EcoCode is a free Excel-based software tool aimed at helping Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises cut their costs and carbon emissions resulting from utilities, transport and waste.
SMEs may not sufficiently track the costs associated with their utilities, such as water and electricity, let alone quantify the carbon produced. Similarly, business transport costs and waste produced may go unrecorded and unmanaged.
One way to keep track of these quantities is to adopt a formal environmental management system (EMS). Unfortunately, most formal EMSs are very detailed and time consuming, requiring a large investment of people power and other resources by the enterprise. This is not always feasible, especially in smaller organisations.
The GRC Seren EcoCode has been developed specifically with smaller organisations in mind. Monitored inputs have been simplified to only include information readily available from sources such as utility bills, or data that can easily be monitored by the enterprise, such as the number of waste/recycling bags filled weekly.
Data is entered through a user friendly interface and the output enables the enterprise to easily track costs, carbon produced and carbon saved over the months and year. The GRC Seren EcoCode also has a reporting function that prints out information to Microsoft Word. This enables results to be visually displayed, a facility that can then readily be used for presentations and for the dissemination of information.
The GRC Seren EcoCode further assists enterprises by:
- generating an action plan, prioritised according to the needs of the SME; and
- delivering a series of hints and tips to help reduce carbon output, and hence costs, in the identified areas.
By developing this easy to use tool, it is hoped that the GRC’s Seren project will be of direct benefit to Welsh SMEs interested in adopting a user-friendly environmental management system. Successful implementation of this product will, it is hoped, not only improve the environmental sustainability of the Welsh enterprises involved, but also help to save costs.
Download the Seren EcoCode flyer to request a copy of the software
To request a copy of the GRC Seren EcoCode, or to request further information, please contact:
The GRC, (Seren project), School of Engineering,
Cardiff University, The Queen’s Buildings,
The Parade, Newport Road,
Cardiff, CF24 3AA
Tel: +44 (0) 29 2087 0497
Email: Seren@Cardiff.ac.uk
