At Woodland Group, we recognise the significant impact our global warehousing operations have on the environment. Therefore, we are committed to making the process of our customers’ goods passing through or being stored in our warehouses as low carbon as possible. To achieve this, we have developed individual site sustainability strategies targeting emission hotspots at each specific site.

Some of the improvements include implementing electric forklifts at the few remaining sites that did not already have them, installing LED lighting and motion sensor lighting in warehouses, and setting up plastic and card balers to contribute to our target of zero waste to landfill by 2050.

Renewable Energy

Woodland Group has set a net zero target of reaching 100% renewable energy across our facilities by 2030. To align with this goal, we have implemented several initiatives.

As of 2024, we have installed 526 solar panels across multiple sites in the UK. These solar panels reduce our reliance on traditional grid-supplied power, significantly decreasing the overall environmental footprint of the sites where they are installed.

Electric/Low Carbon Material Handling Equipment

We are pushing sustainability within our warehousing operations through the use of electric forklifts in our material handling fleet. These vehicles offer significant environmental benefits by reducing fuel-related tailpipe emissions by 100%.

Additionally, electric forklifts operate more quietly than fuel-run forklifts, resulting in a more comfortable work environment for our warehouse employees and less noise pollution for local communities. We replace each traditional fuel-run forklift at its end-of-life, steadily increasing the proportion of our material handling fleet that is electric each year. This initiative is in line with our net zero goal of transitioning the vehicle fleet to net zero emissions by 2050.

Energy Efficiency

At Woodland, we have implemented lighting efficiency initiatives across our facilities. For example, our Dewsbury site features an exceptionally efficient LED lighting system, leading to an 83% reduction in the site’s energy consumption.

The annual kWh after installing this LED system dropped from 37,048 kWh to 6,320 kWh. Although there was an initial cost upfront, this led to significant savings over time and a substantial reduction in emissions due to lowered energy consumption.

Across all Woodland Group facilities, 72% of our warehousing spaces are lit by LEDs, based on square footage. Additionally, our Doncaster warehouse uses an ambient lighting system that automatically dims the lights when sunlight is more intense outside, reducing unnecessary energy consumption and contributing to our emission reduction plans.

Circular Economy – Zero Waste to Landfill

The concept of a circular economy is fundamental to Woodland Group’s journey towards net-zero warehousing. This model, focused on resource reuse, repair, and recycling, challenges the linear approach of take, make, and dispose.

We are committed to diverting waste from landfills through responsible disposal processes. Collaborating with waste management partners, we implement sustainable disposal processes across our operations, making steady progress towards our goal of zero waste to landfill by 2050.

As part of our commitment to fostering a circular economy, we have also implemented a closed-loop system for pallets. This involves returning used pallets to the US once they arrive in the UK, allowing them to be reused by our US sites. This initiative has contributed to a reduction in our wooden packaging usage.

Sustainable Packaging

Woodland Group is committed to reducing our environmental impact through the use of sustainable packaging. We use stretched pallet wrap and wrap machines at several of our warehousing sites, which reduces material usage and waste.

Pre-stretched wrap reduces plastic use by 30% compared to standard wrap, and pallet wrap machines maximize the efficiency at which pallets are wrapped, reducing the amount of plastic wrap used per pallet. We are also expanding the use of paper packaging across our operations to encourage the use of recyclable and biodegradable materials throughout the business.