Our ‘5-Rs’ can help us all think a little differently about the opportunities we have and the measures we take. It sets a good practice order of measures based on the Resources Hierarchy.
- Review existing resource use and its energy & sustainability performance. Understand how it adds (or doesn’t add) value to your customers and organizations. Develop ideas to enhance value.
- Reduce demand by reducing waste. Exploit easy ways to switch off & turn down equipment when we can. Many organizations are looking to improve energy efficiency levels by at least 20% by 2030.
- Reuse resources, equipment & actions continually when fit for purpose. Repair and refurbishment assets if necessary. Recover & make use of waste energy sources when practical & cost effective.
- Recycle waste resources & equipment to be remanufactured or repurposed. Feedback ideas & experiences to colleagues. Employ renewable energy & low carbon systems to supply heat and power.
- Rethink the ways we operate our systems, procure new equipment and develop new asserts or organize new services. Join-up resource use strategies with operational and facilities practices.
Following the 5-R, look to Report on how low you think consumption could eventually go (over time) and Renew objectives, targets and plans for continually improving energy & sustainability performance.
Getting the order of measures right is often crucial to help minimize investment & remediation costs.
Our Ideas Hub illustrates how we apply the ‘5-Rs’ to our checklists and approaches.