Leading organisations from the Bristol city-region are today committing to slash their carbon emissions by signing up to a pioneering scheme for businesses and public sector bodies in the West of England.

Capgemini, one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, the University of the West of England and Bristol Zoo are among the first to sign up to the West of England Carbon Challenge, pledging to cut their emissions, from current levels, by a minimum 10% by 2012.

They are joined by infrastructure consultancy Halcrow Group, engineering consultancies Arup and Buro Happold, Sustain IT Solutions, the South West Regional Development Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency (SW region).

The West of England Carbon Challenge is unique because it targets organisations across all sectors in a single region, it asks them to commit to a fixed target for cutting carbon emissions and it supports them with the practical guidance and resources they need to achieve those reductions.

Forum for the Future, the non-profit sustainable development organisation, is running the scheme as part of its Sustainable Bristol City-Region programme, in partnership with the Bristol-based Centre for Sustainable Energy, The Prince’s May Day Network convened by Business in the Community, and GWE Business West.

Launching the scheme today at the Prince’s May Day Summit in Bristol, Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future, says: "The science is proven, and we can stall no longer. Responsible organisations will show that they are ready to do their bit to prevent catastrophic climate change by signing up to the West of England Carbon Challenge. It asks them to commit to ambitious but achievable targets and offers them the support they need to get there."

Capgemini Regional Vice President Jane Hudson says: “We are delighted to be involved in the West of England Carbon Challenge, as this is an important initiative in a growing region for Capgemini.

“The last year has seen a change in Capgemini’s approach to sustainability, demonstrated by our five published environmental objectives, including a reduction in Capgemini’s overall carbon footprint by 20% by 2014 (35% by 2020). Our clients and colleagues are demanding a challenging pace of change in this area, and we are more than happy to get involved in initiatives such as this to accelerate our role in leading the ICT industry and our clients to becoming more sustainable.”

The West of England Carbon Challenge will help organisations meet new obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment and play their part in helping the UK meet its target of cutting CO2 emissions by 34% by 2020 (from the 1990 baseline). From 2010 the CRC requires organisations with annual electricity bills of about £500,000 or more to buy permits for their carbon emissions.

The West of England Carbon Challenge will support organisations by helping them to measure, manage and reduce their CO2 emissions.

• Forum for the Future and the Bristol-based Centre for Sustainable Energy will offer members cutting-edge, strategic thinking and practical guidance on carbon reduction.

• A member network will help organisations share best practice.

• A comprehensive website – www.westofenglandcarbonchallenge.org – will offer up-to-date information on climate change science, emissions reductions and additional sources of help and funding.

• The site will also allow companies to submit data and track their individual and collective carbon footprint.

The scheme offers an extra level of commitment to organisations which have already pledged to improve their environmental performance by joining the Prince's May Day Network, GWE Business West, or signing up to Bristol Partnership’s Green Capital Pledge. It is complementary to these schemes and offers additional support in return for committing to the ambitious but achievable 10% reduction target.

Jonathon Porritt says: “Bristol’s Green Capital Pledge has demonstrated that the vision is already there in the region. Now business and public sector bodies all over the West of England have the opportunity to lead the way to a low-carbon future. Those that have the foresight and energy to start this process now will be future-proofing their organisations against future regulation and volatile energy prices.”

The Prince’s May Day Network, convened by Business in the Community, is the UK’s largest group of businesses committed to taking action on climate change with a membership of 1,170 from all sectors. The Summit is a series of simultaneous events in 10 regions, which seeks to bring businesses together to share knowledge on how to reduce emissions and understand how this relates to a post-recession business strategy.

Peaches Golding, Regional Director, Business in the Community says: “The South West’s appetite for developing innovative and successful low-carbon solutions is second-to-none.

“Over 250 businesses in the South West have joined The Prince’s May Day Network. These companies will illustrate how, through sharing their successes and their learnings, businesses can accelerate their climate change journey and help the UK achieve a prosperous and healthy low-carbon economy.”

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

David Mason, Head of Communications:
d.mason@forumforthefuture.org or +44 (0)20 7324 3631

Fiona King, Communications Officer:
f.king@forumforthefuture.org or +44 (0)20 7324 3657

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Forum for the Future - the not-for-profit sustainable development organisation - works in partnership with more than 120 leading companies and public sector bodies, helping them devise more sustainable strategies and deliver these in the form of new products and services. www.forumforthefuture.org

The West of England Carbon Challenge is part of Forum for the Future’s Sustainable Bristol City-Region Programme which aims to help make the West of England the UK’s leading example of sustainable urban living. Other projects focus on: improving home energy efficiency; promoting local and healthy food; encouraging the use of public transport and walking; and raising awareness and understanding of sustainability.
www.forumforthefuture.org/sustainable-bristol-city-region

Capgemini, one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, enables its clients to transform and perform through technologies. Capgemini provides its clients with insights and capabilities that boost their freedom to achieve superior results through a unique way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience. The Group relies on its global delivery model called Rightshore®, which aims to get the right balance of the best talent from multiple locations, working as one team to create and deliver the optimum solution for clients. Present in more than 30 countries, Capgemini reported 2008 global revenues of EUR 8.7 billion and employs over 90,000 people worldwide. www.uk.capgemini.com

Business in the Community – mobilising business for good. It inspires, engages, supports and challenges companies on responsible business, working through four areas: Marketplace, Workplace, Environment and Community. With more than 850 companies in membership, it represents one in five of the UK private sector workforce and convenes a network of global partners. www.bitc.org.uk

The Bristol Green Capital Pledge scheme has run since 2007 and has more than 80 members. It requires organisations to commit to take action to help make Bristol a low carbon city with a high quality of life and that they report their progress publicly through the Bristol Partnership. The benefits package includes access to local and regional training and networking events, green capital business champion seminars, practical web-based tools to help with carbon reporting and green business action planning, PR and media support including awards and use of our Supporting Bristol Green Capital logo. For more information, visit www.bristolgreencapital.org.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment is a new carbon-trading scheme developed by the Government for non-energy intensive organisations. The new scheme will be operational in 2010 and covers electricity and gas consumption, and potentially other fuel sources. Participation in the scheme is based on electricity consumption in 2008. Organisations with more than 6,000MWh consumption measured through half hourly electricity meters will be covered by the new scheme. More details are available on the Defra website: www.defra.gov.uk.

Forum for the Future registered charity number: 1040519