co.uk

Change of address and phone number

From Christmas day, our new details are as follows. Please share these details with your team! New landline is +44 (0) 20 3751 8108. To contact any of the team directly our numbers are as follows: Steve Malkin, CEO: 07775 637 156 Monica Niermann, Head of Certification: 07468 694 770 Jeanne Samuels, Head of Business Network:

Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring has achieved The Planet Mark sustainability certification for business.

Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring, an innovative industrial flooring solutions specialist has achieved The Planet Mark sustainability certification, which is provided by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project. The certification demonstrates Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring’s commitment to sustainability by

Ecoprod Technique are working towards The Planet Mark

Ecoprod Technique is working towards The Planet Mark, a sustainability certification issued by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project. Ecoprod Technique supplies products, services and support systems that are environmentally responsible (Eco – green) and engineered (Technique) to meet the needs of its customers. “The

Harmsen Tilney Shane achieves a 30% carbon reduction per employee for 2013-14!

Harmsen Tilney Shane is a commercial interior design consultancy. They deliver inspirational, effective, space efficient and sustainable design solutions that communicate the aspirations of a brand, save money and empower organisations to realise their full potential. Through their Planet Mark certification for 2013-14, Harmsen

KEEPMOAT ACHIEVES THE PLANET MARK

London December 2014: Planet First, the sustainability consultancy which provides The Planet Mark sustainability certification to businesses and buildings in partnership with The Eden Project, has announced that it has awarded certification to construction company Keepmoat. Keepmoat provides sustainable community regeneration,

Listen again to 'Not just a load of rubbish: How to upscale waste management in your business and save money'

During The Planet Mark programme, we start by asking what sustainable initiatives businesses are running. Very often the first action a business will inevitably talk about or take action on is their recycling. But once the recycle bins are in, what next?

‘Life Cycle Cost Calculator’, created by Fagerhult and certified by The Planet Mark to help you choose the right lighting solution.

Reducing energy consumption is a vital part of achieving the carbon footprint reduction targets set out in The Planet Mark sustainability certification. One effective way to do this is through efficient lighting. Planet Mark certified business Fagerhult create environmentally friendly lighting solutions for public spaces; indoors

EIBI publish Planet First article in Retrofit and refurbishment

Planet First and The DoNation partner up to motivate the masses to improve business sustainability!

The Planet Mark is comprised of three parts; Measure, Engage and Communicate. Together with The DoNation we want to make it simpler, more effective and more fun to engage employees in sustainability. So, now along with the toolkits, DEFRA Personal Sustainability Survey and workshops, why not look at how you can really reach each

Sign up for '15 Minute How To' webinar with Planet First and Bywaters

REGISTER NOW HERE Join us on 4th December at 12.30 for The Planet Mark ‘15 Minute How To’ Webinar when we will be joined by representatives from Bywaters to discover how your business can benefit from and integrate waste management systems. During The Planet Mark programme, we start by asking what sustainable initiatives businesses

Vision 2014 - Planet First and the creative industries

With November came the highly anticipated Bristol Vision event. Bringing together 300 of the region’s top creative companies and agencies for two days of ‘creative freedom in which to soak up more ideas, inspiration and creativity than you could fit into the rest of the year'. There was a promising hum of conversation around sustainability

Planet First present at EMEX 2014

The Energy Management Exhibition or EMEX, took place this week on the 19th and 20th November. The main theme of the event was how to manage energy to ensure maximum efficiency and therefore reduce energy consumption. EMEX creates a temporary hive for everyone who works with energy management to connect, learn and find solutions.

