2006 in sixty seconds
Business objectives
We set four challenging environmental business objectives and beat all but one of them:
Goal: Reduce the noise complaint rate by 10 per cent by the end of 2006
Achieved: A 17 per cent reduction
Goal: Reduce the number of environmental incidents by 10 per cent by the end of 2006
Achieved: A 12 per cent reduction
Goal: Reduce the amount of paper procured centrally at head office by 10 per cent by the end of 2006
Achieved: A 24 per cent reduction
Goal: Reduce energy consumption at head office by 5 per cent by the end of 2006
Achieved: A 3 per cent reduction
The paper and energy achievements helped us to achieve a reduction in our carbon dioxide emissions of 126 tonnes.
This report covers the period from April to December 2006 and looks for performance improvements against the equivalent nine months in 2005.
Other achievements
- A CBI environmental and health and safety benchmarking scheme showed that we are ahead of the building and construction average score for environmental good practice.
- Employees came up with a wealth of innovative, creative and practical solutions, helping us to work smarter as well as reducing our environmental impact.
- This year we have included a new community section in this report, as a first step towards full corporate social responsibility reporting.
- 2006 was also a year for looking to the future. Our work with the Carbon Trust to calculate and reduce our carbon footprint and to quantify the effect of climate change on our business will guide our priorities in the years ahead and help us to measure our performance more effectively.
Environmental impacts
Some highlights from six key areas where we have a significant impact on the environment:
Noise
Track replacement works brought a 10 decibel reduction in noise from trains.
Noise complaints were down by 17 per cent compared to the equivalent nine months in 2005. Read more »
Waste
The total weight of paper we recycled rose by 64 per cent over a nine month period.
13 sites checked during a projects waste assessment were found to be compliant with the Duty of Care regulations. Read more »
Pollution
The number of environmental incidents such as spillages was reduced by 12 per cent compared to the equivalent nine months in 2005.
Biodegradable grease, dust control and a reduction in the emissions of our road fleet were three of many measures to prevent and reduce pollution. Read more »
Materials
A green roof and facades clad in copper and larch all feature in the sustainable design of our new Stratford train crew accommodation building.
We reduced the amount of paper procured centrally at our head office by 24 per cent compared to the equivalent nine months in 2005. Read more »
Wildlife
London’s largest single membrane green roof – the first on a railway building – was installed by Tube Lines.
A third party survey carried out in February 2006 showed that our depots and sidings provide important habitats for hosts of protected flora and fauna. Read more »
Energy and utilities
We reduced energy consumption at our Westferry Circus head office by 3 per cent compared to the equivalent nine months in 2005.
The average number of computer monitors left on overnight was reduced from 700 to three. Read more »
