Lyreco’s environmental efforts scoops international award
The Shropshire based workplace and office supplies specialist Lyreco has been crowned as one of the greenest businesses of its kind after picking up another accolade for its ongoing strategy to reduce its impact on the environment.
Lyreco has won a Green Apple Award from The Green Organisation, an international, independent, non-political and non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.
As a result, Lyreco has been invited to have its winning paper published in The Green Book, the leading international work of reference on environmental best practice so other organisations around the world can follow and learn from its example.
In the past two months, Lyreco has picked up two other high profile honours for its commitment to becoming a more sustainable business and lowering its environmental footprint.
It won the Environment and Sustainability Award at the SHD Logistics Awards, which celebrate excellence in the logistics industry, and the Environmental Award at the British Office Supplies & Services (BOSS) Industry Awards for the fifth year in a row.
Lyreco has implemented a series of initiatives across its network of 27 Regional Distribution Centres and satellite centres in the UK and Ireland. Its central National Distribution Centre and Head Office is in Telford, Shropshire.
They have included installing a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system – the fourth largest in the UK – at its National Distribution Centre in Telford, achieving zero landfill at the National Distribution Centre and Head Office with a recycling rate of 97 per cent, and reducing its electricity consumption by 39 per cent in four years.
It has introduced an apiary on site at its Telford headquarters to boost the country’s ailing honeybee population and a social auditing programme for all Lyreco branded products manufactured in developing countries covering social, human rights and health, safety and environmental conditions.
The firm is also committed to sustainable packaging by not repacking goods, using recyclable material and optimising parcels and offers recycling of batteries, toners and paper for its customers.
Two years ago it introduced TomTom Telematics and tracking systems to the 315 vans in its fleet, with the aim of increasing fuel efficiency and promoting safer driver behaviour. In that time, it has achieved a 13 per cent saving in fuel in the UK and a 32 per cent reduction in Ireland through improved route optimisation.
Peter Hradisky is Lyreco’s Managing Director, overseeing the UK and Ireland operation and its 1,400 employees.
He said: “These awards are external verification that our five-year strategy to reduce our environmental impact in every step of Lyreco’s business is working.
“We continuously strive to be a more sustainable organisation by researching ways we can reduce our environmental impact and increase our contribution to local community and society while engaging employees, suppliers and customers on the journey.
“Sustainability is embedded in all areas of our business and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the next five years,” he added.
To learn more about Lyreco’s Environmental and Sustainability initiatives, visit eco.lyreco.co.uk/gbr/.