Derby-based washroom water conservations specialist HSG has been named as one of four winners of a Sustainability Innovation Competition.
The competition, launched by Wates Group and Lloyds Banking Group, was to find the next generation of green tech businesses to support Lloyds in its transition to net zero carbon operations.
HSG’s innovative Ureco system now has the opportunity to be piloted across Lloyds’ branches and offices. Lloyds will be making an overall budget investment of £100,000, which will be available to the four winners and will allow the technologies to be tested in a live environment to understand whether they can ultimately be rolled out at scale.
Over 100 companies applied to the sustainability innovation competition, which aimed to unearth and champion new sustainable technologies for the built environment.
Following a rigorous assessment process by Wates Sustainable Technology Services’ technical advisory panel, HSG Founder and managing director Simon Rice pitched to judges in a Dragon’s Den-style event at the Mitie headquarters in the Shard, London at the end of January and was unanimously voted as a winner.
HSG was selected because of its ability to deliver against Lloyds Banking Group’s ambitious operational pledges, which commit to net zero carbon operations and a 50% reduction in energy consumption by 2030, as well as a 40% reduction in absolute water consumption by 2030.
As well as the chance to be rolled out across Lloyds’ branches and offices nationwide, the Ureco system will be added to theWates Innovation Network (WIN) Portal as an Innovation Partner, alongside other pioneering green tech businesses. The Portal is a free to use online marketplace for suppliers of environmental technologies, enabling them to connect their product with built environment customers across the supply chain.
HSG launched its simple but hugely effective water conservation system – the Ureco urinal sleeve and Uretech water management system – 12 years ago. Since then, the system has emerged as a market leader in the industry, recognised with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for the positive impact it’s having on businesses, from single site pubs to the O2 Arena and NEC.
HSG’s Ureco urinal sleeve stops smells by trapping urinal odours below the surface and reduces blockages through a patented enzyme system which breaks down the fat, acid, and salt in urine. This enables the Uretech water manager to reduce urinal flushes from around 96 times to just four times a day – saving money by reducing water consumption by up to 96%.
Simon Rice explained: “Most people aren’t aware that the majority of fresh drinking water used in a commercial premises goes through the urinals. Most urinals flush four times per hour – every 15 minutes, even at night when the building is empty, resulting in a mammoth 96 flushes per day.
“In a standard 9L cistern, the amount of water used would be cut from more than 315,000L a year to just over 13,000L. Not only is this a massive reduction in water usage, it results in a potential saving of more than £750 in water bills and significant reductions in a business’ carbon footprint.
“In addition to the water and cost savings, the patented Ureco technology stops unpleasant smells and blockages which, in turn, negates the need for harsh chemicals being poured in the drainage and sewerage system.
“We’re obviously delighted to be recognised in this way and to have the opportunity to pilot the Ureco across Lloyds Bank sites, under the Wates Innovation Partner programme.”
Dr Zainab Dangana PhD, Head of Sustainable Technology Services at Wates Group, added: “The work we’ve been doing with Lloyds Banking Group is about connecting our customer with the products that can help it achieve its environmental goals. Too often, new, viable technologies fly under the radar because suppliers are unable to get in front of the right decision makers. We’re bridging that gap, but we need to see more companies like Lloyds Banking Group putting their weight behind the green businesses that are critical in our national drive towards net zero.”
Matteo Deidda, Senior Sustainability Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, concluded: “The response to the Sustainability Innovation Competition has been fantastic. We are very excited to work with the finalists and our partners in the coming months to pilot these technologies in our offices and branches. The winning technology will have access to our innovation budget to test their solutions in our buildings, and roll out at scale if the pilots are successful. This is a great opportunity for speeding up our transition towards a greener future and achieve the group operational climate pledge.”