Speaking at Cities within a City : Bywaters event

Bywaters held a captivating breakfast seminar ‘Cities within a City’ on Friday 14th November. This inspiring event was hosted in a perfectly apt suite overlooking 155 Fenchurch Street, a building which will soon house a stunning green garden. The morning was chaired by Professor Rob Holdway, co-Founder & Director, Giraffe

The Big Give this Christmas

You all already know how fantastic we think Cool Earth are, mitigating carbon for Planet Mark certified buildings, protecting endangered rainforest and working with indigenous rainforest communities, but just when we thought they couldn’t be any better they have announced new exciting developments. This year Cool Earth is aiming

The Hospital Club Sustainability Week 22nd- 28th November

Wondering what to do this November? The Hospital Club's annual Sustainability Week starts on 22nd November and continues through the week with a wealth of kids activities, breakfast seminars, films, talks and intriguing speakers. Most of the events are free, but make sure you sign up to the session you want to attend. Even if

The DoNation are crowdfunding, watch their video now and get involved!

The DoNation helps businesses save money by reducing their energy use, current clients include Anglian Water, British Gas and the Scottish Government. UK businesses spend over £5.6bn on sustainability each year and demand for sustainable business is growing. The company’s projections show it will break even in early 2016, with a

Cities within a City

It’s well known that spending time growing your professional network means you develop a powerful ally for you and your company. Your network becomes a place to seek out trusted expert advice, meet peers and prospects face to face and develop those all important relationships. After all, people still buy from people. If you want

Harrow Green achieves The Planet Mark for business

Harrow Green, specialising in business, IT and international relocation, as well as storage, recycling and reuse services, has now achieved The Planet Mark sustainability certification, which is provided by Planet First in partnership with the Eden Project. The certification demonstrates Harrow Green’s commitment to sustainability

Spread the word! Leadership in Sustainability premiers the new ‘CEOs on Sustainability’ video

Yesterday evening over 100 businesses gathered in Arlington Conference Centre, Camden to consider the need for leadership in sustainability. The speakers gave lively and thought provoking talks, encouraging guests to get involved in sustainability and what is more, to think about the environment on a wider scale, completely threading

Green build News - Sustainability: The opportunity of our time - By Steve Malkin

In September, a coalition of Europe’s largest institutional investors committed $100 billion to decarbonising their portfolios. As well as reducing energy and carbon emissions on a huge scale, this announcement was a powerful message that share value and economic stability are inextricably linked to climate change. Click here to

Free webinar: How Morgan Stanley puts sustainability into practice with sustainability champions.

Join us for 15 minutes at 12.30pm on Thursday 6th November 2014

Discover our speakers at Leadership in Sustainability

Place: Arlington Conference Centre, Camden Time: 4.30 -7.30pm with drinks at Bar Fifty-five afterwards

Register now for the event 'Leadership in Sustainability'

Planet First is inviting a host of Planet Mark certified businesses, new faces and distinguished speakers to start building conversations around the importance of leadership in sustainability.

View 15 minute webinar: How GMI reduced energy bills by 50% and saved £70,000 through sustainability measures

Reducing energy, saving money and keeping ahead of competitors are all high priorities for businesses. While it is easy to set these objectives, many businesses find it difficult to achieve them. In our first '15 Minute How To' webinar, Phil Roberts from GMI Energy, a Planet Mark certified business joined us as a live case study

People's climate march 2014

Last Sunday the Peoples Climate March, the biggest climate march in history, took place worldwide. Around 40,000 people marched through London, approximately 400,000 in New York and many more across the 2,000 events in 166 countries, to demand action on climate change from politicians who gathered at the Ban Ki-Moon UN Climate Summit

Newsletter : developments with The Planet Mark

Click here to view the newsletter as PDF and read the stories in full

New video! Sustainability: The Business Case

Planet First have released a brand new video demonstrating the business case for sustainability. Following a highly successful event held with Oktra, Planet First worked with Planet Mark certified film company Casual Films to produce a short film describing the benefits experienced from introducing a sustainability programme into

Planet First's 'CEOs on Sustainability' video campaign will give fresh insight into corporate sustainability

There are 4.9 million small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK, but only a fraction have realised the business benefits of sustainability in terms of improving their financial margins, reputation and employee engagement. Planet First is launching a new video campaign, 'CEOs on Sustainability', to break through this knowledge

Free webinar: How GMI reduced energy bills by 50% and saved £70,000 through sustainability measures

