At Cable Services, we take both the environment and sustainability seriously. Nick Firth – Sales and Technical Director, explains the importance that the company needs to look closely at operations to ensure it’s doing all it can to minimise our environmental impact.
We have had BSI ISO14001 since 2014 and we record our CO2 emissions and since our first report , we have donated over £3000 to the The Woodland Trust . That value equates to the amount needed to sustain and protect around 8,500 trees in the UK which are capable of absorbing our C02 emissions.
We have invested in smart lighting , reducing our carbon footprint with minimising packaging and waste (reducing single use plastics) and we now have a fleet of EV vehicles at the group with EV Charges at each of the 6 branches.
See our Certifications:
https://lnkd.in/ekU4Xk_S
What that looks like in practice
Talk is cheap on sustainability, so here is what is actually in place. The group has held BSI ISO 14001 environmental management certification since 2014, and we have recorded our CO2 emissions ever since our first report. Alongside measuring our impact, we offset and give back: our donations to the Woodland Trust have now passed £3,000 – a value that equates to sustaining and protecting around 8,500 trees in the UK, capable of absorbing the CO2 our operations produce.
Inside the business, we have invested in smart lighting across our sites, cut back on packaging and single-use plastics, and moved our vehicles over to a fleet of EVs – with charging points installed at each of the group’s six branches so the switch actually works day to day.
None of this happens without people taking ownership of it, which is why it helps that the push comes from the top of the business. When a Sales and Technical Director is the one explaining why emissions recording and environmental management matter, it stops being a compliance exercise and becomes part of how the company thinks – from the packaging decisions made in the warehouse to the vehicles on the drive.
Why it matters in our industry
The electrical supply chain sits right in the middle of the energy transition. The networks we supply are decarbonising – switchgear is moving away from SF6, EV charging infrastructure is growing at pace, and renewable generation keeps expanding – and customers increasingly expect their suppliers’ credentials to match. More and more tenders ask hard questions about a supplier’s environmental management, emissions recording and waste handling. Holding audited certification means our answers are evidenced, not just claimed.
Certified, not just claimed
Environmental management is one part of a wider commitment to doing things properly. Alongside ISO 14001, the group holds ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety certification – all independently audited – plus RISQS and UVDB accreditations for the rail and utility sectors. You can view our certifications via the links below.
Sustainability is a journey rather than a destination, and as Nick says, it needs the company to keep looking closely at its own operations. We will keep reporting, keep investing and keep improving – and we are always happy to talk to customers about how our approach can support their own environmental targets.