More than ever, manufacturers and consumers alike are concerned about the state of the environment and the reduction of our individual and collective carbon footprint. Combine this with the new wave of government legislation based around environmental concerns in the UK, and it’s no wonder why there are so few companies left who are not taking that extra step towards a greener future.
It was recently found that over two-thirds of the UK population favour a faster solution to climate change, despite the government’s existing legal commitment to bring Britain to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In order to achieve this common goal, every sector, company and individual project has to operate with the environment in mind.
And it’s no longer just activist groups who are calling for change. Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency Aldersgate Group, recently gave a speech entitled “It’s the climate emergency, stupid”, in which he calls direct attention to the issue impacting everyone, everywhere, in every industry and community: climate change.
“It’s easy to state the problem,” stated Sir James Bevan. “The real issue is how we can tackle it successfully. I think we need to respond at three levels. We need a political and policy response from politicians and governments. We need an organisational response from businesses and organisations. And we need a public response, which is (not to put too fine a point about it) about changing the way we all live.”
Sir James Bevan’s point about an organised response from businesses is especially relevant to manufacturers, who inherently produce a lot of carbon emissions and waste material on a daily basis.
Therefore, innovative solutions are often required to address these problems, such as switching to a different form of fuel and selecting alternative options for waste management. There are also a range of new technologies which are set to reduce overall carbon emissions and avoid landfill dumping, like bioplastics and electrification.
Of course, there isn’t much point to these innovations if they are not utilised by manufacturing companies across all sectors.
As always, Made in the Midlands members are ahead of the curve. We’re always looking to champion UK manufacturing - and, when it comes to such a worthwhile cause, we thought we’d take some time to appreciate some of our members who specifically operate in the environmental sectors.
Pro Enviro
Operating with over 30 years of industry experience, Pro Enviro offer manufacturers expert consultancy in optimising their energy usage and low-carbon strategies. As well as helping their customers to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and keep up with changing policies and public opinion, Pro Enviro offer another valuable service: they help manufacturing companies to save money.
Pro Enviro put their expertise to use for manufacturers by sending their dedicated engineers to work on-site and produce detailed assessments of all processes and equipment. By then employing their vast experience and technical knowledge, as well as an analysis of each company’s energy data, Pro Enviro are able to advise customers on exactly where and how they can be making improvements to their energy usage.
This kind of information is invaluable to a company who is trying to become more environmentally conscious. It allows manufacturers to work according to a Low Carbon Strategy, which provides both short-term and long-term savings and benefits.
Recycling Management
One element you often find in the environmental sector of manufacturing is passion. It often takes a real commitment to improving the environment in order to make significant changes, and Recycling Management has no shortage of this.
Operating with a completely independent fleet of vehicles and a dedicated facility, Recycling Management offer a wide range of services to their customers, and work diligently to inform and educate every corner of the manufacturing world on how best to reduce their impact on the environment, as well as how to keep up with the latest regulations and policies.
Working both inside and outside of the UK, Recycling Management processes over 1,000 tonnes of metal every day, achieving total waste coverage and all the while ensuring that their passion is preserved at every level of operation.
Staysafe
Taking a much more focused approach to environmental management, Staysafe PPE are highly specialised in the recycling and repurposing of industrial PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and work gloves. For far too long, companies of all kinds who made use of PPE were simply sending them to landfills once they became damaged.
Then Staysafe came along, with their innovative methods of laundering, professionally cleaning, repairing and repurposing their customer’s PPE. Not only does this prevent a huge number of gloves, high-vis jackets, and other PPE from needlessly sitting in a landfill, but it also saves manufacturing companies a significant amount of money.
This specialised and targeted approach to waste recycling benefits everyone involved, and is therefore the best way to get more and more members of the manufacturing community on board with a greener future for the UK.
ADI Group
Currently boasting a formation of 17 limited companies, ADI offer a comprehensive range of engineering services and solutions which cover many different specialist divisions. Their widely encompassing approach to supplementing the manufacturing sectors means that they are always growing with the industry, evolving along with new trends and new waves of technologies.
This also means, of course, that ADI take measures to ensure that they remain the go-to choice for many manufacturing companies who are looking to save on energy expenditure and cut down on carbon emissions.
ADI take a customer-focused approach which is tailored to each company’s specific requirements and budget, meaning that a more environmentally friendly result can be achieved in all cases.
Power Capacitors
Utilising their vast experience and expertise as the leading specialists in Power Factor Correction, Power Capacitors Limited are focused on reducing the power usage of hundreds of companies across the UK.
Their PFC equipment is a reliable and proven method of reducing a manufacturing company’s impact on the environment. Every year, the equipment ensures that C02 emissions are reduced by an incredibly significant 1.24 million tonnes. In more relatable terms, this results in savings of thousands of pounds for companies who work with Power Capacitors.
Ultimately, Power Capacitors are the perfect choice for manufacturers who are looking for a proven, reliable and expert-lead method of reducing their C02 emissions and expenditure on power.
As you can see, the Made In family is rich with members who are passionate, experienced and knowledgeable about ways to improve the UK manufacturing industry’s impact on the environment.
To get involved and start making use of our comprehensive network of environmental experts, become a member today or upgrade your membership.