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By the end of 2022, Artex’s distribution site at Ruddington will be fossil fuel free. The construction product supply business has committed to transitioning its site in Nottinghamshire to be net-zero carbon by 2024, and is leading with several sustainability initiatives.
The installation of a biomass heating system is almost complete. It will heat the warehouse, offices and hot water to remove gas and diesel and fully decarbonise the site. With pellet silos currently being constructed, these will feed wooden pellets into the furnace, warming the air in the system, which is then distributed through air vents into the warehouse and fed into the office central heating system.
Installation of the system is in its final stages. It will be complete in the next couple of weeks, followed by a period of testing and the decommission and removal of the current diesel heating system and gas boilers. The biomass heating system will reduce carbon emissions by up to 150 tonnes per year and will improve the working environment for colleagues and air quality for the local community.
Next, to further reduce carbon, Artex is transitioning its HGV fleet to run on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) by the end of 2023. This biofuel originates from vegetable oils. After a period of testing HVO in five of their vehicles, they are now rolling this out across their whole fleet to offer a sustainable delivery solution to customers. HVO reduces 90% of CO2 compared to diesel and produces much cleaner emissions with fewer nitrous oxides to improve air quality for their colleagues, customers and the local community.
Other sustainable on-site initiatives this year include:
- All on site electricity sourced from wind power
- Replacing forklift trucks with electric alternatives
- Switching to LED lighting
- Replacing the roof in their bulk warehouse to improve energy efficiency
- Introducing a biofilm wrap to reduce plastic and recycled PPE for colleagues
- Transitioning company cars to electric/hybrid by 2023