Reducing energy, saving money and keeping ahead of competitors are all high priorities for businesses. While it is easy to set these objectives, many businesses find it difficult to achieve them. Join us on 2nd October to explore GMI Energy as a live case study and see how they are managing to achieve all three of these goals

Engaging creative and media organisations in better sustainable business practice with Bristol Media

Planet First and Bristol Media are working together in order to help engage creative and media organisations in better sustainable business practice, and encourage them to take the lead in creating better sustainable communications work with their clients. Planet First, who deliver The Planet Mark sustainability certification in

Brand new ‘15Minute How To’ Planet Mark webinars with live case studies available to you for FREE!

This is your opportunity to delve into live case studies and receive business sustainability advice as you join Planet First and guest presenters from GMI Energy, Kilkaya, Morgan Stanley, and Bywaters to discuss their experiences in practically improving business sustainability and reduce their environmental impacts. Whether your

Exclusive online access to The Planet Mark ‘Log in’ area.

Planet First is delighted to announce a fantastic new resource to use in conjunction with The Planet Mark certification, which informs each certified organisation’s sustainability programme. Businesses certified with The Planet Mark now have exclusive access to our new online platform, which holds resources to support data collection,

New Blog: Elephant in the Room

When we talk about carbon footprints, we tend to convert boring numbers into exciting equivalents. The number of elephants tends to be the comparable of choice…everything from weight of waste to tonnes of carbon, the elephant is the thing that we seem to relate to. It's the sustainability world’s equivalent to ‘the size of a football

UBM's Protection and Management Series achieves The Planet Mark

The team behind The Planet Mark showed how to remedy boring and ineffective communications in sustainability at UBM’s Energy and Environment Expo with a graffiti backdrop. Visitors came to find out more about our certification, how to improve and measure sustainability in their organisation, and helped us to create graffiti stencil

The business risks in ignoring the ‘Triple Bottom Line’

On the GreenWise blog, Steve Malkin, CEO at Planet First discusses the risks associated with ignoring the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ and the benefits of viewing sustainability from this perspective. “It is clear that the risk of ignoring sustainability is increasing. In fact, you could say that you will face a triple whammy effect if

Harrow Green work towards The Planet Mark to give a boost to their Sustainability

Harrow Green, the leading business relocation company in the UK, is stepping up its sustainability standards by working to achieve The Planet Mark. Specialising in business, IT and international relocation, as well as storage, recycling and reuse services, Harrow Green are already known for promoting sustainability. They encourage

Have you caught up with The Planet Mark?

Businesses become rainforest rescuers with Office Coffee

The Office Coffee Company, a Planet Mark certified organisation, has become a fast-growing sensation, allowing other businesses to improve the quality of their office coffee and save acres of rainforest just by installing a new coffee machine. Working across London and the UK, The Office Coffee Company is providing businesses with

Kath Cockshaw discusses 'Sustainable Practice in the Media Industry' with BBC Springwatch & Bristol Media

Kath Cockshaw, Enterprise Director for Planet First and co-founder of The Planet Mark was at Goldbrick House in Bristol on Tuesday 24 June, presenting alongside producers of the BBC's 'Springwatch' to members of Bristol Media about sustainable practice in the media industry. The discussion centred on The Planet Mark, an employee-led

New Case Study : Bywaters achieve The Planet Mark and improve their sustainability

Don't miss the brand new case study showing how Bywaters, recycling and waste management services are more sustainable than ever having achieved The Planet Mark for Business. This case study not only looks at Bywaters' approach to improve their sustainability but also describes their attitude and reasoning behind becoming a leading

What's next for The Planet Mark?

To see the May News Letter in full please click here. Find out how The Planet Mark can help your business by clicking here

Steve Malkin’s secret life of sustainability revealed on the BBC.

