Barrett Steel going green

Intelligent lighting, which turns lights on or off when someone enters or leaves a room and adjusts brightness to the time of day and conditions, has been installed, and where this is not cost-effective ‘e-boxes’ have been introduced to reduce consumption by up to 40%.

Company vehicles have been targeted in a number of ways, from reducing the amount of water used to wash HGVs, to tracking fuel consumption and fitting new vehicles with start/stop technology so that vehicle engines cut out when stationary at traffic lights etc. Limits have been set on CO2 emissions, and vehicle routes are planned to be as fuel-efficient as possible, which also reduces gas emissions.

To address potential waste from packaging, Barrett Steel tracks the use of plastics and cardboard in packaging, recycles as much as possible and applies strict adherence to packaging regulations. Water waste is tracked in much the same way.

On the factory floor advanced software helps reduce wastage by calculating how to get as much product out of raw material as possible, while more energy efficient compressors are being used in production.

Other initiatives include reducing the amount of paper used by promoting electronic means of filing and communication, and replacing solvent-based paints with water soluble alternatives.

Melanie Bray, director of integrated management systems at Barrett Group, says: “We take our duties as a socially responsible company very seriously. The senior management team is leading a number of initiatives to reduce our reliance on natural resources and improve resource utilisation. These are essential in meeting the demands of our business.

“Future plans include reducing light bulb voltage from 14v to 12v across the group and putting a shut-off policy in place which would involve tagging electronic equipment to indicate whether they can be turned off when not in use.

“We are also investigating the possibility of rainwater harvesting for vehicle washing.”
As part of the campaign Barrett is addressing its responsibility to local communities by reducing noise pollution, liaising with local residents to discuss operating times, and reducing atmospheric pollution by making sites as visually appealing as possible.