Christmas and New Year opening 2024
Another year of ISO excellence
Footprint is proud to announce that it has successfully maintained its ISO certifications: ISO 9001 for Quality Management and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management.
This achievement underscores our commitment to upholding the highest standards in both quality and environmental responsibility, which are essential for meeting the needs of our customers and partners.
Footprint's ongoing compliance with these internationally recognised standards demonstrates our dedication to operational excellence. ISO 9001 ensures that our quality management systems consistently meet client expectations, while ISO 14001 reflects our commitment to environmentally sustainable practices.
Robyn Brook, the Founder, stated: "We are incredibly proud to announce that we have successfully maintained our ISO certifications for another year. This achievement is significant as it reflects our ongoing commitment to quality and excellence, especially as our business expands.
Our current and future customers and partners can confidently rely on us, knowing we are dedicated to upholding rigorous standards. We are constantly reviewing our processes and seeking innovative ways to enhance our services and operations, ensuring that we meet and exceed expectations.
Maintaining these high standards requires a dedicated team, and this accomplishment results from an excellent team effort."
Is your business on target to reach net zero by 2050?
Helping you navigate and fund net zero
As the government focuses on reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases by 2050, there's been increasing talk about net zero, especially among smaller businesses.
Research shows that smaller businesses are a significant source of emissions in the UK, responsible for 50% of all business-driven emissions. While 57% of smaller businesses know the government's 2050 net zero target, 76% have yet to implement a strategy to reduce their emissions.
All businesses, regardless of size, have the opportunity to make a significant impact on sustainability and lower carbon emissions. By taking proactive steps, they can contribute to a reduction of carbon emissions.
Operations
Enhancing premises with proper insulation, actively encouraging employees to embrace alternative transportation, fostering a culture of engagement, cutting down on waste, and minimising energy consumption are all vital steps toward a more sustainable and efficient workplace.
Products and services
Embracing sustainable practices by selecting products crafted from eco-friendly materials, adopting effective waste management strategies, and collaborating with trusted suppliers who prioritise sustainability.
Distribution
Choosing packaging created from recycled materials, adopting electric vehicles for transportation, and streamlining deliveries to reduce their frequency can significantly lower the environmental impact and promote a more sustainable future.
Embracing Net Zero
By committing to net zero, businesses stand to gain significantly from enhancing their reputation and reducing operational costs, safeguarding themselves against the volatility of energy supply fluctuations. Embracing this sustainable approach supports the environment and strengthens market position.
Footprint Recycling is here to assist you if you need help beginning your sustainability journey. We specialise in establishing a net zero baseline and crafting effective reduction strategies. Creating a robust net zero strategy requires thoroughly evaluating Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Firstly, we need to assess your emissions:
Scope 1 Emissions
These are "direct emissions" that an organisation directly owns or controls. Examples include emissions from gas boilers, fuel generators, and company-owned vehicles that are not electrically powered.
Scope 2 Emissions
These emissions are classified as "indirect emissions" and arise from the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heat, and cooling.
Scope 3 Emissions
This category includes all "other indirect emissions" not accounted for in Scope 2. These emissions are generated throughout the value or supply chain, encompassing upstream (customer-related) and downstream (supplier-related) emissions.
After we assess your current emissions, we will create a plan to reach net zero emissions within an agreed-upon time frame. We will also assist in sourcing any relevant grant schemes available to support businesses financially in achieving net zero. We will compare your emissions each year to show your progress in reducing them.
Benefits to your business
Reduced costs
Transform your business by significantly lowering utility bills through renewable energy sources. Investing in solar panels or transitioning to a green energy plan cuts costs and enhances your brand's commitment to sustainability. By carefully analysing energy usage, you can uncover additional savings opportunities. Moreover, switching to electric vehicles is a smart choice for businesses operating in low-emission zones of major cities, yielding both financial and environmental benefits. Adopting waste reduction practices, recycling efficiently, and striving for zero waste in landfills will minimise expenses and position your business as a leader in responsible practices. Embrace these changes for a more sustainable and cost-effective future!
Business Reputation
Embracing carbon-neutral practices can significantly elevate your business's reputation. According to research by the Carbon Trust customers increasingly seek companies that prioritise ethical decision-making. By engaging in carbon offsetting, sourcing materials locally, reducing transportation emissions, and minimising landfill waste, small businesses can contribute to a healthier planet and attract a loyal customer base that values sustainability.
Attracting investment
Investors and shareholders looking for companies with a sustainable long-term strategy may find a net zero business attractive.
Security and resilience
Pursuing net zero is not just an environmental goal; it's a smart strategy for strengthening your business against market fluctuations and national disruptions. For instance, adopting electric vehicles can help companies to avoid rising fuel costs. Likewise, switching to alternative energy sources like solar or wind can protect you from unpredictable spikes in energy costs, ensuring your business remains stable and competitive.
