The European Innovation Council (EIC), within the Greenhouse Gas Programme (GHG), supports EIC beneficiaries in the assessment of their company’s carbon footprint through the GHG Tool. Given their core business, SEaB Energy, a UK-based company that manufactures waste-to-energy technology to create renewable energy, water and fertiliser from organic waste, joined the GHG Tool initiative. We met with Alex Mellers, Electrical and Informatics Engineer, to discuss his participation and the current status of the company’s GHG actions.
Can you briefly describe your role in SEaB Energy?
I’m an Electrical and Informatics Engineer at SEaB Energy. My work involves creating the company’s anaerobic digestive system.
Could you describe your innovation and its positive contributions?
SEaB Energy creates modular Anaerobic Digestion units, the Flexibuster™ and Muckbuster®, that utilise municipal waste, farm waste, and anything that can be biodegraded to create gas instead of the waste going to landfill which creates emissions from vehicles and methane from decomposing waste. With this, we aim to turn organic waste into energy exactly at the point where the waste is produced, and the energy is required.
Tell us how participating in the EIC GHG Programme has strategically helped your company so far.
We've had a life cycle analysis of our systems, but we've never actually quantified our internal carbon emissions as a business. Currently, we are aiming and taking proper steps to reduce GHG emissions. Therefore, utilising the GHG tool that you have provided us is strategically helping us do just that.
Did the EIC GHG Tool help you increase your awareness of the amount of GHG emissions generated by your company? If yes, could you elaborate?
Getting a clearer picture of how each of our decisions can impact our GHG emissions in terms of purchasing, travelling, office space and homework, has given us a better understanding of how we can reduce them. In that regard, the EIC GHG Tool has been a big help in quantifying the GHG emissions that SEaB Energy generates.
What is the status of your participation (regarding the Badges/CO2 Neutral Label/GHG Tool initiative)?
We have received two badges, the CO2 Footprint badge and the CO2 Reduction badge. Now, we are working to receive the third one, the CO2 Neutral label.
Did the input received from the GHG experts contribute further towards the green transition journey?
Yes, the meetings and sessions with the GHG experts were extremely helpful.
What measures did you implement or wish to implement?
We’ve started to change our travel habits, which involve utilising trains more throughout Europe for distances that can be covered by that means of transportation. We are also looking to improve the longevity of our IT equipment to reduce the footprint related to buying the equipment. Lastly, we’ve started looking at greener office working spaces and how each of our home office spaces can be improved in terms of carbon emissions.
How did the measures you implemented affect positively your return on investment (economically, environmentally, socially, etc.)?
I think the economics of it will help in terms of reduction and equipment purchases and attempting to increase longevity. The social impact will be directly related to SEaB Energy’s reducing our personal carbon footprint.
What are the most interesting elements provided by the GHG tool compared to other similar tools?
Other emission tools don’t have such detailed data input that you can use. Therefore, the EIC’s GHG Tool was a good way of understanding how to effectively operate around that.
Additional information
About SEaB Energy
SEaB Energy designs and commercialises organic waste-to-energy technology to create renewable energy, water and fertiliser from organic waste. Based on anaerobic digestion, the company’s small-scale, award-winning and patented Flexibuster™ and Muckbuster® are disruptive onsite alternatives to centralised waste processing, removing necessity and costs, diesel consumption and carbon emissions of transporting waste.
About the EIC Business Acceleration Services
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EIC GHG Summit
The EIC will host its second Summit on 7-8 December 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. Hosted at the EIC Summit is the GHG programme where you can come, meet and network with fellow GHGers! Register now.
About the EIC GHG Programme
With the EIC GHG programme, part of the Business Acceleration Services, the EIC offers its beneficiaries a dedicated GHG tool, the GHG Badges & CO2 Neutral Label initiative, and further resources.
In addition, co-creation activities with corporates, industrial associations, regions in carbon transition and other EIC beneficiaries are taking place on a regular basis.
