Our main aim is to minimise the impact our operations have on the environment and the natural resources we consume.
We conducted our first carbon footprint analysis with the aim of understanding where we are having the most impact in our operations and supply chain. This work has been completed for our scope 1 and 2 emissions to the ISO 14064-3 standard. We now work towards establishing our Scope 3 emissions and identifying the ‘hotspots’ and key areas for improvement across our operations and product categories. By accurately assessing and analysing where we are most impactful, we can more effectively target areas to reduce our carbon footprint.
At Portwest, we are proud to be partnered with organisations that actively work towards making deliveries more efficient and reduce their overall carbon footprint. These organisations include both electric and hybrid vehicles to deliver our products, which is actively reducing our downstream transport and distribution emissions. We have begun to implement EV charging Stations at our warehouses and offices, an investment by Portwest that we know will make electric vehicles more attractive to our team.
Our long-term goal at Portwest is to limit the amount of packaging needed for business operations and opt for 100% sustainable or recyclable product packaging where commercially possible.
We solidified our commitment to reducing plastic in our supply chain by 2025 by signing up to up to the UK Plastics Act in 2021. The ambitious targets include:
We have improved our packaging on a global scale and have made some significant changes to date, including moving all garment packaging to recycled and recyclable LDPE polybags, replacing single use plastic lock pins with cotton string which can be recycled or composted, and have replaced gel silica’s with a natural dri clay desiccant which is biodegradable, or removed them altogether.
Resources are finite and so managing waste effectively is a priority for Portwest, therefore we are working towards the long-term goal of zero waste to landfill. Our waste reduction efforts are driven by our Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001), which defines our practices related to the handling and disposal of operational waste. Other drivers for reducing waste include regulatory requirements, cost reduction, and changes to the availability of local waste infrastructure.
