The five solar farms, located in Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire and Dorset, will generate a total of 216 gigawatt hours of electricity – and displace more than 53,000 tonnes of CO2e – every year1, the equivalent of taking c.31,400 cars off the road2. The builds will begin this year with energy generation expected from early 2024.
Vodafone will purchase a significant proportion of the electricity output from the solar farms, securing their development and bringing additional renewable power provision to the UK grid. The remainder will be sold through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business.
The deal, between Vodafone, Centrica as the power supplier and MYTILINEOS as the generator, supports the UK government’s ambition to focus on home-grown, clean and more affordable energy and to boost long-term energy independence and security.
Power Purchase Agreements are key to Vodafone’s renewable energy procurement strategy. Today’s news follows an announcement last year to purchase a significant proportion of power from three new UK solar farms for the supply of 109 GWh of renewable electricity.
The first of these is now fully operational with the others to follow in the coming months. Combined with two onshore wind farms, in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, Vodafone UK has secured access to renewable power from 10 sites across the UK.
Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone, said: “The recent energy crisis has highlighted we must work together – as governments, businesses and society – to change how we produce and consume energy. Today’s announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK.
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“I’m pleased Vodafone is helping to progress the development of new renewable power sites and supporting the delivery of green energy to the UK grid. Importantly, this also gives Vodafone UK improved energy security and price certainty and will help us meet net zero for our UK operations by 2027 goal3.”
Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Centrica, said: “Power purchase agreements such as this are going to be essential to the growth of renewable energy in the UK and Europe, helping secure guaranteed returns for developers, and encouraging growth in the sector. They are also key to how large organisations like Vodafone decarbonise their operations. We’re delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with Vodafone and support them on their net zero journey.”
Yiannis Kalafatas, Chief Executive Director of MYTILINEOS’ Energy Sector, stated: “We are excited about this second transaction with Vodafone, as this demonstrates our capability to support renewable energy and energy independency in the UK. We are also proud of being able to achieve such a milestone – both as a developer and a generator – by signing the biggest solar corporate PPA deal in the UK to date.”
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]]>A key part of his role will be the development of more sophisticated and robust quantification frameworks for companies to assess the potential impacts and benefits of becoming more sustainable.
In a distinguished career, Dr Kelly served as Chief Economic Advisor to the Parliamentary Commissioner of the Environment in New Zealand, after working as an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney.
He was instrumental in raising early awareness on the importance of sustainable finance, working to establish the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative to standardise climate reporting across the financial sector in Australia.
During this time, he consulted with various government agencies in Australia and New Zealand, the Bank of England and Central Bank of Netherlands to advice on physical and transition climate risks.
Led by CEO Dr Andrew Coburn, Risilience was spun out of the Centre for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, where Dr Kelly was previously part of the research team.
“Risilience has achieved tremendous things in a short space of time, building an incredible list of clients across a wide variety of industries”, Dr Kelly commented.
“To join such a talented, international team, helping to put risk science into the hands of global enterprises, is an incredible opportunity.”
While at the Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies in 2015, Scott was the principal author of an influential paper that foresaw the potential for disruption in financial markets due to the near-and-present danger of climate-change-related transition risk, at a time when it was only thought to be a problem many decades in the future.
Dr Andrew Coburn, Co-founder and CEO of Risilience, added: “Companies rely on Risilience’s strong science and high-quality analytical tools to underpin their transformation to a low-carbon economy. Scott’s experience in the economics of climate change and leadership in quantification and research will be instrumental in building the next generation of our products. We see this as the return of a longstanding colleague who will bring considerable expertise to the team.
“As we seek to accelerate our growth after the recent announcement of our Series B funding round, bolstering our team with Scott and other industry leaders is a sign of the importance of our mission to serve organisations at any stage of their decarbonisation journey.”
]]>The report, Binning the taboo: disposing with dignity, reveals that more than half (51%) of the men surveyed, of all ages, have experienced symptoms associated with urinary incontinence. This is leaving nearly eight in 10 men anxious to leave the house.
Co-authored by Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group, it highlights how the new figures vastly exceed previous estimates about the prevalence of urinary incontinence, which is an under-researched problem.
