With the threat that climate change poses to the environment, everybody needs to take action. Business owners should prove that their team dedicates time to protecting the planet! Companies and households alike have a responsibility to support their surroundings as far as possible and reduce their carbon footprint. Taking care of the environment can be as simple as recycling waste materials.
Industrial warehouses typically require lots of electricity to power their lighting and machinery, so managers must be conscious of switching off plugs overnight and reducing emissions. To save money and support the planet’s health, here are 8 ways to make your warehouse more environmentally friendly.
1. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Plastic accounts for 3.7 million metric tons of waste in the UK from 2020. 4.9 million metric tons were put on the market in total. Of course, you can calculate that means approximately three-quarters of plastic produced for sale ends up in landfills. Wherever possible, your warehouse should avoid unnecessary plastic packaging!
Zero waste bulk foods and cleaning supplies are available to order online, so you can keep your warehouse running ethically. Any packaging that can’t be avoided, like packing peanuts in your shipments, should be reused or recycled if they aren’t biodegradable.
2. Insulate The Premises
Central heating can rack up your utility bills, and a drafty warehouse could cost hundreds per month to warm. You’ll require less gas and electricity when you properly insulate walls and roofs, which means less harmful emissions into the environment. Loose-fill cellulose is an excellent option to protect your floor and walls, composed of recycled papers or denim.
Roof cavities and wall cracks are the first places you should look to treat, while underfloor insulation can be beneficial too. Thin aerogel blankets will be the most effective insulation for walls and flooring of refrigerated warehouses, thanks to their low thermal conductivity and frost resistance. Aerogel is environmentally friendly and unaffected by heavy loads.
3. Permanently Ditch Forklifts
Diesel, petrol and gas-powered forklifts emit carbon dioxide while they’re running. Mass carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming and the melting of polar ice caps. On the surface, changing your vehicle won’t save the planet, but every little bit helps. For more ethical lifting with heavy loads around the work floor, you should consider electrical options.
An electric tow tug could be the perfect solution for your warehouse. Battery-operated tow tugs don’t emit pollutants or emissions! You can use your machinery indoors or outdoors without fear of inhaling harmful gas, and you can still lift weights reaching 40,000kg. Better still, tow tugs aren’t subject to LOLER regulations.
4. Minimise Water Usage
Warehouses can hold an astonishing amount of water. Water is a necessity to run your operations, from your washing machines to the pipes in your plumbing. You’ll save money by recycling your water and minimising usage wherever possible. Turn taps off if you notice they’re dripping, and don’t leave your central heating on overnight or during holidays. Overuse of freshwater in your business means there’ll be less clean water for livestock, and you’re putting a strain on the environment.
A rainwater harvesting system is easy to install and equally convenient as your standard plumbing. You could use your stored rainwater for commercial operations, like rinsing tanks and landscape irrigation! You’ll still require freshwater for human consumption, but you’ll waste little.
5. Change Your Lighting
Our advice isn’t revolutionary. You’ll save money with energy-efficient LED bulbs in your warehouse, and the environment will benefit too! Switching from CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) can half your carbon dioxide emissions. LEDs also use half the electricity of a CFL bulb. While energy-efficient bulbs are more expensive initially, they last longer and are cheaper to run.
Occupancy sensors can save you hundreds of pounds from your energy bill per year. Your ceiling PIR occupancy sensors will automatically save energy rather than relying on staff to turn off lighting when they leave the room. Any unoccupied rooms won’t use unnecessary electricity!
6. Create Warehouse Zones
During production, you’ll utilise different areas of your warehouse. Storage rooms may only need to be accessed at the beginning or end of the day, so you needn’t heat or power them constantly. By splitting your warehouse into zones, you can rotate your gas and electricity through your premises as each department gets used. Your carbon footprint will reduce significantly.
Refrigerators and freezers need to be powered consistently, but you needn’t illuminate them. Unoccupied rooms don’t need heating or lighting, or you’re wasting energy. Carefully consider how you can prevent gas and electric waste throughout your warehouse with a zone system.
7. Carefully Choose Suppliers
The most environmentally conscious suppliers are rarely the cheapest. Still, in the long run, you’ll end up paying expensive taxes on international shipping as the government tries to tackle climate change. Choosing a material supplier local to the UK may currently be more costly than importing from China, but it’ll cause fewer emissions. You also can’t advertise yourself as an eco-friendly business if you don’t do everything possible to protect the planet.
Supporting local businesses is better for the environment, but it also improves your reputation within the UK. You’re circulating money into the local economy by choosing an English company such as Industar for equipment, for anything from tow tugs to industrial hoovers.
8. Invest In Shelving
Naturally, as your business grows, then your inventory will too! Create storage solutions upwards, rather than expanding outward and increasing your warehouse’s surface area, which you’d have to heat and power. Buy plenty of shelving for your warehouse, and use every bit of spare wall space you can afford. Employees can use ladders to reach high ledges, and you won’t need to pack up your premises and relocate for more storage space.
Additionally, extensions are expensive! If you can avoid pricey building works, you’ll make more profit, and you’ll spend less money maintaining your warehouse. A giant warehouse also requires more staff.
The Conclusion On Eco-Friendly Warehousing
Maintaining an environmentally friendly warehouse is beneficial for the environment, and it proves cheaper overall for business owners too. A reduced energy bill means less cost and less harmful emissions into our atmosphere. Contact us at Industar to discover eco-friendly lifting solutions guaranteed to help you manage heavy loads across your warehouse.