Steve Malkin promotes sustainability through Planet First, provider of The Planet Mark in partnership with Eden Project, but what you may not know is exactly how Steve ‘walks the talk’ on sustainability. The BBC have followed Steve from Southwark, London down to East Sussex to take a look at how Steve’s environmental values translate

Guardian online Q&A session: improving your business sustainability

On Wednesday 11th June, Planet First joined eight other industry experts for the Guardian’s online Small Business Network Q&A session. The discussion surrounded the question of how SMEs could reduce, reuse and recycle in the workplace. If you are a SME looking for fresh, new and extra information on how to make your business

Putting the Sizzle in Sustainability

At K&N’s networking group for women in design, property and facilities management, Kath Cockshaw, the Enterprise Director here at Planet First described the difficulties of using the word ‘sustainability’, how leadership is not currently working to combat climate change and how each of us has an individual responsibility to act

Bywaters are managing your waste and their own carbon footprint as they work to achieve The Planet Mark

Bywaters is the first large scale waste management and recycling services company to join the Planet Mark. Whilst achieving The Planet Mark, Bywaters will work with Planet First to see how sustainability can be improved within their business. Ensuring that all new initiatives fit in with the culture of a company is vital for the

Don't Miss The Planet Mark Event in UK-GBC Embodied Carbon Week!

Earth Hour - Switching on to switching off

On Saturday 29th March at 8.30pm individuals, families and organisations will be taking part in Earth Hour - one hour in the year when WWF asks us to switch off, globally. By switching off our lights for this short window of time, we are broadcasting our aspirations for a sustainable future and raising awareness of a broad spectrum

Getting to Grips with the Carbon Budget

Struggling to understand why you should act on climate change? Take a look at it through the Carbon Budget and open your eyes to why it is not too late to make a difference and why change needs to happen now. Click on the image below to zoom in.

Read The Planet Mark highlights now!

There has been lots going on with The Planet Mark over the last few weeks and we would like to share some of the highlights with you. Take a look at our latest news letter and view it as an interactive PDF by clicking here now

‘Get The Planet Mark’: New advertising campaign for sustainable business launches in London

A new venture supported by Eden Project launches its first ever advertising campaign across the London Underground, on tube platforms and the DLR, aiming to promote sustainability to businesses in the capital with the slogan “Get The Planet Mark”. The Planet Mark is an innovative and dynamic environmental certification that benchmarks

Video interview with Steve Malkin : The business case for demonstrating sustainability credentials

Life Size Media is a creative communications agency specialising in communicating innovations in sustainability and are certified with The Planet Mark. They also run ‘Hug in the Snug’, where they begin the interview with a hug before continuing to discuss a variety of important issues and topics surrounding sustainability. Steve

SustainIt commit to Sustainability and discuss their Planet Mark Certification

Having achieved The Planet Mark, sustainability data consultancy SustainIt have written a blog on the 2Degrees network describing how they are as committed to improving their own sustainability as they are to helping others improve theirs. Describing the process of certification as well as their experiences so far, SustainIt describes

See the great work Harmsen Tilney Shane are doing to improve their sustainability

Harmsen Tilney Shane, a commercial interior design and workplace consultancy have been doing amazing work to improve their sustainability. From larger actions such as creating their 'Sustainability Wheel' to work with their clients on sustainability through to reducing the number of stationary deliveries they receive per month,

Look out for The Planet Mark on the London Underground and DLR!

The new sustainability certification provided by the Eden Project will be popping up all over London to encourage businesses to take action and improve their sustainability. The Planet Mark will be appearing on the London Underground and the DLR featuring the business benefits experienced by a selection of organisations that have

Arram Berlyn Gardner demonstrate their improvements in sustainability through a brand new video

Arram Berlyn Gardner, a firm of London Chartered Accountants, auditors and tax advisors have been increasing their sustainability with the support of their Planet Mark certification over the last 3 year. It has been wonderful to see all of the brilliant work they have done to make great leaps to improve their sustainability. Now,

Prologis listed in the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’

Prologis have been listed in the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’. The Global 100 sustainability index is announced annually at the World Economic Forum To read more please click here

