Environmental

Carbon Neutrality - August 2010

We are currently looking at the ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint, with a view to eventually achieving a carbon neutral status. We have for some time now, paid for trees to be planted in managed forests and woodlands in order to off-set our emissions and we have taken measures to ensure that we monitor the waste we produce and recycle wherever possible but we had never actually gone as far as to measure our Greenhouse Gas Emissions using one of the calculators with information supplied by DEFRA.

We will keep you posted on our progress, but if you have any advice or tips for us, please let us know.  We’d be delighted to hear from you.     

The Recycling of Board - March 2010

Did you know – ‘Cardboard and other packaging form the largest single proportion of the UK’s commercial waste...that’s over 8 million tonnes’

We now have all our waste board collected for recycling by Smurfit Kappa Recycling, from their base in Nottingham. Importantly for us as an ISO 14001 accredited company - we needed a company with sound credentials for our recycled waste  - Smurfitt fitted the bill perfectly. They are the country’s leading corrugated packaging manufacturer with eight recycling plants dotted around the UK and their own mills in Birmingham and Kent. As a company, they clearly demonstrate their commitment to sustainable forestry and the reduction of their own carbon footprint and we are happy in the knowledge that they have their own mills where our waste board is converted into board ready to use again. As part of the recycling agreement, we are provided with a Packaging Recovery Note for every tonne of material we recycle.

 

Tree Planting  - February 2010 Our tree planting programme continues throughout 2010 via the Tree Appeal organisation. We will continue to have broad-leafed trees, such as oak, ash and beech planted in nature reserves, dedicated woodlands and parks. As ever, we base the donation on how much waste we have produced in the previous 12 months. We have sent a cheque off to pay for 22 trees to be planted for waste produced in 2009. The Tree Appeal plants trees to “promote biodiversity, create habitats and improve the environment for people.” The trees are paid for by businesses wanting to make a positive contribution to the environment.

Recycling - June 2009

As a company, we take our environmental responsibilities seriously and always strive to ensure that the unavoidable waste produced during production is kept to a minimum and disposed of in a responsible manner. Each and every staff member is committed to doing their bit.

We recycle 100% of all waste board created during production which is then utilised within the packaging industry as recycled materials.

We use a local waste company who are able to reclaim and recycle 75% percent of our general waste in their own recycling plant in Nottinghamshire. This ensures that a large percentage of waste will not see a landfill site, and that’s got to be good for us all.

We have introduced a number of initiatives over the last few years;

Tree planting in Derbyshire – our pledge - July 2008

In April 2007 we pledged to have broad leafed trees planted in Derbyshire as an ongoing commitment to off setting our carbon emissions. We announced earlier this year our intention to pay for broad leafed trees to be planted in reserves and managed woodlands in Derbyshire, (we are actually on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire border) with one tree planted for every 10 tonnes of waste we produce. Although this requires some extra effort on our part, we felt that we were at least introducing some form of measure on the amount of waste we were producing for us to offset against the amount of trees we would have planted.

Whilst we accept that there will continue to be a great amount of controversy surrounding the whole carbon footprint off setting debate, to sit back and do nothing is not an option that we would choose to consider. We’re now in our third year of tree planting.

The trees are planted within reserves and managed woodland in Derbyshire and the scheme is endorsed by TV wild-life celebrity and conservationist, Bill Oddie, using the local knowledge and expertise of tree planting partners to assure that the right trees are planted in appropriate places. The trees will live out their natural life-span and meet their bio-diversity targets.

Get on your bike - March 2008

Currently 20% of our staff cycle to work making use of secure undercover cycle storage as well as changing rooms and showers provided by the company. Reduced carbon footprints as well as fit healthy souls!

Staff have also set up a car sharing rota between themselves – helps keeps their travel costs down but, once again – good for the environment.

 

Recycling of ink cartridges - January 2008

All of our used cartridges are sent to Against Breast Cancer in order for them to be recycled and we also ask staff to bring their used cartridges from home if they don’t already recycle.