Creative Times

CREATIVE Times talks to Manchester based businesses who are looking out for more than just the bottom line.

Tanya Smith talks to creatives who consider looking after the environment not just close to their hearts but core to their business.

Everybody’s talking about it. Climate change, whether we like it or not, has a firm place in our everyday lives. Our ‘carbon footprint’ is an expression we’re all too familiar with. It seems that whether our footprint is large or small, there’s always more we could be doing.

No longer just an issue for the Green Party, the environment is a hot topic on the political agenda. Prime Minister Brown had barely settled into Number 10, when, in his first speech to the Labour conference as party leader, he highlighted his desire for Britain to lead not only with carbon-free homes but also with carbon-free industry.

The ethos of recycling may have its feet firmly under the table in our homes but can the same be said of our work places? In terms of running a business, there’s the potential to go green in most aspects of your work, but as with all things it’s best to start simple, so why not dust off your bicycle and leave the car in the garage this week? Or replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones?

Issues-based communications consultancy, Creative Concern, have sustainable development high on their agenda. CEO Steve Connor explains how they do things: “In practical terms we use recycled products, we recycle our own wastes - paper, glass, plastic, card - we also compost. We source our energy from Good Energy, we use WhizzGo pool cars to reduce reliance on personal cars and we pay bicycle mileage at the same rate as car mileage.”

Creative Concern’s approach has enabled them to achieve the bronze award with Manchester’s Business Environment Pledge. Manchester City Council working in partnership with Groundwork, Mersey Basin Campaign, ENCAMS and the Environment Agency set up the pledge in 2004. This unique initiative offers free advice and access to environmental training.

Salford based design company, Carbon Creative – as the name suggests - also put “environmental sustainability at the heart” of their company. When facing redundancy in 2002, Martin and Kate Hadfield took the plunge and set up their own business. Combining their passion for both design and the environment, Carbon Creative made an ethical commitment to become carbon neutral. Martin, the company’s Creative Director, explains how the recent media coverage of climate change has dramatically changed the reaction of their clients: “Five years ago most people didn’t understand our company ethos but in the last twelve months climate change and carbon offsetting has become very topical. I think for this reason it has become a contentious issue and some cynics have hinted that we jumped on the green bandwagon.” Not so, says Martin. “To be fair, Carbon Creative began life a long time before that bandwagon started rolling and the fact that most people we speak to now have some understanding of climate change and reducing their carbon footprint is a measure of how far, as a nation, we’ve come.”

Environmental issues are feeding creativity.

Carbon Creative tries to educate their customers on using recycled paper stocks and environmentally friendly printing techniques to facilitate recycling. In fact, they’ve launched a website, Carbon Forum, to discuss climate change and related topics.

The company have also developed a not for profit project called Carbon Kids aimed at educating primary school children about climate change. So far they’ve piloted this at one primary school in Salford, where they conducted an interactive presentation to three of the year groups. For the project they managed to negotiate a deal with an energy saving light bulb manufacturer to give each child a free light bulb on the day. “It was really well received by parents and teachers but most importantly the children loved it.” Martin said.

Environmental issues are also feeding creativity. As part of their October ‘Talkies’ programme, Urbis held a forum event called Design with a Conscience. Designers and industry experts joined chair Professor David Crowe, Head of Design at MMU, to reflect on, discuss and debate this growing trend.

Sarah Austin, Creative Programmes Events & Interpretations Officer at Urbis, explained the idea behind the event: “A number of trends were evident in the 2007 nominations for the D&AD Awards, and most notably, a theme of politically and socially conscious design and the use of recycled materials and sustainable practices emerged from right across the categories. The Design with a Conscience event took some of the leading design practitioners and agencies in Manchester, reflected on the trend and looked at how it was being addressed in practice.’”

Even multi-billionaire tycoon, Richard Branson is a partisan to green issues. Just a year ago, Branson pledged to commit all profits – an estimated £1.6bn - from his travel firms, for the next 10 years, towards renewable energy initiatives.

