Wholesaler JW Filshill, having achieved its pledge to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 five years ahead of target, is still prioritising sustainability in its 150th anniversary year, it says.
The company has revealed it has reached this target five years early, boosted by a relocation to the new Renfrew site, significant investment in electric HGV vehicles, solar panels and LED lighting, and transitioning to HVO fuel for all diesel-powered operations at its Westway Business Park.
Filshill, which relocated to its purpose-built 120,400 sq.ft. distribution centre at Westway, near Glasgow Airport in March 2023, has also committed to investing in a software platform that will assist greatly in tracking Scope 3 emissions, which cover greenhouse gases.
Keith Geddes (above right), chief financial and operating officer, said: “We’ve made huge strides around sustainability within the business and leading the way within the wholesale sector not just in terms of Scotland but across the UK.
“We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 8% in the last year alone and invested in two fully electric HGVs. We’ve looked at several innovations to further reduce our CO2 emissions including switching to hydrogenated vegetable oil for all our HGVs at Westway, and this has been a game-changer for us as it’s a much cleaner fuel than diesel.”
Geddes added that getting all staff on board, across all departments, has been key: “From fairly simply measures such as reducing paper invoices and switching to e-invoicing and using both sides of a printed page - small actions make a huge difference over time.”
The wholesaler is also aiming to raise £150,000 in its anniversary year for six charities which represent large demographics of the communities they serve as part of the anniversary celebrations. Chosen by Filshill staff, the charities are CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland), Dementia Scotland, Cancer Research UK, MND Scotland, the SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and GroceryAid.
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