National Windscreens has taken steps to further its environmental and sustainability objectives across all areas of the business, looking at every intricate detail to minimise carbon emissions.
A broader focus on environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) is playing out across all facets of the UK economy, not least against the backdrop of the current COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Elaine Duffy, compliance manager at National Windscreens, said: “ESG is at the forefront of our operations, particularly with regards to energy efficiency, and we are increasingly focused on sustainability together with our impact on the environment.
“During the last 12 months we have put in place a stringent, new glass recycling policy and an environment safe waste policy across National Windscreens. This covers virtually every aspect of our operations.”
Replacing a windscreen can mean a 44kg tariff of CO2 emissions, compared to near zero for repair. National Windscreens technicians follow a strict policy that makes sure we always repair where possible, operating within industry standards regarding when a windscreen can be repaired safely.
Elaine Duffy, UK Compliance Manager at National Windscreens“In 2018 we moved to become a ‘zero landfill’ company in relation to our waste. This was achieved through reducing waste whenever possible, looking at reuse, recycling, and finally, when all other avenues have been exhausted, waste being sent to be converted to energy.
“In 2020 we undertook an audit of our waste streams to identify areas of improvement. One of our early findings was that we could significantly reduce the use of polythene tubing, and we continued to maintain and grow our excellent work on recycling and green initiatives,” Elaine added.
Already this year, across National Windscreens, targets are being met to gradually replace staff vehicles with new hybrid or electric-powered vehicles, and new fleets of technician vans introduced are of the latest Euro 6 standards.
“We identified that a significant aspect was the use of fuel in company vans and other vehicles. As well as cascading to electric vehicles for company cars, route planning for booked jobs ensured that fuel consumption was kept to the lowest possible figure whilst still meeting customer expectations,” Elaine said.
Electric vehicle charging points have already been installed across National Windscreens, with the most recent being at our distribution and contact centre at St. Phillips in Bristol, where we are striving to become carbon neutral and achieve ISO 14021:2016.