Competitive edge
Recognising and reducing your carbon footprint can set your business apart. As customer preferences shift, many consumers now prioritise business sustainability, scrutinising everything from product packaging to reduction in carbon emissions. Embracing eco-friendly practices attracts these conscientious shoppers and elevates your brand's reputation.
If you want to chat or need help achieving your net zero goals, get in touch.
RESOURCES
Funding and grants for carbon net zero
Finding funding for carbon net zero projects can be challenging. However, there are various pots of funding and support available throughout the country. Many local councils offer some kind of net zero grant programmes, so it's worth checking in your local area. It's also worth checking Crown Commercial Gov - grants and funding opportunities from across the government.
Funding opportunities can also be found through government funding programmes.
Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener
This strategy sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.
Parliament Research Briefing
The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050. This briefing provides an overview of the background context for net zero, the plans in place to reach this goal, and current progress.
Deloitee - The Sustainable Consumer 2023
Adoption of more sustainable lifestyles continues to grow, but sustainable choices need to be made more affordable and widely accessible for consumers to contribute to the net zero transition.
Recycle Week 2024 - Rescue me! Recycle
It's Recycle Week (14-20 October), and this year, we're celebrating and highlighting items that can be recycled.
Recycle Week is the UK's biggest celebration of recycling, and for Recycle Week 2024, Footprint is joining an urgent crusade to save five packaging items from being thrown away and to keep them out of the bin by living a circular life through recycling.
The latest research from Recycle Now shows that while we are a nation of recyclers - nine out of ten people regularly recycle - nearly eight out of ten of us (79%) put one or more items into the bin that can be recycled.
We are supporting the 'Rescue Me – Recycle' campaign to raise awareness about the five types of packaging that need recycling: aerosols, trigger spray bottles, plastic pots, perfume bottles, and toilet roll tubes.
Recycling is essential to reducing the environmental impact of our purchases. By keeping these materials in circulation, we can lower emissions. While most people recycle, we need to ensure that everyone recycles everything they can, including every aerosol, trigger spray bottle, plastic pot, perfume bottle, and toilet roll tube. Rescue, recycle!
To learn more about the recycling process, visit Recycle Now. To find out what can be recycled in your area, enter your postcode into the Recycling Locator for instant information on recycling anywhere in the UK.
If you're a business looking to make a meaningful impact, join us in our 'Rescue Me – Recycle' campaign! Together, we can turn waste into sustainable solutions for our planet. Your contributions matter whether you're a small startup or an established business. Feel free to reach out if you want to learn how your business can play a pivotal role in this initiative. Let's collaborate for a greener future, drop us a line clare@footprint-recycling.com.
INTRODUCING THE NEW 2025 MANDATORY WASTE LEGISLATION IN ENGLAND
In October 2023, the UK Government introduced new Simpler Recycling legislation as part of the Environment Act 2021 to improve waste collection and recycling in England.
The new legislation aims to clarify what materials can be recycled, standardise recycling practices at home, work, and school, reduce landfill waste, tackle illegal waste disposal, and increase recycling rates.
As part of the Simpler Recycling legislation, delivery timelines have been set:
- 31 March 2025 - Non-households
Businesses (more than ten employees) need to separate dry recyclables and food waste. - 31 March 2026 - Households
Local authorities must collect all dry recyclable materials and separate weekly food waste collections (which can be combined with garden waste) - 31st March 2027 - Households and non-households
Inclusion of plastic film packaging and plastic bags in the plastic waste stream - 31st March 2027 - Micro-businesses
Businesses with fewer than ten employees must recycle all specified waste streams.
From the end of March 2025
Businesses with ten or more employees must separate dry recyclables into specific containers and arrange food collection separately.
What does this mean for your business?
All mixed recycling, including cardboard, plastics, glass, and metal, should be carefully separated and disposed of in accordance with the new guidelines to ensure that each material is recycled appropriately and to minimise environmental impact.
If a business produces more than 5kg of food waste per week, it must arrange a separate collection by licensed waste carriers. This includes biodegradable materials from processing or preparing food, such as inedible parts like bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags, and coffee grounds. The new legislation excludes micro-businesses (businesses with fewer than ten full-time equivalent employees).
According to the official government response, food waste collected must undergo anaerobic digestion treatment. This process generates biofuel, which can be used for energy, while digestate is a nutrient-rich substance produced by anaerobic digestion that can be used as a fertiliser, helping to form a circular economy.
To comply with the new legislation, your business must implement the new waste requirements, including storage and collection processes, by 31 March 2025. Businesses that fail to comply with the new regulations will face fines, enforcement actions, and potentially prosecution.
