LEAMINGTON SPA: Wolseley UK has achieved the Carbon Trust Standard for cutting the carbon footprint of all of its UK operations including all subsidiaries.
After a rigorous assessment period, Wolseley UK has been officially certified in recognition of measuring, managing, and reducing carbon emissions by nearly 18 per cent based on a compliance period of 1st August 2009 to 31st July 2010. The company also achieved a qualitative assessment score of 76%, which, according to the Carbon Trust, ‘reflects demonstrated effectiveness at responding to climate change through governance, carbon accounting and carbon management’.
Harry Morrison, general manager of the Carbon Trust Standard Company, explains: “We congratulate Wolseley UK on its achievement of the Carbon Trust Standard. Today, being a good carbon citizen isn’t just about looking good on paper. Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard gives Wolseley UK the true emissions data it needs to build the appropriate carbon reduction strategies and set the right path.”
Becky Lascelles, environment and CR coordinator at Wolseley UK, comments: “We are thrilled to be awarded Carbon Trust certification and it is testament to all the hard work that the entire Wolseley team has put into our carbon saving initiatives over the past five years.”
Wolseley has improved environmental performance by focusing on key areas of waste, energy and transport. Initiatives have included introducing a backhauling process where clear plastic, cardboard and pallets are transported to larger sites for consolidation and recycling, which reduces waste sent to landfill. The company has also embarked on a roll- out programme for the installation of SMART meters for electricity across all branches, to accurately monitor and, in turn, save on energy consumption.
Ms Lascelles adds: “To maintain and improve our environmental standards we have introduced a number of challenging environmental targets for 2012. We are aiming as a company to halve waste sent to landfill, reduce energy consumption by 10 per cent and reduce water consumption by 5 per cent to demonstrate our continued commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”
Wolseley UK will become a ‘Standard Bearer’ for the Carbon Trust, which means that they will be included on the trust website.
