The Storage.co.uk Award for Environmental Awareness

The Storage.co.uk award for environmental awareness was designed to reward the self storage companies who make the biggest efforts to minimise the impacts of their activities on the environment.

We were looking for proof of a definite commitment to this idea across multiple areas of the business, with a well thought-out, detailed plan for how to lessen environmental impacts that form part of a coherent strategy.

Self storage firms that take a green approach to doing business are good for everyone. They help themselves by cutting energy bills, as they become more energy-efficient or start generating energy themselves; they help customers by lowering their individual carbon footprints; and they help everyone else by slowing down the impacts of global warming on our planet.

In an ideal world, all self storage businesses would put being environmentally-friendly at the heart of their agenda – but as we don’t live in one, all those that have made the effort deserve to be warmly congratulated.

Here, in alphabetical order, are the five winners:

Attic Self Storage – This independent self storage firm in Bow, East London has made considerable effort to be green, led by their enthusiastic founder, Frederic de Ryckman de Betz. These include sourcing all their packing materials renewably, installing electronic starting downlights, hosting a cardboard box recycling facility on-site, and sourcing its energy from renewable sources.

Flexistore – One of Britain’s few mobile self storage firms, Flexistore has eight branches spread around the UK. They help the environment through only buying Land Rover vehicles to move their trailers around, as these are carbon offset for the first 45,000 miles. Each one is retired after it has done this many, so they never start having a negative impact. In each of the past eight years, the firm has also planted 41 trees near its Edinburgh headquarters, as this is the number they’ve calculated will offset their annual carbon emissions of 30 tonnes.

Parrett Self Storage – A small, independent self storage centre in Martock, Somerset that punches above its weight as a friend of the environment. They installed solar panels on the roof of their facility two years ago, generating energy which is stored in gel batteries, and used to power lighting inside the units, a doorbell and yard siren. They also have bold plans to generate even more power from a waterwheel in future, demonstrating a full and long-term commitment to being green.

Pickfords Removals and Storage – National specialists in domestic and international removals, Pickfords have recently branched out into dedicated self storage, an area which is covered by their company-wide environmental policy. This is an ambitious plan which received ISO 14001 Environment accreditation from the British Standards Institution, and includes commitments to reduce waste, use fewer resources and recycle more materials.

The Store Room – The Manchester-based self storage firm with six locations around the North has involved the Carbon Trust in formulating their environmental policy. Electricity usage at all their sites is now monitored using meters, accompanied by sensor-activated lights and heating on timers. Every branch has recycling bins to encourage customers to dispose of their waste responsibly, and all packaging materials are now made out of recycled materials.

One Response to “The Storage.co.uk Award for Environmental Awareness”

1. HomeStore says:

   October 14, 2010 at 6:11 am

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