Our Harrogate home

We like to do things properly, and we know that sustainable energy initiatives have to start at home.

That’s why all of our new building development follows the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment (BREEAM) method. This special design philosophy is meant to put environmental consideration at the forefront of design, and it has encouraged us to implement some really forward-thinking elements. 

We built huge windows and skylights into our factory so that we can cut down on the need for electric lighting. We’ve also installed a biomass boiler — so that we can burn FSC-certified wood chips to heat our factory.

We also make good use of the resources we’re exposed to and have installed big sets of solar panels on our factory roofs.

In our 2023 financial year, our solar panels generated a total of 175,301 kWh of electricity. According to OVO energy, the average household uses 2,700 kWh of energy per year so our solar panels generated energy for the equivalent of 64 average sized homes!

As a modern business, we always look to technological solutions where we can. BEMS is one such clever innovation that we use. BEMS stands for Building Energy Management System, and it’s all about being smarter about energy use. BEMS allows our property team to control the hours and conditions in which heating, cooling and lighting systems operate.

This really helps to minimise energy consumption by making sure that gas and electricity are only being used when they’re required. It also ensures that people working in and visiting our buildings can enjoy a comfortable environment all year round. 

We also use modern technology to reduce emissions in our supply chain. Every day, trucks haul tonnes of tea and coffee across the country, and burn quite a lot of fuel in the process. We want to make sure that our trucks operate as efficiently as they possibly can, which is why we use ultra-modern vehicles with engines that are designed to maximise fuel economy, and cut down on harmful emissions. To that end, we have successfully trialled hydrogenated vegetable oil in our logistics fleet which has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of our logistics operation by 90%’.

We also take care to maintain our vehicles, and use ADBLUE to reduce nitrous oxide emissions across our fleet. 

And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve equipped all of our vehicles with on-board telematics that allow us to monitor fuel consumption, and spot any problems before they cause undue damage to the environment. Working like this, we hope to cut down on unnecessary waste wherever we can, and build a cleaner, greener business with a neutral carbon footprint.