Former studies estimated that one in 25 men over 40 will experience urinary incontinence in the UK every year1, but the comprehensive study – with a combined audience of 4750 people including 2,000 general consumers, 2,000 men, 500 men living with urinary incontinence and 250 partners of men living with incontinence– paints a far bleaker picture and reveals the true extent of a condition impacting hundreds of thousands of lives. Furthermore, the new results show that one in five men experience symptoms as early as 18-25 years of age, contradicting the assumption that the condition is only experienced by older adults.
The new data also shows how society’s awareness of prevalent men’s health issues is dangerously at odds with the reality. More than three in five Brits do not think men commonly experience urinary incontinence, despite hundreds of thousands dealing with the condition each year. Similarly, less than a third (32%) of Brits knew that prostate cancer treatment can cause urinary incontinence in men, despite the fact that as many as one in two (60%) men who have their prostate removed (radical prostatectomy) may experience it.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer, rising to one in four for Black men. For the over 475,000 men living with or after prostate cancer in the UK, many will experience urinary incontinence as a side effect of treatment for the disease2.
Of the men who were asked about the challenges they face when using public washroom facilities:
- over a third of men (34%) had found it hard locating a hygiene bin in a public toilet to throw away used incontinence pants and pads
- nearly eight in 10 men (78%) feel anxious leaving home due to a lack of facilities
- one in four men (28%) feel depressed about the deterioration of their lives, rising to 100 per cent of men with the condition under the age of 25
- over a third (38%) leave home less often, contributing to feelings of social isolation.
As a result, men are resorting to desperate strategies to overcome the near certainty that they will be unable to find somewhere appropriate to throw away used products after leaving home. These include taking a bag out with them that they can empty when back home (38%), asking their partner to keep them in their handbag (34%) or wearing the pads longer than advised (32%), which can cause further health risks. A quarter (25%) acknowledged that they have resorted to flushing them in the toilet.
Fifty-two-year-old engineer, Steve Baughan, from Gillingham in Kent became incontinent after undergoing a radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: “The anxiety around going out and the stress of not being able to dispose of pads, or fearing smelling of urine, turned me into a kind of hermit. The isolation and the experience affected me mentally. I would often burst into tears in the evenings. The anxiety related to the incontinence was tearing me apart. The lack of facilities available for me to change my incontinence pads in public added to the pressure I was already under, so I just didn’t go out. Thankfully I am fine now as I made a steady recovery from incontinence, and was given great support by Prostate Cancer UK , but I believe it’s up to businesses and organisations to step up to support men like me.”
Today, Prostate Cancer UK, the largest men’s health charity in the UK, and the country’s leading hygiene services provider, phs Group, launch the campaign, ‘Dispose with Dignity’. The campaign will tackle the taboo surrounding male incontinence, backed up by solid measures to ensure that men have proper access to essential facilities and products that will improve their quality of life, including changing HSE guidance to make it mandatory for at least one male incontinence bin to be present in public washrooms.
Nick Ridgman, head of health information and clinical support at Prostate Cancer UK, commented: “Incontinence affects hundreds of thousands of men across the country and is a frequent side effect of treatment for the most common cancer in men. Yet the research released today showcases a woeful lack of understanding and conversation that is impacting men’s mental and physical health, and has resulted in men not having the facilities they need to live life to the full. Together with phs Group, our “Dispose with Dignity” campaign will tackle that taboo, ensuring political decision-makers hear the voices of men across the country who want change. We look forward to working with phs Group to build a future where men’s lives are not limited by incontinence.”
A new, dedicated male incontinence bin has been designed by phs Group and Prostate Cancer UK, solving the dilemma men encounter in washrooms up and down the country, with several companies already pledging to provide them to their customers and staff. These include Moto service stations; the first of phs’ customers to sign up to receive the bins.
