Consultant provided a standard method of assessment based on research into the company's carbon footprint

Consultant Turner & Townsend has won a green award for its work in developing a standard carbon assessment tool for Yorkshire Water.

Graham Dixon, Yorkshire Water, director - Environmental Business Unit - Nick Adams, T&T associate director - Mike Connolly, T&T director -  Alan Talabani, T&T director

The consultant picked up a prize in the Compliance Plus category at the Yorkshire Water Partner Awards for its carbon accounting toolkit designed to assess the levels of carbon in building materials, construction work and building operational costs, including energy consumption and indirect building costs.

Yorkshire Water wanted to assess its carbon footprint for the next five years from an environmental as well as a cost perspective.

Nick Adams, associate director at T&T, explained: “For instance, we looked at the carbon embedded in materials, how much carbon is emitted in the production process in their factories, and how much energy is used in their offices.”

The assessment will determine which assets are more environmentally sound and sustainable throughout the lifecycle of the developments. Yorkshire Water can now examine its key assets over the next 40 years.

The firm is also working with the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) in pioneering carbon assessment techniques, which has led to Yorkshire Water being a leading force within the water sector.