Environment
When considering our impact on the environment we divide this into three distinct sections, Infrastructure, Products and Transportation.
Infrastructure (Shops, Offices and Warehouses)
Within our UK operations we have a number of shops, offices and warehouses where we work hard to reduce our impact on the environment in all locations.
Case Study: Our main office in Erith has recently had its roof replaced. During this process the insulation was up rated to improve the energy efficiency of the building. This has helped us to reduce our energy consumption both for heating in the winter months and air-conditioning during the summer.
Within our facilities we have collection points for recycling as many different materials as we can. For items with special disposal requirements we also have dedicated collection points to ensure these are disposed of in the correct manner.
Case Study: The equipment in our server room has recently been replaced. Through the use of virtual machines we have been able to reduce our server room energy requirements both in terms of electricity requirements and also through reduced air conditioning as the new equipment produces considerably less waste heat.
Products
We work hard on ensuring our products are as environmentally friendly as possible. With our specialist products it is sometimes difficult to find a compromise between a high quality, effective product and one that is environmentally friendly however it is something we believe passionately in and is always a top priority irrespective of cost. Our work to improve the environmental credentials of both new and existing chemical products includes ensuring products are AOX free, reducing the VOC content and use of phosphorous compounds and ensuring products are as biodegradable as possible.
Where possible our products are supplied in packaging that can be recycled. Our product managers are working to improve our product packaging further to ensure it is lightweight, recyclable and made from sustainable resources.
Case Study: In partnership with our printer we operate a Print and Plant scheme. This means when we produce printed material a donation is made to the Kent Free Trees Scheme which enables them replace more trees than were used in the production process.
Transportation
With the largest direct sales force in the industry the impact of the Würth fleet is something that can't be ignored. The size of our fleet coupled with the distribution of our goods undoubtedly has an effect on the UK transport network and the environment. Face to face contact with our customers is key to the Würth philosophy and not something that is going to change so instead we focus on minimising the impact of our fleet. When choosing our vehicles we try to keep the majority of the fleet to smaller, more fuel-efficient, CO2 friendly vehicles. Our sales management work with their teams on journey planning to minimise the distances travelled thereby reducing the use of natural resources and emissions from the vehicles. It is our aim to further improve our efficiency over the coming years.
Case Study: By using a computerised picking and packing system we are able to ensure that each order is dispatched in the most appropriate size box. This saves on packing and optimises the number of packages we can fit on each truck. This in turn reduces the number of lorries needed to transport your orders to you. By reducing the number of lorries we believe this makes a real saving in use of fuel and CO2 emissions.