Hako pledges to be ‘net zero’ by 2023
With the environmental crisis rising up the global agenda, Hako Machines Ltd is committed to reducing its carbon emissions and has pledged to be a ‘net zero’ company by 2023.
In the immediate future, net zero will be achieved by carbon offsetting to quickly reduce the company’s impact on the environment and as a result, Hako has committed to planting over 2,000 trees in 2023.
Overseeing the environmental policies and responsible for the ongoing activity is Adam Bennett, who has been in charge of health and safety at Hako for the past ten years.
“I naturally progressed into the role,” explains Adam. “After many years of achieving high level qualifications, I wanted to further my knowledge in environmental compliance and can now put those learnings into action.”
The first of Adam’s objectives was to get a full picture of Hako’s carbon footprint and its current status. From there, he started to investigate with the senior management team how improvements and more importantly reductions can be made.
“There are no quick wins,” he adds. “This is going to be a journey of little steps, but each will have a long term impact. It is more about educating people and helping them get in the mindset that if we all don’t make changes in how we work and how we live, if we don’t make changes, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Analysing the data, 62% of Hako’s carbon footprint was attributed to its road usage and fuel, which is predicted to drop by 20 per cent in the coming months just by educating drivers on more economical ways to use the vehicles as well as investing in electric alternatives. It is also investigating renewable energy sources and how these can be utilised to the best effect.
In the meantime, Hako is encouraging using technologies that are available to reduce travel such as video conference systems as well as continuing its strategy to recycle and re-utilise equipment after first life.
Just six per cent of Hako’s carbon footprint was down to wastage. In order to reduce this further, Hako is working with Baxter Environmental to oversee its waste management, providing three waste skips at the Crick HQ. Cardboard and wood are now split into separate skips to minimise the use of general waste.
Baxter’s will also provide a carbon emissions report, so Hako knows how it is performing from an environmental point of view.
After promoting its Environmental Policy internally, staff are assisting with the goals. Municipal Sales Manager Paul Hayward suggested more recycling and so various recycling bins to allow domestic kitchen recycling can now be found in the staff communal areas.
“We ensure that energy efficiency is at the heart of any key project going forward,” says Sylvie Giangolini, Managing Director. “From the reduction of using printed materials to the vehicles our service engineers drive, we strive to make our company more environmentally aware. As the cleaning machines we sell become more energy efficient, so do we as a business. We are wholly committed to our carbon zero pledge.”
For more information on how Hako Machines Ltd is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, please complete an enquiry form on our Contact-us page or call 01788 825600