As a globally recognised event, this year’s #EarthDay takes place on 22 April. We will be joining with other businesses and sectors internationally to raise awareness of how we can engage responsibly and innovatively in sustainable practices. This year, #EarthDay is looking at ending plastics for the sake of human and planetary health by demanding a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. Here, our design and innovation director, Dean shares his thoughts on ACS’ track record to reduce waste… 
#EarthDay has annually raised awareness of key environmental issues since 1970, ensuring that businesses, homes and the wider community continue to focus on the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. As the largest civic event on earth, it engages billions of people from all walks of life worldwide to take positive action to protect our planet.
It is widely acknowledged that the construction industry has a huge impact on the environment – from manufacturers to builders and construction supply chain providers, the sector is notorious for its use of plastics and other materials, second only to the food industry in being the highest user of single use plastics, resulting in trade-related waste.
That is why as we have grown as a business, we have also remained committed to sustainability innovation. Our proactive approach in pioneering new ways to help reduce our carbon footprint have resulted in ACS being able to proudly retain its carbon neutral status for the second year on the run. Strategies such as using shrink wrap instead of stretch film to cover pallets, with shrink wrap proven to have less impact on the environment. We’ve also bypassed the requirement for stickers or labels on our angles, with all references now laser etched on.
This year we also became the first business in our sector to achieve approved Science Based Targets for near-term and long-term carbon reduction.
Initiatives that have contributed to these achievements include:
- Our purpose built factory, with an EPC rating of 3 (Band A) includes a factory roof which houses 249.98Kw photovoltaic renewable energy solar panels, capable of producing almost 1 Mega Watt of electricity per day.
- Our use of modern energy efficient equipment such as auto-dimming LED lighting, a maximum level of insulation which means we don’t need to heat the space, even in freezing temperatures.
- Our fully electric mechanical handling fleet and other electric vehicles
- All extracted fumes from welding are passed through carbon scrubbers before being released back into the production area, meaning that there is no extraction to the atmosphere
- Precision nesting in laser cutting creates significantly less wastage, which is both economically and environmentally beneficial
- Zero percent of our waste goes to landfill – including the very small number of plastics which are recycled.
We are always exploring new ways in which we can further improve our sustainability credentials and proudly join other like-minded businesses within the sector in the fight to #EndPlastics this #EarthDay. For more information please view this video.
Article originally published on 22nd April 2024