The production arm of valves and fittings specialist AVK UK, Aqua-Gas Manufacturing, is taking early action to reduce its (and its customers) carbon footprint. The company is targeting a 10% improvement in its energy efficiency in the twelve months from May 2007 in anticipation of the UK Government Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), which will apply mandatory trading of carbon credits to cut emissions. “Although the CRC will not be implemented fully until 2010, organisations that show the greatest foresight in preparing for it will be best placed to benefit,” said quality and systems manager Donna O’Brien: “The CRC calculation will take into account the impact on carbon emissions of our suppliers as well as ourselves and the same applies to our customers, so everyone in our supply chain will gain from what we are doing”. Aqua-Gas is using an online supply chain carbon footprint monitoring system known as CLOEE (Carbon Low On-going Emissions Evaluation) to record energy used in its manufacturing processes, by inbound and outbound shipping and haulage, and by business travel by car, plane and train. The system assists the company to allocate data input requirements by department in order to minimise additional workload and issues text or e-mail reminders to upload data for each period. As well as making it possible to report the emission key performance indicators that Defra will require under the CRC, CLOEE allows Aqua-Gas to compare any chosen period against its baseline period, showing progress both internally and, increasingly, to customers. Energy use profiles can also be analysed in order to determine the optimum timing for investment in more energy efficient equipment.
