Logistics company makes the drive for more businesses to go Green
Supply chain experts Wincanton have made the switch to renewable energy with SSE Green, and are now urging other organisations to realise the benefits.
As the head of corporate social responsibility at the largest British logistics company, Steve Tainton knows only too well the importance of being green and considering their impact on the environment.
With fleets of trucks, multiple warehouse locations and operations throughout the country, including Motherwell, Wincanton is always looking for new ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
And five years ago Steve found a credible solution – sourcing electricity exclusively generated through wind and hydro power.1
“We’re a logistics company so our business is transport and warehousing. When you look at our environmental impact, a significant amount is from transport,” explained Steve, who has worked with Wincanton for seven years.
“Electricity is also a major carbon emission source for us. So we decided to register our interest in renewable energy by buying green electricity.”
Wincanton is an SSE Green energy customer, which means all the electricity it buys comes with a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificate, ensuring every kilowatt-hour comes from renewable sources.
All our mainland UK operations that we buy the electricity for use renewable energy, and we’ve been doing so for more than five years now.
We work to enable a safe and sustainable environment, so it makes sense to review all aspects of our operations.
As well as improving the company’s green credentials, Steve also praises the SSE Green tariff for providing Wincanton with a competitive edge.
Recent evidence has shown that being environmentally responsible has a positive impact on business growth, with an 18-year Harvard Business School study even finding these companies outperform other businesses in both long-term financial performance and stock market growth.2
“We are a business-to-business company, so a lot of our clients are very keen to demonstrate not only their own green credentials but that of their suppliers too,” said Steve.
“All the business we bid for has an environmental angle to it, so being able to demonstrate we are committed to using green energy as well as always making continual improvements to our operations allows us to compete and differentiates us from the competition.”
“It is important and I would be amazed if there were any small or medium businesses that weren’t considering their impact on the environment. It’s crucial.”
Steve also admits the cost of using renewable energy was much lower than he had first anticipated, which is an added bonus for businesses looking to go green.
He said: “When we first started looking at green tariffs we did realise it might cost more. But it’s better value than we would have expected."
- Backed by a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin where electricity consumption used is matched to an equivalent volume generated by our wind and hydro assets then exported to the national grid.
- Harvard Business School Study, The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Process and Performance.