Bluetree has published its first sustainability strategy, a move coinciding with installation of solar panels on the roof of its main premises near Rotherham.
The move follows on from its already ingrained corporate values, which in turn led to the creation of a sustainability team for the business. Environment management consultancy Achilles is working to assess the company’s operational carbon footprint and to find ways to manage this though the Achilles Carbon Reduce Scheme. The consultancy certified the business as Carbon Neutral in 2022.
Now it has published the first sustainability strategy arising from that work.
“This roadmap is our commitment to our clients, staff, suppliers and wider community to transition to a business this is better for the planet, embedding projects and practices that will allow our business to continue to grow but not at the expense of the environment or the global community,” joint CEOs Adam Carnell and James Kinsella say in the introduction to the strategy document.
The company believes it can be a more attractive partner for print if it can show that its products are sustainable and are part of a sustainable supply chain, helping address questions that the ultimate print buyers might have. There is also a recruitment aspect. Kinsella says that in every interview with graduate recruits, he is asked about the sustainability ethos of Bluetree.
The strategy is built on four branches which the company wants to become ingrained in the business. These are to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions, aiming to have mapped its Scope 3 emissions within two years and to achieve Net Zero by 2035. this will involve cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the waste from inefficiencies across all parts of the business.
Installation of solar panels, with 1Mw potential capacity, will be matched by sourcing renewable energy, measuring and cutting emissions related to transport then turning to emissions from goods and services purchased.
Its second branch is a planet first approach to managing its sites and the products it creates, reducing waste to landfill, unwanted discharges, supporting local biodiversity projects, increasing the number of products designed for end of life reuse or recycling and moving to 100% plastic-free packaging.
This will mean working only with suppliers that support thus strategy, the third branch of the Bluetree green plan. This includes support for SMEs and encouraging alignments with Bluetree’s goals.
The fourth branch focuses on providing employees with the knowledge and skills to “create an inspiring culture of sustainability throughout our workforce, customer and the wider sector to equip everyone with the tools to be leaders in sustainability”.
The company has already notched a number of milestones on the journey having replaced plastic for business card and other packaging in 2019, achieving Carbon Neutral status a year ago and then appointing a first sustainability manager.
