Case Study: Colchester Institute

Colchester Institute has always had an eye on the future, helping nurture the talent of tomorrow with an impressive alumnus that includes 2022 Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder, artist Grayson Perry, vocal coach and choral director Mark DeLisser and award-winning composer of film, television and video game music Richard Jacques. When COVID-19 transformed the education landscape in 2020, it began a period of re-evaluation that resulted in setting out an ambitious ten-point plan to maximise the impact of its centres between 2021-24.

Alongside enriching students and supporting the local economy, Mr Horne states “the aim of these commitments was to fulfil our social and environmental responsibility”. The college recognised its role as an influencer of young people underlined its purpose as an agent of change. This intent was then strengthened through a pledge to reduce all carbon emissions in half by 2030.

The college began its post-pandemic net zero journey in August 2020 when working towards the SECR regulations, installing carbon accounting software to gain full visibility over their emissions. By 2023 they’d managed to scale emissions down by 15%, earning the Bronze Future Net Zero standard. The college has also recently installed solar panels on their Braintree campus which will generate 109,180 kWh of electricity and save 47 tonnes of carbon every year. This is the equivalent of 26% of the energy used on-site, making a significant contribution towards reducing their total emissions.

Colchester Institute’s excellent efforts to lower carbon consumption have also been matched by several procurement services to lower the price they spend on energy. They started utilising our reporting platform Pulse before extending its use to a further suite of services. These included risk management to strengthen their energy security, invoice validation to avoid overcharging and a framework to maximize their negotiating power with suppliers.

Colchester Institute were rewarded for its efforts by winning the Environmental Awareness award at the Essex Countywide Business Awards. It also delivered on its purpose of driving awareness among its students by developing and delivering a carbon literacy programme for all its students.