When we launched our new range of products last year, we decided to take the opportunity to redesign and minimise the amount of packaging that is used on our products. So our newest products are packed into paper bags (like this) rather than in plastic film inside a cardboard box, (like this). This has reduced the weight of packaging used per pack by almost 75% which is great news as it means that we are using less resources and there is just less packaging to potentially end up in our customers bins.

The only problem with this is that the bags are lined with a plastic film meaning that it can only be recycled if the film is removed first. To solve this problem, I've been investigating whether we can somehow make the bags biodegradable or compostable. Until recently I hadn't had much luck because most of the biodegradable film on the market was made from corn starch from a genetically modified source. Our products are organic, so this is definitely not an option for us! But I've recently been in touch with a couple of companies who may be able to make the film from biodegradable orientated polypropylene (OPP). This material is made of the same stuff as ordinary OPP but it has an additive in it which helps to break down the material quickly in the presence of light, heat and moisture. The idea is that they won't degrade when they are just sitting on a shelf, but will degrade on a compost heap or under landfill conditions. The manufacturers have said that trials of paper bags lined with this material have been successful so far, so it may be that we will be able to switch to these bags in the future. We are a step closer to biodegradable bags...

We have a large kettle in the staff eating area which is frequently left on to boil all day even when hot water is not needed. The main reason for this is that if someone forgets to switch it on before tea or lunch break, then no one gets hot drinks, so it's just easier to leave it on all the time. The trouble is that it's a 3kW kettle so if it's left on all day when no one needs it, that's a real waste of energy!

The answer to this problem is to put the kettle on a timer like this one, so that it switches itself on before break times start and off again when break times are over. That way everyone gets their hot drinks and no energy is wasted. This timer can be programmed to come on and off exactly when needed making it ideal for items that must be on at certain times or things that people tend to forget to switch off.

We’ve had quite a lot of success with our “switch off” campaign recently where we have encouraged staff to make sure all of the electrical equipment on the production line is switched off at the end of the day. Giving people a list of equipment that they need to turn off has really helped and much less is being left on overnight by accident.

However, the one thing I can’t get people to remember is to switch off the lights when they leave the changing rooms or toilets. For some reason they always forget. So to overcome this problem we’ve decided to make use of some very simple technology…I’ve just bought 8 of these timer switches to replace the light switches in all toilets and changing rooms. Once the button is pushed, the light stays on for 10 minutes, and then it automatically switches off. It should save us around £150 per year  - not a massive amount but worth doing all the same.

Junk mail…one of my pet hates! What a waste of time and paper both at home and at work. Like most businesses, we used to receive a lot of unwanted brochures, fliers, mail shots and general rubbish through the post and also by fax. So my colleagues who sort the mail and faxes have been calling up companies who have sent us junk mail and requesting that Alara is removed from their mailing lists. A couple of months on, and the amount of junk mail we receive has been cut by two thirds! A dramatic cut and it is still reducing. This is a really easy way to reduce your environmental impact by preventing paper being wasted and will probably save you some time when sorting the post too.

Well, unfortunately we have had to abandon the wind turbine project. After sorting out problems with getting a suitable fan, it turns out that the modification we were testing does not improve the performance of the turbine by enough to justify continuing. The benefits just don't outweight the costs of the project.

Instead, we are now reviewing all forms of renewable energy to determine what would be the most suitable technology to use for our factory. I've been investigating solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, wind turbines (off the shelf ones this time rather than custom made) and heat pumps as systems that we could use to generate electricity or hot water and reduce our dependancy on the grid. There are loads of companies out there selling this equipment, so I found that a good place to start is with the DTI Low Carbon Buildings Programme. This is a grant scheme available to householders, commercial businesses, SMEs, large new developments and public sector bodies who wish to install some form of renewable energy system. For SMEs a grant of up to 50 % of the installation cost is available on all renewable technologies. The LCBP website is particularly useful because it gives a list of accredited products and installers so is a good place to start looking for information.

Anyway, I have contacted a range of companies who should be able to help us decide what would be the most suitable technologies and who will provide us with quotes so that we can assess the likely payback period and it will be interesting to see what they come up with. One company that seems to be particularly helpful is Microgeneration as they offer detailed consultations to businesses free of charge! I will definately be taking them up on that offer.