Nick Tatum, Chief Customer Officer at Moto, said: “We’re proud to be first motorway services operator to partner with phs and deliver new male incontinence product bins for our customers. For men living with urinary incontinence, travelling, and particularly long-distance travelling, can contribute to increased discomfort and the need to change incontinence products more frequently. We know that a lack of facilities available to them at motorway services can also increase worry and anxiety. This is why we’re partnering with phs to bring discreet male incontinence product bins to our sites. We hope that in doing so our male visitors know that that Moto is a service station they can rely on to provide a safe space for dignified disposal of their incontinence products.”
With over 120,000 customers in 300,000 locations, phs has a 60-year heritage in supporting businesses and organisations, and as such is uniquely placed to make an impact on the lives of men experiencing urinary incontinence. The campaign follows years of working to raise awareness of issues surrounding another taboo subject, period inequality.
Matt Brabin, chief executive officer of phs Group, added: “We hope this campaign is a catalyst for change, because it is past time that this conversation takes place. As a business, we are proud to be unafraid to shine a light on issues others might shy away from, and we are truly passionate about breaking down barriers for men, so that they can access the basic hygiene facilities they need to live with dignity, as they should after receiving life-saving prostate cancer treatment.”
Prostate Cancer UK is also working in collaboration with the APPG for Bladder and Bowel Continence Care? to support their ‘Boys Need Bins’ national initiative, in conjunction with Bladder Health UK?, British Toilet Association, International Longevity Centre, Men’s Health Forum, Tackle Prostate Cancer?and the Truckers Consortium. The campaign similarly aims to make a legislative change, calling for a dedicated incontinence bin in male toilets to give men the dignity of easy, hygienic and discreet disposal of incontinence pants and pads, stoma bags, wipes and other personal care products. To get the issue on the political agenda across the UK, Prostate Cancer UK is calling for men and those who love them to “make a change in under a minute” and send a pre-written letter to their local MP or political representative today calling for action. Visit their campaign page to find out more: https://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/campaigning/incontinence
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On Thursday 2 March at 3pm GMT, Auditor Manager, James Thomas and Senior Auditor, Roderick Munro at LRQA, will share their insight and experiences from over 15 years working with clients across a wide range of sectors to help you learn more about how the risk-based thinking approach within ISO 14001 and 9001 can drive improvement and identify opportunities in your organisation.
During the webinar, they will also explore how the shared structure of these standards can make it easier for organisations to manage their risk profile in an integrated way across different aspects of their activities including service delivery, environmental footprint, and health & safety.
About LRQA
By bringing together unrivalled expertise in certification, customised assurance, cybersecurity, inspection and training, we’ve become a leading global assurance provider.
We’re proud of our heritage, but it’s who we are today that really matters, because that’s what shapes how we partner with our clients tomorrow. By combining strong values, decades of experience in risk management and mitigation and a keen focus on the future, we’re here to support our clients as they build safer, more secure, more sustainable businesses.
From independent third-party auditing, certification and training; to technical advisory services; to real-time assurance technology; to data-driven supply chain transformation, our innovative end-to-end solutions help our clients negotiate a rapidly changing risk landscape – making sure they’re shaping their own future, rather than letting it shape them.
Visit www.lrqa.com/uk email [email protected] or call 0800 783 2179 for more information.
]]>Key discussion points:
• What are the key considerations when implementing net-zero plans?
• How do you go about planning activities to achieve your goals?
• How are other businesses moving from the ambition to action?
• What are the most important lessons climate leaders can share? A closer look at the companies demonstrating successful integration of sustainability into business systems.
]]>- What is ISO 14068?
- How does ISO 14068 align with existing standards e.g. GHG Protocol, SBTis and PAS 2060?
- What can be done to prepare for this standard?
This event is for anyone involved in their organisation’s transition to Net Zero.
Register here for this event.
Call us on 0800 6127 567 or email [email protected] if you would like to discuss any aspect of your Net Zero plans.
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We remain committed to our sustainability efforts and have adapted our strategy, focusing on science-based targets to ensure we’re contributing to global action in the most effective way. We’re also working to engage with our value chain partners to plot a path forward on Scope 3 and reassess our offsetting strategy in line with our new targets.
We hope that by sharing what we’ve learnt on our own sustainability journey, we can help others have a smoother path.
To download Bryt By Nature today, click here.
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