Belfast Business Promise: Pledge 3- Protect our Environment
Introduction to the Pledge
Belfast Business Promise is a new accreditation for employers working to improve Belfast. Working together to make Belfast a better city involves providing good jobs, whilst also supporting a sustainable local economy and building a healthier city for everyone. Belfast Business Promise aims to create a community of organisations committed to improving how they do business together. It includes businesses of varying sizes ranging from micro businesses all the way up to large organisations with the aim of improving practices all across the city. This report will highlight the work that Fish City has been carrying out to meet Pledge 3: Protect our Environment.
As part of Pledge 3, Fish City has committed to work on various actions. This considers the size of the business being a small organisation:
Assessing the environmental/climate impacts and developing an action plan with targets and reduce carbon footprint and waste
Investing in energy efficiency measures where possible
Investing in low (or zero) emission heat and energy where possible
Identifying measures to support Belfast’s circular economy (recycle)
Educating and building awareness with staff of your commitment
Minimising negative local impacts, like noise and poor air quality
Sourcing ecological and environmentally friendly products
Promoting active travel solutions
Protect our environment: Working together to tackle the global challenge of climate change and protect our environment for future generations.
Fish City has worked closely with Belfast City Council and Climate Essentials to deliver the promise. For this, Fish City went through a 4-step process that involved verifying the actions that they are already taking to fulfill the Pledge, and devising a plan on how to continue the positive impact and move forward. This report will outline the journey of Fish City.
1. Environmental / Climate Impact
Fish City recently received their Green Tourism GOLD accreditation, an internationally respected eco-development programme and accreditation scheme for businesses. Through that accreditation, Fish City has reported their emissions, energy, waste, and water usage. As part of the Pledge 3 requirements, Fish City should continue to report on:
Carbon Footprint Analysis: Across energy, transport, water, and waste
Energy Consumption Assessment: analysing gas and electricity usage for Fish City and related emissions
Water Usage: Estimating or measuring Fish City water usage and related emissions
Waste Management: Evaluating the amount and types of waste generations and how much is recycled versus sent to landfill or incineration
Pollution and Emissions Tracking: If relevant, assess other gases produced across Fish City operations that affect air quality
Sustainable Sourcing: Support Belfast economy by promoting local suppliers
Measure Fish City’s Carbon Emissions
Fish City has measured its carbon emissions for the 2023 reporting period using Climate Essentials. Their total footprint for 2023 was 77.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). Climate Essentials used official UK Government carbon factors published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to perform the calculations and the data used involved a combination of primary activity data and an average data method.
Following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidelines, Fish City’s footprint was categorised by Scopes:
Scope 1: Emissions related to fuel use for heating and owned vehicles
Scope 2: Emissions related to electricity
Scope 3: Indirect emissions across the value chain, including waste and water. A breakdown can be found in Annex I.
2. Environmental / Climate Targets
Reducing an organisation’s carbon footprint is a gradual process. According to the latest climate science, organisations should aim to reduce at least 50% of their emissions by 2030 from a baseline year, and 90% by 2050. This phased approach sets out the reduction of an organisation’s emissions to 10% of their original levels, acknowledging the challenges in completely eliminating emissions.
Now that a baseline has been established, Fish City can begin to communicate their progress to customers and stakeholders. The next step is to implement measures aimed at reducing their carbon footprint. The next sections in this report outline Fish City’s present and future measures to reduce their environmental impact, in line with the Pledge 3 requirements across energy, transport, waste, and the local economy.
The next stage for Fish City is to devise a plan to reduce its carbon emissions as much as possible. As a first step towards creating a reduction plan aligned with international framework, Fish City should aim to achieve an interim target by 2030. This indicates that the organisation should reduce its electricity, fuel usage and business travel emissions by 50% by 2030 (this is Scope 1, Scope 2, and Business Travel from Scope 3). This reduction follows the recommendations of the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign.
Then, Fish City should work towards their long-term, net zero target. The figure below showcases how Fish City’s journey to net zero emissions should look like, starting from 77.7 tCO₂e in 2023.
3. Energy Efficiency and Low Emissions Heat
Monitoring energy emissions and energy efficiency involves tracking an organisation’s energy consumption and the resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also requires evaluating how effectively energy is used to achieve desired outcomes or produce goods and services.
As part of Pledge 3, Fish City was able to measure and report their energy consumption for electricity and gas for 2023. Then, Fish City was given access to the Climate Essentials platform so they can track their energy usage on a yearly basis and any related greenhouse gas emissions.
Below we have outlined the actions that Fish City have already implemented to reduce their energy usage and related carbon emissions.
Actions Completed
Achieved GOLD certification from Green Tourism
Actively monitor energy usage
High efficiency oil fryer — less energy-intensive
Installed equipment to monitor energy consumption
Renewable energy on site generation
Low-energy LED bulbs for lighting
* These emissions were calculated using the Location-Based approach (using the average carbon intensity of the national grid. Fish City uses SSE Airtricity as their electricity provider. Using SSE’s electricity intensity (Market-based) Fish City emissions are 25.2 tonnes of CO₂e.
