Energy usage, emissions and wrapping paper: staying sustainable as a business this winter

Prioritising environmental sustainability alongside the daily demands of your business can feel like a juggling act at the best of times. But in the Winter it becomes even harder to go green when it’s cold outside and it feels like you need the lights on 24 hours a day.

Our Environmental Sustainability Lead, Claire Thew, explains how you can implement small but manageable changes to keep your footprint to a minimum during the most challenging period of the year.

As we head into hibernation season, it feels harder for both businesses and households to feel like they are able to maintain high standards for sustainability. After all, the cold weather and long nights mean that the heating needs to be turned up and the lights left on virtually all day. This inevitably leads to the emissions associated with daily business activities increasing – even on modern premises where thermal efficiency is good. 

With fewer hours of daylight, even those sites with solar panels may rely more on mains power than would otherwise be the case. It is worth noting, however, that the government’s push for installing heat pumps means that there’s funding out there currently to assist if you are in a position to make a more comprehensive change to your business’s heating solution.

When it comes to lighting, we all know about the importance of using LEDs over traditional lighting. But it’s worth noting the added value that motion sensors and smart features can offer.

Lighting can contribute to around 20% of a commercial building’s power consumption, so trimming energy consumption in this area will help to significantly reduce emissions and energy bills.

Getting your staff into the office is better for the environment

It may be tempting to encourage remote working to help reduce the energy consumed in your business premises. But it’s also important to consider that if you are reporting your emissions right, you’ll need to factor in those emissions associated with team members working from home. And the truth is that during the winter months, a WFH (working from home) member of staff will likely contribute to higher emissions than they would in the office. 

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Why? Because 1,000 employees in an office or even a warehouse with a single, efficient heating system and shared lighting will draw on substantially less energy than 1,000 employees all keeping the lights on in their home office.

Wrapping up this winter: making smart choices

The winter rush sees a surge in product shipments, gift wrapping, and takeaway services. This can lead to a rapid increase in packaging waste. 

Choosing recycled and recyclable materials to replace traditional single-use packaging doesn’t diminish the seasonal experience; it shows customers that sustainability remains a priority. Businesses can also look at ways to reduce waste at source, such as minimising unnecessary layers of packaging or offering reusable alternatives that customers will use beyond an initial delivery or gifting. 

If your business loves to shower clients or customers with gifts over the festive period, remember that even small decisions, like avoiding glitter and laminated finishes that can’t be recycled, will contribute to a more circular approach.

Hospitality: preventing festive food waste

Restaurants, hotels and event venues thrive (hopefully) during the festive season but, inevitably, celebrations come with higher levels of food waste and a surge of fats, oils and greases (FOG). 

Proper handling of this FOG is essential: when poured down sinks, it cools into blockages that can lead to overflows, unpleasant odours and costly operational disruption. If you’ve ever seen the images of a Fatberg blocking the sewers, you’ll appreciate that being responsible about FOG is essential for any organisation.

Teaching team members about handling grease may sound extremely basic but don’t underestimate the role that staff training can play in improving behaviours that will ultimately keep sewers clearer.

Operational waste: getting ahead of the curve

Warehouses, retailers and fulfilment centres will inevitably handle more materials at Christmas time – from cardboard delivery boxes to display items and seasonal décor. 

If your business anticipates this being an issue through the winter, and particularly during the festive period, planning for this increase ahead of time will help avoid overflowing bins and inefficient disposal practices. 

Take the time to establish clear recycling streams, put temporary space aside for materials and, where possible, engage your suppliers in take-back initiatives.

Ready to make environmental sustainability more of a priority in your business but need the support of an expert? Let’s talk.