Environment

DP Seals is committed to sustainable business practices and as such operates an environmental management system to the requirements of ISO 14001. This is an ongoing process for us and we are continually looking for opportunities to improve.

As part of this process we have signed up to Make it Net Zero, an initiative organised by SWMAS who are partners in the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign. We have now completed an initial review and diagnostic of our current carbon emissions position and are working with SWMAS, which is providing more detailed technical advice and support, on our action plan to bring these down.  As a signatory member to this scheme we have committed to the following:

1.  For our company to achieve Net Zero in line with the Science Based targets set out by the UNFCCC i.e. to achieve Net Zero no later than 2050 and target a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030.
2. To set realistic short and long term targets for achieving our Net Zero commitments.
3. To report the total Greenhouse Gas emissions of our business regularly and for our performance to be part of the Community’s annual reporting back to the UNFCCC.

Of course caring for our environment isn’t just about reducing our carbon footprint. At DP Seals we see it as much more than that. Reducing waste and pollution, being more efficient and creating a great working environment for our people are also key to our activities. Bearing that in mind we organise our activities around the four R’s – Reviewing, Reducing, Recycling and Rejuvenating.

Reviewing – (changing our use)

A key part of environmental policy is the ongoing review of our supplies and suppliers to ensure we’re all doing our best for the environment. Here’s what we’ve actioned so far:

• Using pure white 100% recycled copier paper.
• Using the OceanHero search engine, which recovers the equivalent of 1 bottle worth of plastic from the sea, for every 5 searches we carry out.
• Replacing the packaging we use to ship our product with 92% recycled carboard boxes.
• Ensuring that all the plastic we use is fully recyclable.
• Our cleaning chemicals are green friendly.
• We buy 100% biodegradable tea bags which contain no polypropylene plastic. Everyone knows the importance of a good cuppa!
• Like most manufacturers since the Coronavirus pandemic our demand for hand soap has gone up dramatically so to help this we buy liquid soap in bulk containers for refilling dispensers.

One of the key areas we’ll be working on next is looking at how we can move to renewable energy supplies which will be one of the biggest impacts on reducing our carbon footprint.

Reducing – (using less and minimising our impact)

One of the best ways to protect our environment is to use less, so we also focus on reducing our use and impact where we can. Over the last few years we have managed to reduce our carbon footprint by focusing on more efficient use of energy and water. This has been achieved by:

• Moving to a water meter
• Installing soft start motors on machinery
• Installing LED lighting which reduces electricity usage by approximately 75%.
• In addition all our process fumes are filtered, using synthetic filters which are changed every month.
• We have stopped purchasing plastic water bottles and have installed water coolers supplied by AquaAid instead. As part of this AquaAid donate to the Africa Trust who then install water pumps to help deliver fresh drinking water to the people who need it most.

Post the initial diagnostic from SWMAS, outlined above, we are now exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles either through reducing miles or moving to electric vehicles.

Recycling – (re-using)

In addition to reviewing and reducing our use we recycle wherever we can:

• All our waste paper and cardboard is separated and sent for recycling.
• All the plastic we use is recyclable.
• We only use recycled paper hand towels.
• Long life non-recyclable plastic milk pots that have now been replaced by a type that has 50% less packing and are recyclable.

Rejuvenating – (reinvigorating people and planet)

Of course environmental wellbeing goes two ways. We can enjoy our environment whilst also protecting it. In this regard we actively encourage our people to sign up to the government’s Cycling Scheme.

Of course there is more that we can all do. What does your company do? If you have ideas we can learn from we’d be more than happy to hear them. Get in touch with dave@dpseals.com