Multidisciplinary Research Week (17-22nd March 2013)

‘Delivering a sustainable retail environment: a partnership approach between WestQuay Shopping Centre &

University of Southampton’,

by Simon Kemp, University of Southampton.

Delivering a sustainable retail environment: a partnership approach between WestQuay Shopping Centre & University of Southampton

Simon Kemp, University of Southampton

Retail:

a sustainable industry?

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Sustainability literate consumers and the green economy

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Sustainability literate consumers• Sustainability literate graduates are those that

have an understanding of sustainability in the context of their purchasing, destination, travel choices, and their decision making processes in every-day life.

• Attitude and behaviour gap has shown that 30% of consumers report environmental concerns, but struggle to make the purchase (Defra, 2006)

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Consumers and the ‘Green Economy’• Sustainability literate consumers are critical in

the transition to a ‘green economy’.

• The UK government states the “whole economy needs to be green”.

• “A green economy will maximise value and growth across the whole economy, while managing natural assets sustainably” (HM Government, 2011)

Curriculum embedded Education for Sustainable Development and retail:

ENVS6011 Environmental Management Systems

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Environmental Management Systems• Postgraduate module available on the MSc (optional)

and MEnvSci (compulsory) programmes

• Running in various formats since 1997

• Entire module content structured around ISO14001

• Previous version involved a fictional case-study company

• Academic year 2007-2008 first use of a local company to provide the module case study to embed employability skills

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Pedagogic strategy

• Mixed strategy with a focus on active student participation

• No students with previous experience or training in the subject area

• Emphasis on embedding employability, ESD and reducing industrial environmental impacts throughout the module by providing a consultancy service for the case-study organisation

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Pedagogic approach

• Project aims were achieved through the following methods:

– Lectures

– Formation of six consultancy teams of ~ six students

– Company site visits

– Fortnightly email correspondence with the company (through a filter)

– Weekly progress and feedback sessions

– Team blogs and wiki sites

– ISO14001 certification audit

– EMS manual presentation to the board of directors

Example case studies

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WestQuay Southampton

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• Owned by Hammerson plc and GIC

• 100 shop and catering units

• 33 acre site

• 74,500 sq m retail space – 5 times the size of a football stadium

• Average of over 1 million visitors per month – over 16M annually

• 4,000 car parking spaces

• Catchment of 2 million people within a 60 minute drive ~ £2.3Bn retail spend

WestQuay background

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• Individual unit electricity supply

• Individual air-conditioning units

• Part of the Southampton District Heating Scheme

• Individual unit water supply

• All retailer unit waste WQ managed

• Recycling rate of 30%

• Part of the Hammerson Corporate Responsibility (CR) Strategy

WestQuay background

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• EMS manual to requirements of ISO14001

• WestQuay achieved ISO14001 certification – rolled out to rest of the portfolio

• Reduced environmental risk

• Reduced utility costs

• Compliance with legislation

• Regional publicity in newspapers and sector publications

• Winning (and being nominated for) business awards

• Competitive advantage

WestQuay outcomes

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Student outcomes

• Direct professional experience

• Enhanced presentation skills

• Professional report writing skills

• Improved time management

• Practical application of theory

• Improved commercial understanding

• Practical experience of a growing area of employment

• Enhanced CV for all students

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University & personal outcomes• Curriculum relevance

• Evidence of industrial engagement and reducing the environmental impact of regional organisations

• Further participation in consultancy module spin-offs

• Continuing professional development to inform teaching

• Ongoing relationships for future student research projects

• Industrial partnerships in EU Framework 7 project, Knowledge Transfer Project

• National Teaching recognition - HEA NTF

Extending the partnership

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Partnership progression

• 1 ISO 14001 re-certification

• 6 ISO14001 certified systems across the portfolio

• 1 KTP Project & Associate

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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

KTP

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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

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Partnership progression

• 144 staff completed IEMA certified training

• 1 Lead Auditor & 12 Internal Auditors

• 580 hours of training

• 62 student volunteers

• 2 Waste audits

• 2 MSc research projects

• 34 students trained as baseline auditors

• 56 Retailer Reviews

Retailer Reviews

• 38% provide some form of environmental training to staff

• 20% of retailers have tried to reduce water

• 61% have tried to reduce energy

• 41% of stores had fewer than 25% of their lights as energy efficient models

• 0% had monitoring and measuring available on site

• 54% were interested in completing a full review

• 79% of retailers surveyed wished to understand how they were doing compared to others – competition as driver?

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Partnership progression

• 591 hours of student experience in business

• 166% increase in waste recycling

• 10% less carbon equivalent emissions than 2010

• 4% less water than 2010

• 1 Green roof

• 1 City wide BiodiverCity Group

• Hammerson: 3 UoS CES employees

• “Environmental Management Retailers Toolkit”

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Toolkit

• Main output of the partnership: “Environmental Management Retailers Toolkit”

• Aims to:

– reduce environmental utility consumption in units

– improve environmental awareness of staff and customers

– alter supply chain decisions (HO concerns)

• Rollout across Hammerson portfolio

• Applicability in other sectors where Landlord owned properties are dominant

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WQ Environmental Impact

Headlines

•ISO14001

•166% increase in waste recycling

•4% less water than 2010

•10% less carbon equivalent emissions than 2010 – onsite

•Responsibility for customer travel?

• Assuming 3 of 4 WQ journeys are by medium sized car, with 3 passengers

• 4 Million car journeys

• Assuming average journey of 10 miles each way = 80 Million miles of customer travel per year

• Equates to 34.4 Million KgCO2 per year

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Environmental Impact from customer travel

• Assuming 3 of 4 WQ journeys are by medium sized car, with 3 passengers

• 4 Million car journeys

• Assuming average journey of 10 miles each way = 80 Million miles of customer travel per year

• Equates to 34.4 Million KgCO2 per year

– or 0.034 Metric Tonnes per year…..

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Environmental Impact from customer travel

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• Is the focus of the project correct?

• Should retailers be changing sustainability attitudes from a perspective of responsibility?

• Do you make sustainable purchasing decisions?

• Do you make sustainable transport decisions?

• How can we change consumer behaviour in addition to attitudes?

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Questions

References

• Defra. 2006. Sustainable Consumption and Production: Encouraging Sustainable Consumption. http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/what/priority/consumption-production/consumption.html; accessed [1/11/06].

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Any questions?

Simon Kemp

Centre for Environmental Sciences

University of Southampton

s.kemp@soton.ac.uk

02380 595868

Multidisciplinary Research Week 2013

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