Avrenim is a partner member of the UK Warehousing Association

15.01.2024

Avrenim is proud to announce it is now a partner member of the UKWA (UK Warehousing Association), the leading trade organisation for the warehousing industry, with over 900 members across the UK.

Avrenim is committed to supporting members of the UKWA in their journey towards achieving net zero, by providing its expertise to embrace a sustainable future, drastically reducing energy costs, through resources such as decarbonisation consultancy, battery storage, heat pumps, solar PV, and voltage optimisation.

By examining statistics from the Office for National Statistics, it is possible to visualise the areas for improvement required in the industry:

The challenges of the green agenda for businesses in the warehousing industry

With sustainability now a primary focus for businesses in every sector in the UK, businesses are targeting the government’s Net Zero Strategy for 2050. However, the warehousing industry is currently contributing a staggering 13% of the total 34% of greenhouse gas emissions that are coming from buildings across the UK, suggesting drastic improvement is needed.

The warehousing industry faces several key challenges surrounding the green agenda, and businesses need to have a clear vision as to how they can contribute to the wider net-zero plan.

The key green agenda challenges for businesses

Sustainability and green initiatives: With the warehouse industry contributing to such a high figure in emissions, site owners and operators are now becoming increasingly focused on reducing energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation, however, data suggests that just 3.1% of businesses have endeavoured to secure their own energy source.

Technology Integration: The integration of smart building technologies, IoT devices, and data analytics plays a crucial role in optimising building performance/usage, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing occupant comfort. Robust data for utilisation supports planning site usage and charging regimes for electric fleets with SMED-type arrangements for battery pack swap outs for material handling fleets, etc.

Compliance and Regulation: Keeping up with changing regulations related to building regulations, health, safety and environmental standards is essential to avoid legal proceedings, fines and reputational damage. Political rumour mills suggest that corporate taxation may change to include that of an organisation’s carbon impact, so we need to be ready to minimise that impact.

Cybersecurity: As buildings become more connected and reliant on technology, we must consider cybersecurity threats and implement measures to protect building systems from being compromised while supporting our usage.

Ageing Infrastructure: Older buildings require significant maintenance and upgrades to remain safe and functional. Managing these renovations and retrofits is a continual challenge, particularly within live environments, meaning more expensive retrofit costs.

Future Investment: In the evolving landscape of corporate financing, the growing prominence of green funds underscores the importance of aligning an organisation’s funding objectives with its long-term ESG approach. Failing to do so could potentially pose challenges in securing financing.

Avrenim is committed to supporting businesses in the warehousing industry by providing key alternative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, through expert consultancy, innovative design, reliable facilities management, and seamless project delivery. Your business will see significant results in the reduction of its carbon footprint, cost savings and an increase in efficiency.