Why is sustainability important?
Climate change is happening, and we feel that as a business who trades in minerals that have been dug out of the ground and shipped around the globe, we have a responsibility to make the most positive impact we can to the best of our ability. By making more proactively sustainable choices there are benefits to us as a company, the local and global environment, the local and global supply chains and the trade as a whole.
The approach so far
To date we have undertaken the simpler things to reduce our impact. These include:
- Changed all company cars to 100% electric
- Changed our refuse collection to First Mile, a service that both recycles a wide range of waste and doesn’t send unrecyclable waste to landfill, instead they send it to be incinerated to power turbines. Our current recycling rate is 68%
- Ensured all electrical waste is recycled via our IT providers
- Moved to a renewable electricity supplier and installed a Smart Meter
- Upgraded all office lighting to energy efficient LED
- Upgraded all air conditioning in the office
- Engaged in a tree planting program via Fruitful Office
- Changed our post packaging to 100% recyclable material
Next Steps
In 2023 we plan to continue making small, immediate adjustments where we can and start to tackle the more in depth and difficult aspects. We plan to:
- Measure our carbon footprint for 2022 and begin the process of offsetting what we can in partnership with C-Free
- Audit all business travel
- Continue to search for a more sustainable alternative to the plastic bags we currently use for some stock
- Make enquiries into installing solar panels on our building
- Investigate gas heating alternatives
- Investigate help and incentives for our employees to reduce their commuting carbon footprint.