When buying the business some 9 years ago, the two Directors of Leyton Fasteners started to plan the modernisation of the business. For years the systems had been paper driven, the building rather old and requiring upgrading, with investment needed in most areas. Clearly, in a small business, investment must be planned carefully, with due regard to returns, however, we were also keen to ensure that we tackled, what we considered to be a high carbon footprint.
With the drive to move towards net zero, even in small businesses like ours, it can be an expensive and difficult business. Here at Leyton Fasteners, our journey has taken eight years, from starting to plan, to delivering on our road to zero, albeit still on the journey! In most respects, this has meant each year investing in ways of working differently or buying into low carbon technology. Clearly, done effectively, it can also reduce costs in the business.
- We re-cycle or re-use ALL boxes, good in/goods out.
- Our waste is recycled, by Ash waste Services, at 95%.
- We have digitised our Administration and Accounts systems, removed virtually all printed matter and reduced paper use by 90%.
- As a matter of course we only use digital or telephone to communicate, no paper mail.
- Over time we have moved completely to low energy lighting systems.
- Our premises, being over 100 years have been a real challenge. However, we have implemented a modern heating system, heating ONLY the office and customer areas. We have double glazed and insulated the entire building, outside the stock areas.
We reckon we still have some way to go but are proud of what we and our team have delivered thus far. We continue to invest in our plans, enthusiastically measuring the contribution towards zero emissions!