The pace of new sustainability regulations and lack of guidance has left business owners confused and overwhelmed.
Made in Group’s inaugural Big Sustainability Report* shows that sustainability has become a central boardroom priority for manufacturing decision-makers, with two in three ranking its importance as high or very high.
Most manufacturers have already invested in energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems and established reduction and recycling programmes. Attention has now turned to renewable energy, either generated on-site, switching to a renewable provider or combination of the two, and formalising their sustainability strategies.
One business ahead of the curve is Greyhound Box, a trusted and forward-thinking manufacturer and supplier of corrugated cases. The Leeds-based company places great importance on the environment and acknowledges its responsibility to protect the planet.
The ISO14001 accredited company is committed to reducing its environmental impact and has pledged to be net zero by 2040. This will be achieved through a series of environmental objectives set by the management team, including:
- Reduce carbon footprint – replacing the gas boiler, optimisation of motors and switching to a renewable energy supplier, which combined could help save 1.78 tonnes of CO₂
- Reduce electricity usage – an office insulation project is expected to deliver 20% energy savings, equating to 2,600kWh
- Reduce water usage – an automated water system monitors flows and automatically shuts off supply should a leak be detected
- Reduce paper consumption – a move to paperless processes is currently being explored
- Reduce single-use plastic – the company uses eco-friendly cleaning consumables that combine soluble sachets with a bottle for life
- Reduce wood waste – by working with Leeds Wood Recycling, the company rescued 40 cubic years of wood from the waste stream and saved two tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2022 alone. In addition, the partnership has enabled more than 40 volunteers to be trained and created 16 paid jobs
A presentation from Louise O'Brien, Managing Director of Greyhound Box, gave Made Members an insight into how the company has created a value delivery system that understands, delivers and leads change within the organisation.
Louise’s talk fed into a Discussion Group that explored how Made Members approach sustainability and the barriers to progress. The roundtable-like conversation had input from a range of companies, including manufacturing and engineering companies, technology providers, consultants and educators.
Isn’t it more expensive to ‘go green’?
The roundtable began by unpicking the common belief that sustainable products and actions cost more than conventional choices. While that might be the case in supermarkets, it’s not necessarily true in the workplace.
“We’ve moved to buying cleaning products in a soluble capsule that dissolves in water, much like a dishwasher tablet,” explained Louise. “It reduces the amount of packaging and single-use plastic as well as the storage space needed for cleaning equipment. It also works out at 45p a bottle versus around £2.”
The group agreed that it was important to not focus solely on “pounds and pennies” when making decisions, especially with carbon increasingly being “priced into bids and contracts.”
Louise offered a simple example in the form of LED lighting. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs may be more expensive but LEDs use up to 95% less energy and last on average 25 times longer.
“A recent energy audit found that one small office was consuming more energy, and therefore costing us more, than our entire factory fitted with LEDs throughout,” Louise noted.
A Made Member explained how their company uses up to 1,000 litres of water in their process. Investing in a rainwater harvesting system now means none of that water comes from the mains. The cost of the initial investment was the princely sum of £168.
Companies are doing more than they think
The conversation moved on to discuss how SME manufacturers are taking meaningful steps to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption but don’t recognise doing so as part of a ‘sustainable transformation.’
“To me, it seems like common sense that when the cost of a material or service soars or becomes more scarce, you look to reduce your use or dependency on it. My business has taken many of the steps everyone is talking about but has done so largely because of resilience and efficiencies rather than environmental reasons,” said the Director of a precision engineering company.
His thinking was mirrored by other Made Members who participated in a Made Masterminds Roundtable as part of Made in Group’s Sustainability Report.
Companies have invested in faster, more capable machines to increase throughput but modern machines are also significantly more energy-efficient than older models being replaced.
Sourcing UK-made goods may have been done to reduce supply chain disruption and cost but domestic goods generally have a much smaller carbon footprint than goods that have travelled halfway around the world.
As the Managing Director of an industrial engineering company explained; “Recent innovations in our packaging and packing processes have created considerable carbon reductions but sustainability wasn’t the primary driver; cost reductions were. It was primarily done to counter the huge hike in shipping costs.”
Eliminating plastic entirely is impractical
Plastic has been firmly in the crosshairs ever since Collins Dictionary named ‘single-use’ as its word of the year back in 2018. Plastic is one of the most widely used materials on the planet. Yet, despite intensifying pressure to reduce our reliance on it, almost 400 million tonnes were produced in 2021 – up 4% year-on-year.
Against such a backdrop, it’s vital that we “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” noted one Made Member. His company is a leader in 3D printing technology solutions.
He noted; “A question we frequently encounter is ‘Why should we be printing more plastic?’ Kneejerk reactions to plastic imply that all plastics are bad and they should be 100% eliminated. That’s just not practical. Plastic is lightweight, durable, transparent, waterproof, hygienic, and for many applications is the ideal material.
“It also misses the point that 3D printing allows you to manufacture at source in the exact quantities needed. We recently had a customer ask us to 3D print replacement components for a machine that otherwise would have been manufactured and shipped from Taiwan.”
Another advantage of 3D printing is that it enables previously separate parts to be consolidated into a single unit. Greyhound Box has taken a similar approach with cardboard packaging.
“A customer used to pack their product in a cardboard box with a foam insert,” Louise explained. “We recently worked with them to integrate cardboard holds into the box. They’ve gone from two separate items to one integrated box. Cardboard inserts securely hold the product and their cost has come down by almost 50%.
“Furthermore, they’ve reduced their packing time and increased throughput, something every factory manager wants to do. Similarly, we’re also developing ways to replace plastic materials with sustainable corrugated cardboard. So, don’t be put off switching to sustainable products because you assume they’re going to be more expensive.”
Meet, confer and share best practice
Opportunities to openly discuss and consider challenges, opportunities and solutions are why the Made in Group’s Virtual Breakfast Mornings are so invaluable.
Seventy-five minutes out of your morning to hear inspiring and thought-provoking conversations, build relationships with like-minded fellow manufacturers, and gain a clearer picture of what’s happening beyond your factory gates.
We look forward to seeing you at the next one:
*To download the report login to your dashboard > open menu ? Choose 'Resources' > Goto 'Research' folder > Download report.
For Midlands members, login link is https://madeinthemidlands.com/profile/resources/research
For Yorkshire members, login link is https://madeinyorkshire.com/profile/resources/research
All images courtesy of Pixabay