Clients
Our recent clients include SME’s and organisations in the third sector. Examples of some of the projects we have been conducting on their behalf:
Selling Carbon to Fund Recycling
Our client, CRNS, represents a large number of social sector organisations throughout Scotland that are involved with recycling. CW Hayes Associaties approached CRNS with a proposal to assess the feasibility for generating more revenue from recycling. The core issue is that the collective activities of recycling organisations have a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas production - by diverting materials from landfill. Therefore more recycling, means less landfill and means less greenhouse gas emission. However financial recognition for this environment good had not been considered.
The study made an assessment of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and of Carbon Offset schemes in the context of recycling, in order to determine how best to take advantage of carbon trading.
Iain Gulland, Network Director of CRNS said “ this report is excellent, it has given us a sound foundation to discuss the issues with our member organisations, and to make strategic decisions about creating carbon-based funding mechanisms”.
Environmental Impact of the Sugar Supply Chain 
Traidcraft plc, the client, are well known as pioneers of fair trade goods and as founders of the fair trade movement . What is less well known is that they are pioneers of social accounting. They wanted to take their strong social ethos and broaden it to include environmental issues. The study initially scoped various aspects of their product range, before focussing on sugar as a key line in terms of the organisation’s environmental impact.
Working in collaboration with colleagues at CHE Consulting, with whom the study was carried out, Dr Crispin Hayes analysed the carbon impact of Malawian and Mauritian sugar supply chains. The carbon footprint was quantified from agricultural inputs, all the way through to shipping the product to Traidcraft’s base in Newcastle. This was presented in the report together with ‘carbon costed’ alternatives for reducing the environmental impacts. This gave Traidcraft’s management the tools to make informed strategic decisions.
Mags Vaughan, Operations Director, Traidcraft plc, said, “The report was very much as I had hoped - the CHE team have identified a number of specific opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of sugar production. We particularly welcome the emphasis given to working closely with local people in sugar producing areas to tackle the environment-related poverty issues that they consider priorities.”
Local Food Producers: Six Case Studies
The Cultivating Communities project of Soil Association was created to support and encourage Community Supported Agriculture – farming linked to local consumers. Soil Association, the client, commissioned case studies on six CSA projects – to showcase their methods and share experiences. With a background in agriculture, Crispin Hayes was able to engage with the producers at a grassroots level as well as understanding the bigger picture of what the client was trying to achieve.