How will UK sectors cope with sustainability in 2024?

One third of the UK’s largest companies have committed to zeroing out their share of carbon emissions by 2050, with more and more businesses looking to implement sustainability strategies to reduce their impact on the environment.

In addition to controlling their carbon footprint, companies across all sectors are evaluating ways to balance environmentally conscious practices and company finances. In light of the current economic climate, organizations are beginning to turn sustainability into a long-term cost-efficiency plan.

So how are sectors in the UK tackling sustainability to accelerate growth? Cleveland Containers, one of the nation’s leading shipping container providers, is looking at the positive impact of sustainable plans and strategies on operating costs.

Self Storage Sector

In the self-storage industry, companies have many opportunities to minimize their impact on the environment, including by adopting a sustainable construction strategy.

Andrew Thompson, CEO of Cleveland Group, said: “The use of shipping containers, whether they are 10 feet long or 20-foot containersbecause warehouse space for your customers is a great way to achieve your company’s sustainability and financial goals.

“In fact, the use of shipping containers – especially used or used containers – reduces the need for new steel production and material extraction. Similarly, shipping containers allow for modular construction, which means it can be expanded or changed as needed without significant investment.

Moreover, another way to improve sustainability at a cost-effective level is to install LED or sensor-based lighting throughout the building. Replacing standard light bulbs with LED alternatives can save you money up to £14 per bulb per year while having a better impact on the environment.

Production

In 2024, the manufacturing industry is likely to become smarter and more digital.

For example, having preventive technology to monitor the condition and performance of machines can reduce the risk of downtime and costly repairs. It can also help you monitor its overall health in real time, which means you can check whether your equipment is performing at its best.

Another way manufacturing companies can become more environmentally friendly is by prioritizing the use of recycled materials in production rather than virgin raw materials.

Recycled or bio-based materials are not only more cost-effective to access, but have a lower environmental impact, helping to promote a circular economy that is aligned with ESG sector strategies. So, in addition to reusing their own production waste, manufacturers can also explore how to create new products from recycled materials.

Construction

One way to do this is to focus more on transportation and logistics. Construction companies rely heavily on transporting materials to the construction site, which can account for a significant portion of a company’s emissions.

To reduce their impact, companies in this sector may get into the habit of sourcing materials locally or using consolidation centers, as this minimizes the amount of long travel required to get everything they need.

Additionally, construction workers can use renewable energy sources on site (i.e. solar, wind, etc.) and reduce consumption through water management systems, including rainwater harvesting and gray water reuse.

Instead of building on-site offices from scratch, they can opt for modified shipping containers or portable housing units that can be assembled and assembled anywhere, anytime, while saving money and resources.

Agriculture

70% of land in the UK is farmland, with agriculture playing a key role in keeping the nation healthy and well nourished. However, it is also important that the sector conducts its activities without degrading the environment.

In 2024, technology and artificial intelligence could help farmers care for their crops in an environmentally conscious way, for example by using silent drones instead of crop dusting planes and reducing noise pollution. Drones can also be used to detect problems in the field, from pests to diseases, so growers can take action before they lose all their crops and irreversibly damage the soil.

Thanks to technology, watering crops will also become an increasingly sustainable practice. Thanks to innovative tools and real-time data, farmers can have better control over the amount of water they use to prevent unnecessary consumption.

Vertical farming is also likely to become a more popular option. Among its many different environmentally friendly benefits, this farming trend – which the UK is leading the way in – requires significantly less land compared to traditional farms. This means more food can be grown in less space, and produce can grow with minimal, invasive intervention beyond routine maintenance. When it comes to vertical farming, shipping containers can be a useful solution, allowing farms to be flexible and scale efficiently by adding more units as needed.

With sustainability at the top of companies’ agendas, many different sectors are finding cost-effective ways to act with the planet in mind. So what are companies in your industry doing to care for the environment and maintain healthy cash flow?