Is 2024 the year your business will go green?
Smart move.
Implementing just a few small changes can gradually reduce the effects of climate change – benefitting the environment and society.
More than that, though, integrating sustainable initiatives can be advantageous for your business – helping to boost your competitiveness and reduce your costs.
Adopting green initiatives can enhance your brand image and reputation, too – making your business more appealing to eco-conscious clientele.
But the question is, how do you get your products from A to B sustainably?
John K. Philips has the perfect solution.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about green warehousing, including what a ‘green warehouse’ is and how to choose the best one for your business operations.
What is a green warehouse?
A green warehouse represents a shift from traditional warehousing practices – prioritising the environment and sustainable initiatives.
Warehouses like ours are not only great for storing goods until you’re ready to distribute them. They can help businesses to streamline their operations whilst also making it easier to track and manage inventory.
Green warehousing can help reduce carbon footprints and save energy – keeping operational costs as low as possible.
Choosing to store goods at a green warehouse also resonates with customers, employees, and stakeholders – demonstrating your commitment to sustainability.
6 factors to consider when choosing a green warehouse
1. Location
Choosing a location that’s within proximity to suppliers and customers can help cut down your transportation costs and speed up delivery times whilst controlling your inventory.
It’s also worth finding a green warehouse with excellent transport links for deliveries and clients.
Following a recent move from St Helens, our green warehouse or ZEB (Zero Emissions Building) is now based in Westbrook, Warrington. Just off the M62 and with the M6 just a few miles east, you can easily transport freight to and from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) and Manchester Airport (MAN), as well as major ports in Holyhead, Hull, Tyne, and Plymouth.
2. Reputation
Finding a warehouse with a positive reputation and a proven track record to deliver excellent customer service is a real bonus and gives you an insight into the type of service you can expect.
It’s also crucial to select a warehousing company that has the infrastructure and experience to respond to your needs quickly – addressing any potential issues efficiently.
3. Renewable energy sources
Most green warehouses contribute to sustainability by harnessing renewable energy sources, including rooftop solar panels to power the warehouse and equipment such as electric forklift trucks.
LED lights and automated sensors provide long-lasting, energy saving lighting, which is great for lowering carbon emissions.
It’s also worth finding out what the warehouse’s EPC rating is. EPC stands for ‘Energy Performance Certificate’ and ratings range from A to G, with A+ being the highest and G being the lowest.
4. BREEAM certification
BREEAM stands for ‘Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology’ and assesses the sustainability of buildings in the UK.
Developments are rated and certified on a scale of Unclassified, Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent, and Outstanding.
When choosing where to store your goods, consider a green warehouse with an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM rating to ensure you’re doing the most to protect the environment.
5. Integrated green logistics solutions
Want to optimise logistics operations whilst minimising your negative impact on the environment?
Find a warehousing company (like us) that offers adequate storage space for palletised goods, as well as pick-and-pack fulfilment, advanced barcoding systems, and real-time inventory tracking all under one roof.
This will make matters easier for you – saving you a great deal of time and money – and also cutting down on pollutants by endorsing greener practices all round.
6. Technology and systems
Believe it or not, the technology and systems in place at a warehouse can have a knock on effect for your business operations.
A green warehouse that uses digital systems to optimise inventory management and advanced barcoding and pick and pack systems will ensure speedy fulfilment.
As a bonus, see if the company offers shipment consolidation and optimised delivery routes to reduce transportation costs and increase the speed of deliveries to meet growing demands. We certainly do at John K. Philips!
Make John K. Philips your first choice
When you search ‘Green Warehouse Near Me’ on Google, you’ll discover a wide range of companies.
However, celebrating 50 years in the transport and logistics industry, few offer more knowledge and experience than us at John K. Philips and you’ll be hard-pushed to beat our 135,000sq. ft warehouse facilities in the North West!
We’re confident that we can accommodate the storage and distribution needs of all our clients, whilst offering the most competitive prices.
We’re proud to say that our green warehouse scored top marks in an energy performance assessment – awarding us with an A+ energy certificate rating. And thanks to our environmentally-friendly features, we have an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.
Our experts are always on hand to help, so if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll do everything we can to provide you with the answers you need to make an informed decision.
To discuss your requirements in further detail with a member of our friendly team, call 01744 751 000.
You can also send your queries to info@johnkphilips.co.uk, and we’ll get back in touch with more information as soon as possible.