Project: Clear about Carbon

The primary goal of Clear about Carbon is to develop, test and deliver innovative approaches to increase the level of carbon literacy in the workforce, amongst workers, managers, policy-setters and customers. The project targets capacity, skills and knowledge-sharing to help Cornwall move decisively towards a low-carbon economy, starting with a comprehensive attempt to transform the purchasing policies of the largest public and voluntary bodies in the county. Working on all parts of the supply chain, the aim is to develop an effective system to deliver change, skills and tools to make it work, and a new mindset to see it through and get Cornwall ahead of the game.

Project feature

Clear about Carbon starts its work with the idea of ‘carbon literacy’ – a language that everyone, and particularly businesses, is going to have to learn over the coming years. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has an influence on temperatures and climate, and the cost of carbon-based fuels is beginning to become a key factor for users. So Clear about Carbon aims to help businesses and consumers of carbon reduce their costs by reducing their carbon use. The project’s philosophy recognises that generalised appeals to ‘help the environment’ by asking carbon consumers to change long-established ways and introduce changes that may bring few visible benefits is not in the end going to work. Appealing instead to clear economic arguments, and introducing specific, practical ways to realise them, is the project’s goal.

ESF support is being used by the project to help develop new competences and working methods, and to support training and up-skilling of people with the potential to make a difference. The project takes an integrated, systemic approach. Large public institutions such as Cornwall Council (CC) and the NHS spend significant amounts in the local economy every year – £430m in CC’s case, much of it on products and services that could be delivered in such a way as to reduce includes for example food and catering services (where is it sourced? how many food miles are involved? how much is wasted and what is done with it?), ICT equipment (what is its lifetime and reparability? what happens when it breaks?), construction (what standards will be used? what are the implications of sourcing policy?)

Being such significant players in the local economy, there is an opportunity for spending and procurement decisions by these organisations to impact directly on carbon use as well as leading the way for others to follow. Clear about Carbon’s approach is to work at all points in the supply chain: with senior managers in large public bodies, who set policy and objectives; with procurement officers, who need the skills and tools to be able to apply a carbon literate approach to their roles; and crucially with small, local suppliers, to enable them to provide the goods and services that will deliver lower carbon use.

The project partnership brings the complementary skills together needed to join the links: Cornwall Council the infrastructure and access to decision makers; Exeter University training and development expertise for leaders and procurement officers; Low Carbon Cornwall the expertise in carbon reduction opportunities, standards and measures; Cornwall College the training facilities and expertise in the agri-food sector; the Eden Project the publicity and influencing skills.

Clear about Carbon’s goal is to get Cornwall ahead of the game when it comes to new approaches to carbon reduction. Its work with public sector procurement is just the start – while this should bring clear reductions in use and the adoption of a sustainable approach, the initiative is in itself a demonstration of commitment and a tool to change the practice of local SMEs. By helping them produce more carbon-efficiently so as to be able to supply public bodies, they will also be able to adopt more efficient and cost-effective practices in all their work. This includes support from the project to achieve new standards such as PAS 2050 which is going to be increasingly important for businesses competing in local, regional and global markets in the future.

The project is beginning to see the results of the ground work it has put in over the last year and is set to run a one-day workshop for the NHS Peninsula Purchasing and Supply Alliance. Working with David Wathey – Head of the Department of Health's Sustainable Procurement Programme – as well as with other primary care trusts, the workshop will help to establish the strategic procurement priorities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Over the next few months the project will also run workshops for procurement officers and other staff at organisations including Cornwall Council, Tremough Campus Services, Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Development Company, Truro and Penwith College and A&P Falmouth – boat builders in Falmouth.

A major benefit of receiving support through the ESF Innovation Transnationality and Mainstreaming programme is the opportunity to share and source experience and ideas from other countries. Clear about Carbon’s links with Ostrobothnia in Finland and Frieburg in Germany. In spring 2010 the project met Helsinki's Deputy Mayor and Procurement Director. While Helsinki is developing advanced sustainable procurement policies, there are capacity issues that could restrict effective implementation. Clear about Carbon is working with Helsinki to address some of the training needs and to learn more about the political leadership that has driven this issue forward as a priority. The project also intends to bring to Cornwall established expertise in embedding sustainable development in rural areas from Finland, as well as access to a European network specifically developing local authority roles in sustainable procurement and carbon dioxide reduction from Germany.

Contact details

David Morgan, Project Officer
Cornwall Development Company
Pydar House, Pydar Street, Truro, Cornwall , TR1 1EA

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