Cool Earth recertify with The Planet Mark

Cool Earth, the truly amazing UK charity that works with communities in endangered rainforests around the world, will be re-certified to the Planet Mark. This means that we will continue to work with the great team at Cool Earth, based in Cornwall to cut their energy consumption, carbon emissions, water and waste. Steve Malkin,

Planet First partners with This Week in FM

Planet First, provider of The Planet Mark in partnership with the Eden Project has joined forces with ThisWeekinFM an online information & weekly news service for Corporate Real Estate, Support Services and Facilities professionals to embed and underline the importance of sustainability in the Facilities Management sector. Planet

Volker Wessels UK achieve Planet Mark certification

Planet First is delighted to announce that Volker Wessels UK have achieved Planet Mark certification for the second year running. What is more, they have reduced their carbon footprint by 1,197 tCO2e. To read about the success that Volker Wessels UK has had with their Planet Mark certification please click here!

CloudApps selected as sustainability platform for The Planet Mark

LONDON, 10 December 2013 - CloudApps, the company that increases organisational performance by enabling employee behavioural change, has been selected by Planet First and Eden Project as the sustainability platform for The Planet Mark. CloudApps sustainability reporting software is now helping certified companies such as CBS Outdoor,

Dunlop Systems and Components achieve Planet Mark certification

Dunlop Systems and Components (DSC), the famous manufacturer of air suspension and electronic control systems based in Coventry, has chosen to be Planet Mark certified. DSC has chosen the Planet Mark to signify the business commitment to sustainability and bring it into the core of the business. The certification will be based

Waste Matters

In preparation for the changes to regulation of waste streaming and waste separation which will come into place in 2015, Waste Matters are offering a Waste Monitoring service. This involves ‘identification, quantification and reporting’ on waste streams through an innovative system of colour coding , fob technology, camera controlled

Revisit the Launch of The Planet Mark with video highlights

Take a look at inspiring highlights from the Launch of The Planet Mark including the motivating words of Steve Malkin (Planet First), Sir Tim Smit(Eden Project) and Geoff Andrew (Margolis Office Environments). As well as serving as a reminder for such a successful and enjoyable evening, the video includes brief explanations of what

Green Purchasing: Whose responsibility is it?

Why is it that consumers claim that they would like to buy sustainable products and services but when it comes to the crunch, they don't? Our latest article on 2Degrees Network discusses why this gap between beliefs and actions exists and whose responsibility it is to close it. Read the article on 2Degrees here and join the Small

Planet First with Land Securities featured in CIBSE Journal

Planet First is always pleased to see the achievements of our clients through our programmes, so we are delighted that we are recommended through the success of property company Land Securities in the respected CIBSE Journal (Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers). The article describes the accomplishments of Land Securities

Mappleborough Green Primary School education day with Prologis and the Eden Project

Planet First offers The Planet Mark partnered with Eden Project, which gives sustainable certification to businesses and property developments whilst helping them monitor, improve and communicate their green credentials. Ten percent of the certification fees are channelled into Eden Project.

The truth will out: Transparency in businesses and social media

Make sure that you don't miss our latest article on the 2Degrees Network 'The truth will out: Transparency in businesses and social media' This article discusses the increasingly prominent topic of business transparency, the benefits and disadvantages of becoming a transparent business and the role that social media has to play

New additions to the Planet First team

Planet First is delighted to introduce two new members of the team - Monica Niermann and Aidan Duffy.

The Launch of The Planet Mark at The Hospital Club, Covent Garden

The Planet Mark, a new sustainability certification scheme for Eden Project and Planet First, launched at The Hospital Club, Covent Garden on Tuesday 24th September with guest speaker Sir Tim Smit KBE, co-founder of Eden Project, who challenged the 200 guests to become leaders of sustainability in business. “The real buy in is

Do the Green Thing: Posters to save the Planet.

At Planet First we have partnered up with Do The Green Thing to provide clients with fantastic posters promoting sustainability. Displayed around the office, the aim is to grab the attention of employees, to continually motivate them and inspire them to make a contribution alongside their Green Teams. These eye catching and individually