While it’s fair to say that the majority of us can’t enjoy the financial flexibility of Sir Richard, a number of creative businesses are making affordable yet effective gestures for our environment. For over a year, Carbon Creative has been running a tree dedication scheme with Redrose Forest - a small charity organisation based in Salford Quays that takes care of a number of small forests around the area. Carbon Creative are pledging to plant trees in support of all new customers and for existing customers who place any orders over £500.

“The scheme isn’t a legislated carbon offsetting programme - these tend to be exotic overseas programmes. We wanted to do something regional and focused around our home city of Salford,” says Martin. “We treat the local tree dedication programme as a symbolic gesture to our clients and it’s helping Redrose Forest too”

Carbon Creative’s dedication to green issues by no means stops there. They are constantly looking for new ways to improve their energy efficiency. They have recently decommissioned three of their rack optimised web servers to replace with new hardware that use 75% less energy. Excitingly, the company is also in the process of purchasing their own building, which will incorporate energy efficient features such as LED lighting and PV Solar panels.

Equally, Creative Concern is seeing the bigger picture of climate change. In the past they’ve helped out with Friends of the Earth and at the moment they’re looking at a project with a wildlife protection group. They have recently been involved in setting up Positive Impact Manchester - a project that helps hotels, conference venues and events companies across the city stage greener and more sustainable events. “We try to move beyond our environmental footprint and into a wider remit for corporate responsibility. We dedicate ten per cent of our profits to running pro bono campaigns for grassroots organisations or groups,” Steve Connor explained.

Clients are keen to invest in a sustainable future for everyone.

Cost is obviously imperative when it comes to implementing change but as architectural and landscape design company Loop Systems Limited have found, it’s a case of supply and demand. The costs of sustainable building materials are actually becoming more comparable to traditional alternatives as a result of wider use. It’s also important to consider the long-term benefits and the high quality of products, which can go hand in hand with the use of sustainable materials. Neil Allen, Co-Director of Loop Systems Limited explains: “While new technologies can cost more, this is often offset by lower running costs and reduced maintenance. Clients often recognise the added value inherent in a well-designed building is not only financial. On the other hand some clients are not only keen to invest in a sustainable future for everyone, but also want to encourage others to do likewise by demonstrating the best materials, systems and technology available within their own projects.” It is widely recognised that construction and buildings are a major source of pollution and a very heavy user of energy. Loop Systems are trying to encourage change within the industry, by being innovative in their designs and specifications. For example, they try to avoid using non-renewable materials and always consider whether an existing building can be refurbished or reused, rather than being replaced. They look at how a building is orientated in relation to the sun, to find out whether there’s an option of fitting solar water heating panels or photovoltaic panels to produce electricity.

Of course, a certain knowledge base is needed to drive the right environmental policies for you and your clients. Creative Concern recognises the need for information and advice to be easily available, as Steve Connor explains.

“One of the key communications issues we confront in the area of sustainability is that while the business community generally know what they should be doing, there is a widespread level of confusion over where to turn for help or advice. That’s where the likes of Enworks - a business support programme co-ordinating environmental and health and safety advice, training and support - and Environment Connect come in.”

Environment Connect help businesses in the North West to put environmental policies into practice, as Programme Director Todd Holden explains: “Environment Connect is a great opportunity for Northwest businesses to make a real difference to their bottom line. Every year, Northwest companies are saving millions of pounds by taking simple steps to improve environmental performance. Environment Connect offers a huge range of sector specific advice and support that can make a lasting difference to the performance and profitability of Northwest companies.”

It’s fair to say that by taking a little time to think about environmental issues and by gaining the right information in order to implement policies, businesses can really reap the benefits. Companies such as Carbon Creative, Creative Concern and Loop Systems Limited are certainly proving that, in fact, going green is a move not to be sniffed at.

W: www.carboncreative.net
W: www.creativeconcern.com
W: www.loopsystems.co.uk