6 ways we’re cutting our company-wide carbon footprint

As aluminium recycling specialists, we pride ourselves on working to the highest environmental standards, and taking proactive measures to reduce our carbon footprint, wherever possible.

All of our work within this area is underpinned by our ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Management System accreditation. We also have a dedicated Environmental Policy in place too.

Our impact on the environment

Many of our team members and all of our vehicles spend every day off-site, collecting and delivering metal from across the UK. We currently make more than 6,000 annual collections, with our current fleet of 12 lorries clocking up in the region of 41,000 miles, per vehicle, every year.

How we’re reducing our impact on the environment

At the same time as racking up all those thousands of annual collections, deliveries and miles, we’re also working hard behind the scenes to cut our carbon footprint in so many ways. This includes:

• Educating all of our drivers on how to implement SAFED (Safe and Fuel Efficient) driving - backed by the Department of Transport, the SAFED training programme teaches LGV drivers how to adopt driving techniques that use up to 15% less fuel and emit fewer air pollutants
• Reducing vehicle idling time – by installing telematic systems in all of our lorries that enable us to monitor vehicle activity and ultimately reduce fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. We also encourage our drivers to use cruise control when it’s safe and appropriate to do so
• Paying closer attention to our routes – this helps make sure all of our drivers make the most fuel-efficient journeys. We're constantly monitoring live traffic alerts to help them avoid being stuck in any traffic jams that will increase the amount of time they're out on the road too
• Fitting air deflectors in all of our lorries – that are designed to guide airflow over the vehicles, helping reduce emissions?and fuel consumption in the process
• Inspecting our fleet on a regular basis – we carry out tyre inspections every month, which involves checking for any wear and tear and making sure the air pressure hasn’t dropped, which can reduce fuel consumption by 3%. We also carry out all-over vehicle checks and maintenance every six weeks to make sure our fleet remains in an excellent condition?
• Regularly investing in new lorries – we’re continuing to update our fleet with more fuel-efficient models. Our latest investment was at the start of the year, when we took delivery of a DAF LF 260, which is Euro 6 compliant. We’re currently awaiting delivery of two DAF CF vehicles, which are due on-site in a couple of months’ time

We’re extremely proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but also recognise there’s still more we can, and are doing, to continue our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint company-wide.

At the same time, we’re also helping our customers take significant sustainability-focused strides forward too. For more details, take a look at this blog, ‘How we helped Origin Global 100% improve their scrap recycling rates.’