Compliance ensures that your business will avoid financial penalties, demonstrate corporate responsibility, and improve sustainability credentials. It’s also an opportunity to review your services and save costs.
How can Footprint Recycling help?
- Footprint Recycling will conduct a thorough waste audit, evaluating your current processes, staff awareness, equipment, sustainability, waste streams, volumes, service frequency, bin types, and costs.
- We will ensure compliance with new regulations and identify the best solutions for your business. We will help establish suitable systems to maintain compliance and prevent business disruptions.
- Our team will provide training to ensure employees understand the importance of new practices and know how to separate food waste correctly.
- We will provide food waste collection services and arrange appropriate collection schedules.
- We can assist you in achieving significant cost savings by reducing general waste volume and the associated costs of waste removal and recycling.
- We will generate reports that showcase your sustainability efforts, demonstrating your dedication to reducing environmental impact.
- We will support your efforts to comply with regulations, enhance your company’s brand reputation, particularly among environmentally conscious consumers and investors, and explore partnerships with local charities to donate surplus food.
By embracing these innovations, businesses can comply with regulations and turn food waste management into a competitive advantage.
Get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Footprint Recycling completes the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10KSB Programme
Footprint Recycling is delighted to announce its completion of the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK Programme.
The programme, in conjunction with Oxford Said and Aston Business Schools and a team of cohort facilitators, including growth experts, is designed to empower business entrepreneurs with practical skills, tools, and resources to grow and create jobs within their communities.
Footprint enrolled in the programme last summer and, along with 71 other business owners, was selected to join the February 2024 cohort.
Run over 14 weeks, the programme offers an in-depth curriculum of tutoring and mentorship covering:
Business Education
- Financial management, marketing, and operations.
- Practical, hands-on learning experiences and networking opportunities.
Support Services:
- Tailored business advising and coaching from experienced professionals.
- Access to a network of support services, including legal, financial, and marketing advice.
- Ongoing alumni services for continued growth.
Access to Capital:
- Guidance on navigating the financing landscape and connecting with lenders and investors.
- Education on presenting businesses to financial institutions.
Clare Verity, COO and Co-founder, commented, “We were thrilled to be selected for the programme. We have ambitious growth plans for the future, so the opportunity came at the right time.
We had heard great things about how it helped businesses (up to £10m) successfully scale the next growth phase. The course is highly intensive and requires a lot of focused attention, so Robyn Brook, Co-founder and CEO, took a step back from the day-to-day business to participate.
There are always opportunities to learn from, no matter how long or established we are as a business. It would be naive of us not to constantly strive to develop and build on our existing skill set as business owners. Ultimately, participating in the Goldman Sachs 10KSB Programme is not only beneficial for us but also for our customers and the ongoing value we create for them. “
Hear what Robyn Brook, CEO and Co-founder has to say about the 10KSB Program, its insights, and how it has helped to shape the business.
We are officially carbon neutral!
We're thrilled to announce that we have officially become carbon neutral
Over the past few months, we have collaborated on a comprehensive plan to measure, reduce, and offset our collective carbon footprint.
At Footprint Recycling, our commitment to the environment has always been at the forefront of our actions as individuals and as a business. Whilst we have always worked towards keeping our emissions low, with our new carbon-neutral status (scope 1 & 2), we are now actively supporting carbon-reducing projects and have conducted a thorough analysis of our emissions.
By calculating our carbon output, we have reduced our emissions by implementing various measures in our business. These include switching to electric cars, reducing and recycling, and evaluating our energy consumption and efficiency.
We have successfully offset our emissions by supporting a certified project in Malawi, which is verified by the world's leading carbon offset standards, VCS and Gold Standard. This ensures projects have minimal permanence risks and incur positive social, economic and environmental impacts where relevant. This project also aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals of:
- No poverty
- Decent work and economic growth
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action.
Our chosen project, cleaner cookstoves, replaces traditional cooking equipment, which typically consists of open flame fed by wood has many benefits by providing more efficient cooking equipment. Cleaner cookstoves typically:
- Reduce the energy consumption for cooking, reducing carbon emissions
- Reduce the consumption of firewood/cooking fuel
- Saves time due to less time spent collecting fuel, more efficient and quicker cooking process
- Reduces deforestation
- Has the potential to save families valuable household income
- Provides improved indoor health - less exposure to smoke and improved indoor air quality.
Our vision is to achieve net-zero emissions and go beyond carbon neutrality. This ambitious goal will require us to make significant and lasting changes to our procurement and supply chain, and we are excited about the journey ahead.
If you need support or advice about carbon neutrality and reducing carbon emissions. Get in touch.
Starting from 6th April 2024, new regulations will be introduced in Wales that will require all non-domestic premises, such as businesses, charities, public sectors, and those who collect, keep, treat, or transport waste from non-domestic premises, to separate key recyclable materials.
