£35K investment in upgraded lighting
An ongoing environmental focus at GWP Group
GWP has invested £30K alongside a £5K green grant to upgrade the factory, warehouse and office lighting to LEDs.
Working with an established installer of LED lighting systems, the project not only reduces the environmental impact of GWP’s Cricklade manufacturing site but will also improve lighting standards, health and safety and will see a return on investment in approximately three years.
With the installation taking approximately three weeks during January, the project represents another step forward in terms of GWP’s focus on environmental responsibility.
The LED upgrade and installation
The installation was carried out by LED Lights 4 You and involved the replacement of all existing metal halide and fluorescent fittings with LED “high bay” and battens.
Making the changes reduces energy usage by 114,000Kwh per year and lowers C02 emissions by 47 tons per year.
The expected return on investment – the point where the energy savings have paid for the installation – is estimated at three years from installation.
Barry Cuss, Plant and Services Manager at GWP, said:
This task has been challenging due to limited space and access to infrastructure. But whilst this represents a significant outlay, it promises to lessen the environmental impact of the business, return a saving on energy usage and increase the lighting standards within the facility.
Managing Director Ruth Cook added:
Even though corrugated packaging has a recycling rate of around 84% in the UK – the highest recycling rate of any packaging – GWP is still acutely aware of the perception of packaging and the negative effect it can have if not managed correctly. That is why environmental responsibility is taken so seriously, and this latest investment, whilst just another small step, should have a significant long-term impact.
About LED Lights 4 You
GWP worked on the project with the well-known and established supplier of LED lighting solutions – LED Lights 4 You.
The company are accredited with the Carbon Trust and enabled GWP the opportunity to apply for a grant of £5,000 from the Green Business Grants programme.
All lights and LED panels fitted comply with the new 2017 EC Directive on replacing inefficient lighting.
Other benefits include the LEDs being maintenance-free and twice as efficient as GWP’s old lighting.
LED Lights 4 You also surveyed the existing lighting, made recommendations on light quality, gave energy comparisons and provided a full installation service. The service included TUV certification, five years warranty and an estimated 50,000 hours of operational life.
Other environmental initiatives at GWP
However, this investment is simply the latest in several environmentally focused projects.
For example, within the last five years, GWP has installed extensive systems and equipment for automatic waste collection throughout manufacturing.
Besides actively encouraging a virtually waste-free process company-wide, the collected corrugated material is compacted and baled into 420 kg bundles fully recycled by several carefully chosen partners. Approximately 450 tonnes of waste corrugated material are efficiently recycled each year.
Of course, the focus on recycling doesn’t end there.
Where possible, all material used to manufacture your packaging is recycled (and recyclable). The corrugated board types used boast the highest recycling rate (around 84%) of any form of packaging in the UK.
Due to this, GWP has also significantly focused on using recycled materials to replace those that are less kind to the environment.
This strategy includes the development of corrugated cradles and cushioning to protect items in transit without the need for polystyrene, foams, and other void fills that are difficult to recycle.
Besides this, GWP also manufactures and supplies corrugated cardboard reels and spools, which are lighter and more material-efficient than traditional woods or plastics.
Finally, GWP has also become FSC® certified, ensuring that the material used in your packaging is from well-managed forests.
Find out more
If you would like any further information on GWP Groups’ environmental policies, please click here to visit the environment section of this website.
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About the Author
Matt has worked in the packaging industry for over 10 years, having joined GWP Group as Marketing Executive in 2012. [Read full bio]
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