Distribution Specialists

In addition to production, storage is an integral component of building a sustainable supply chain. And that’s why we’re so fastidious about the suppliers we use. To oversee the transit of our packages, we outsource to a distribution specialist, which – beyond fulfilling the need to efficiently store and dispatch our orders – implements a host of environmentally responsible practices across its business model, ranging from recycling and energy savings, to sustainable material sourcing and responsible disposal of unwanted stock.

As a company that handles large volumes of packaging every day, recycling is at the fore of our distribution specialist’s environmental agenda. Alongside recycling traditional office waste – paper, cans, cups, and printer cartridges – which significantly diminishes the amount of waste being sent to landfill, it recycles all paper and card used in operations, thereby contributing to a circular economy. All plastic waste is segregated and recycled, too. Our distribution centre has also received the WEEE certification (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) for equipment disposal, meaning any redundant equipment is efficiently recycled by the Environmental Agency.

Besides this, the distribution team always disposes of any unwanted stock in an environmentally responsible way. Thanks to its onsite installation of the latest high-powered crushing and mashing machines, the company has cut landfill waste volumes by 75%. This innovative mechanism compresses and squashes any obsolete stock and end of line products before sending them to a certified landfill, which reduces the overall amount of waste.

Recycling and product disposal aside, the distribution centre has identified ways to diminish its internal energy consumption, too. When it comes to IT equipment, for instance, the company has implemented measures to encourage frugality, such as spearheading a ‘Switch Off’ campaign, ensuring all equipment is switched off when out of use; arranging for all computers to hibernate after a fixed time of non-activity and turned off overnight; and presenting all IT equipment with the Energy Star logo, demonstrating that each device uses 20-30 per cent less energy than average. Alongside this, the distribution warehouses are equipped with highly intelligent lighting systems to improve carbon efficiency. Finally, to galvanise its workforce into mindfully consuming energy, the company displays Government Energy Saving posters in all its offices and warehouses, highlighting simple ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce general waste.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the distribution team sources all of its materials in a responsible and sustainable way, too. Not only does it use recycled paper throughout its operations and for printing literature, but it’s careful about which suppliers it employs, selecting the most environmentally friendly whenever possible.