Issue Date:   21 February 2011

Payne Nottingham and Payne Security Banbury (trading divisions of Filtrona C&SP Limited) have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for reducing their carbon footprints by 4% and committing to ongoing reductions.  The carbon footprint of Payne’s two UK sites were assessed between 1^st February 2007 – 31 January 2010.  The certification confirms the considerable effort the company has put into reducing its carbon emissions to date. It also represents a key milestone in Payne’s strategy to implement an overall environmental programme for long-term sustainability with its ‘ThinkGreen’ initiative.

The Carbon Trust Standard is a UK mark of excellence awarded to organisations in recognition of measuring, managing and reducing carbon emissions and builds on other existing International Standards for the measurement of corporate carbon emissions. Certification requires considerable proof that with the organisation’s carbon footprint has been measured over three years, and reduced in that time through energy efficiency improvements.  In Payne’s case, this equates to a certified annual reduction of 292 tonnes of CO².

Amongst the projects that made this possible at Payne’s Nottingham headquarters were investment in two new air compressor units with greater efficiency, and a combination of new factory skylights and LED lamps permitting a reduction in daytime lighting.  The use of a heat exchanger has also provided more efficient management of heat output.

In addition, Global initiatives across all of Payne’s manufacturing sites include  projects to reduce electricity, gas and reduce waste to landfill and link in with the companies ‘ThinkGreen’ initiatives where specific targets and deliverables have been set for 2015.

The certification period lasts two years, so Payne must maintain momentum to retain the award, but the company says it’s in it for the long-term.

“Independent confirmation that we have genuinely reduced emissions is a great success,” says Tony Edwards, Managing Director, Filtrona Coated & Security Products.  “But the real achievement is to make a commitment to environmental considerations an integral part of our development process which is explicit within our ThinkGreen plans.”

In order to fulfil this wider commitment, Payne undertook extensive customer research to determine what they expected from suppliers in terms of sustainability.  The results revealed that emissions were the key concern, followed by energy and water use, waste reduction and the use of recycled or renewal raw materials.

“Widespread environmental concerns are driving the sustainable packaging agenda,” confirms Edwards.  “Heightened environmental consciousness and sensitivity are influencing consumer behaviour, meaning that brands must show an active approach to making products and packaging sustainable and we must play our part in supporting this.”

Harry Morrison, General Manager, the Carbon Trust Standard, said:
“We congratulate Payne on the certification of their two UK sites. Carbon is a complex issue so most people need shorthand to indicate whether a company is doing the right thing. Achieving the Standard allows Payne to talk with integrity about the serious and credible steps it has taken to reduce its carbon emissions.”

Internally, employee awareness is also being increased thanks to the company’s Energy & Environment team which initially launched the ‘ThinkGreen’ initiative as an internally focused programme. Following review the brand was seen to have real value for the considerable work that Payne has done in improving its environmental impact over the years. With the addition of the slogan ‘Reduce. Recycle. Research’ ‘ThinkGreen’ will be used to demonstrate Payne’s environmental strategy to our customers and key stakeholders.