Over the past decade the UK has witnessed a rise in consumers buying goods online, this has resulted in an increase of online businesses and a need for high street stores to expand their online offerings. As a result, the warehousing industry has become more vital than ever in helping the online retail industry stay afloat and has therefore become one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors. However, the warehousing industry also poses significant environmental impacts due to its high energy consumption and production of greenhouse gases. It is crucial that warehouses take measures to reduce these impacts wherever possible to help tackle the ever-growing climate change crisis.
Waste Management
Appropriate waste management is one of the easiest ways to put eco-friendly practices into place in your warehouse. Warehouses can produce a substantial amount of waste from packaging and packing materials to excess inventory. Recycling is a straightforward way to improve sustainability and reduce waste disposal costs. Start by assessing the current waste being produced in your warehouse and create a plan for the area that requires the most attention. Simple solutions can include placing recycling bins in convenient locations around the warehouse, educating staff regarding recycling schemes and reducing the packing used within your warehouse. Once you have successfully established an effective recycling management system you can implement it steadily into other areas of your warehouse.
Energy Efficiency
Warehouses typically have high energy consumption due to their abundance of lighting, heavy machinery and open space. In recent years warehouses have been faced with a need to employ more energy efficient practices to cope with the crippling rise in energy costs and heightened focus on environmental sustainability. The following strategies can easily be implemented in warehouses to improve energy efficiency:
- Invest in effective insulation solutions to maintain temperature control within warehouses. Insulated industrial doors are particularly popular for preventing drafts and minimising heat loss.
- Replace lighting with energy efficient bulbs and install motion sensors to ensure that lights are switched off when the space is not occupied.
- Use renewable energy by installing solar panels on the rooftops of warehouses to convert sunlight into electricity.
- Check your thermostat daily to ensure that the warehouse is at the correct temperature. If you reduce the temperature in your warehouse by as little as one degree it can reduce your bills by 10%.
Purchase Used Warehouse Equipment
The purchasing of second-hand warehouse equipment has become increasingly more common over the past couple of years. Used equipment provides significant cost saving benefits and elongates the lifespan of materials which can have a substantial impact on the environment.
In particular, used pallet racking systems are seeing a huge increase in sales. Pallet racking systems are essential in creating an efficient storage solution for warehouses by increasing storage density and making the ultimate use of vertical space. In addition, they are designed specifically to hold heavy items that can usually only be stored on lower-level shelving. Purchasing used pallet racking is beneficial for warehouses as it extends the life cycle of the product and therefore reduces waste, contributing to an eco-friendlier system. For warehouses who prioritise sustainability this is a straightforward method of environmental practice. Not only is second hand pallet racking an environmentally responsible choice, but it has significant cost saving benefits. In fact, you can save up to fifty percent on purchasing used pallet racking, rather than new, which totals up to a huge amount when considering the size of a warehouse.
Similarly, used pallets are gaining popularity as an eco-friendly method for transporting goods to and from warehouses. There is a common misconception that these pallets are lower quality than new ones, however, they are highly durable and go through the appropriate checks to ensure that the quality remains suitable for transporting and storing heavy goods. Buying second hand prevents pallets that are in perfect working condition from going to waste, whilst also reducing expenses for businesses.
Summary
All in all, prioritising eco-friendly practices in warehouse settings is not only beneficial for the environment but it also has huge cost saving benefits. The solutions discussed are simple to implement and can play a significant role in reducing the energy consumption and greenhouse gases produced in warehouses.