Non-domestic premises must separate and present nine specified recyclable waste materials in a minimum of six separate recyclable waste streams. These materials are:
- glass
- cartons and similar, metal and plastic
- paper and card
- food waste from premises that produce 5 kilograms or more of food waste in seven consecutive days
- unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment
- unsold textiles
Bans will also be in place from 6th April 2024, on the disposal of food waste to sewer from non-domestic premises, specified separate recyclable waste streams going to incineration plants and landfills, and all wood waste going to landfill.
These changes to the law aim to help the country work towards becoming a zero-waste nation and reducing carbon emissions by 2050. Separating and sorting recycling in workplaces should ensure greater volumes of high-quality recycling are produced and much less waste sent to landfill and for incineration.
Failure to comply with the separation requirements will be considered an offence, and there will be no upper limit on the courts' power to fine. Instead of criminal prosecution, a civil sanction may be issued for non-compliance with the separation requirements.
While we have a legal responsibility under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 'duty of care', should England adopt these more stringent regulations regarding separation of recyclable waste in order to achieve a greener future and promote sustainability? Many organisations in England currently do not have a waste strategy in place and do not separate recyclable waste from non-recyclable. However, commercial recycling plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainability. It is important for businesses to actively participate in these efforts.
For more detailed information about the Waste Separation Requirements (Wales) Regulations 2023, please refer to the Welsh Government code of practice. If you're a business and are looking to adopt a waste and recycling strategy get in touch.
International Women’s Day - Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress
Robyn Brook and Clare Verity are the founders of Footprint Recycling. Here, they share their experience as women in waste and the critical role women play in the industry.
Clare:
“Prior to establishing Footprint Recycling, I was employed in the waste management sector, where I found my job to be personally fulfilling and environmentally rewarding. During my pregnancy with my second child, I was motivated to utilise my expertise and passion for the industry to start my own business. That’s when my business partner, Robyn, and I founded Footprint Recycling 16 years ago.
“As a female-owned business in a male-dominated industry, we understand the importance of supporting and empowering our younger colleagues as they develop their careers. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,” serves as a reminder to provide equal opportunities for education, training, and professional development to women in waste. Through our efforts, we aim to promote gender equality and help women achieve their full potential in the industry and make positive changes.”
Robyn:
“Over the years, it’s been great to see more women join the waste and recycling industry and I am proud of the fact that Footprint was founded by women and women make up many of the key roles within our organisation. It’s a testament to the progress made since we began our journey. International Women’s Day is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate this, and the valuable contributions women are making across all areas of the waste industry.
“At Footprint, one of our core values is ‘respect’. We live by this. It is the bedrock of everything we do, and we feel strongly that celebrating gender diversity is important. It fosters a more inclusive workplace and brings a variety of perspectives and experiences to the table, promoting better problem-solving, decision-making, and, ultimately, success for our business.
“I am inspired by our team and of what Clare and I have accomplished for women and diversity in waste.”
Women’s roles are essential to our industry’s success, especially with the growing shift towards viewing waste as a resource. The industry is moving away from traditional landfill practices and towards waste prevention and a circular economy. Women have seen the industry’s huge potential, and through their assertiveness and progressive attitude, women can help shape the industry’s future towards a more efficient and sustainable future.
If you’d like to work with Footprint Recycling, get in touch for an informal chat.
Responding to the needs of our customers
We recently had a conversation with one of our customers and gained valuable insights about the benefits of working with Footprint Recycling. It was such an inspiring story we shared it across our channels and we received a comment about the importance of reviewing where the waste was being processed and ensuring it was being processed effectively. This is absolutely right.
All businesses need to consider where their waste is processed as part of their waste journey as when it comes to reducing waste and promoting sustainability, businesses have a significant role to play.
At Footprint, we believe that a comprehensive waste journey analysis is the first step towards achieving this goal. We work closely with our customers to assess their waste production and identify areas where they can reduce, recycle, reuse, and repurpose waste.
We then assist them in implementing these changes while ensuring that they comply with all legal requirements. We understand that monitoring and reporting are critical components of any waste management process. That's why we provide our customers with regular updates on their waste journey process, including data on waste generation, recycling rates, disposal methods and outcomes. This information helps them to evaluate their progress and identify areas for further improvement.
We believe that a zero-waste approach is the way forward, and we encourage our customers to adopt this mindset. By eliminating waste from their production processes and finding innovative ways to repurpose and reuse materials, businesses can significantly reduce their environmental impact while saving money.
In conclusion, our comprehensive waste reduction process is designed to guide businesses towards sustainability and zero-waste practices. We believe that by working together, we can make a real difference and build a better future for generations to come.