4. Support Circularity
As pat of Pledge 3, Fish City commits to identifying measures to support Belfast’s circular economy objectives by adopting the re-use recycle approach, for example, increase recycling on the most carbon-intensive waste streams including food, textiles and plastics.
With the support of Climate Essentials, Fish City was able to measure their waste production and related emissions for the 2023 reporting period.
Below we have outlined the actions that Fish City have already implemented to reduce their waste production and related carbon emissions.
Actions Completed
No single-use plastics
Recycle all waste
Compost food waste
No plastic bottles (only glass)
All glass is then recycled
Oil is changed daily and continually filtered
Moving from paper to digital records in all areas relating to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Health & Safety, and refrigeration temperature monitoring
5. Employee Awareness
Fish City commits to continue educating and building awareness with staff of their commitment as a business to adopting more sustainable business practices.
With support from Climate Essentials and the Belfast Business Promise, Fish City is in the process of surveying their employees to understand how their actions will affect the climate impact of the organisation. Fish City will then be able to report on homeworking employee commuting and business travel impacts.
Fish City also commits to continue to transparently share their environmental impacts with the team and with their clients through sharing this report and others in the future.
Actions Completed
Induction online for new employees on sustainability
Educating the wider community on sustainability for the fishing and seafood industries
6. Minimising local environmental impacts
Minimising local environmental impacts, such as noise pollution and air quality degradation, is essential for businesses aiming to operate sustainably and responsibly. These efforts not only enhance community relations but also contribute to a healthier environment. Most of the actions that Fish City will take to reduce their environmental impacts will directly reduce air pollution and reduce noise. In addition to those, Fish City, as part of Pledge 3, commits the following actions:
Regularly maintain and service equipment to ensure they operate quality and efficiently and do not emit excess pollutants
Plan noisy activities during times when they are less likely to disturb the local community
Train employees to adopt quieter work practices, such as handling materials gently or reducing the volume of communication devices like radios and loudspeakers
Provide training programmes on environmental awareness to their employees, sustainable practices, and the importance of reducing noise and air pollution
Replace or retrofit old equipment with modern, energy-efficient models that produce fewer emissions
7. Sourcing ecological and low-carbon products
Supporting the local economy in Belfast, or any other city, involves a combination of strategies that benefit local businesses, enhance community well-being, and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
Whenever possible, Fish City commits to:
Source Locally: Whenever possible, purchase goods and services from local suppliers and vendors
Promote Local Products: Highlight locally sourced products in marketing and promotional campaigns to raise awareness and demand
Actions Completed
Active contact with suppliers - catcher area
Certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, recognising efforts all across the supply chain to protect our ocean and safeguard seafood supplies for the future
8. Promoting active travel solutions
Promoting active travel solutions (like walking and cycling) and supporting green travel-to-work initiatives (such as carpooling, public transportation, and using electric vehicles) are crucial for businesses, communities, and the environment.
As part of the Pledge 3 requirements, Fish City is surveying their employees to understand their commuting patterns when they travel to their workplace. Then, Climate Essentials will use this data to assess the carbon impact of business travel and employee commute. This data is key so Fish City in the future can track the positive impact of slow travel policy, car sharing, and using public transport.
Other actions taken by Fish City to promote sustainability
Filtering fats and oils from outgoing water
Promoting biodiversity with their pollinator-friendly Terrace planting and rooftop garden
Running a free educational Kids Club for Primary 7 schoolchildren in the local community to teach them about different fish and shellfish species
Future actions Fish City will take across their operations
Switch to paraben-free and organic hand soaps and to improve water management systems for better water efficiency
Harness heat generated through extraction systems for use throughout the premises
The Promise Journey & Current Status
Fish City has gone through an initial assessment of how their operations are impacting the environment and the steps they are taking to reduce them. After the initial one-to-one call with Climate Essentials, Fish City was provided information, tools, and resources to kickstart their decarbonisation journey. Afterwards, a call was scheduled to go through their carbon footprint results and how to create a reduction strategy. The Pledge 3 panel will review Fish City’s commitments and asses their Pledge 3 Status. ■
Acknowledgments
Belfast City Council and Climate Essentials thank Fish City for their ongoing support and commitment to achieving Pledge 3.
The Belfast Business Promise team will continue to monitor and review the progress annually and ensure that all the actions are aligned with the commitment to achieving Pledge 3.
With the support of:
Belfast Business Promise
Belfast City Council
Climate Essentials
Get in touch to find out how we can support your ecosystem to reach its decarbonisation goals and create change within your region.
Climate Essentials
http://climateessentials.com
To learn more about the Belfast Business Promise
https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/businesspromise
Belfast
s.evans@climateessentials.com
18 Ormeau Ave,
Belfast, BT2 8HS
