Our journey to being carbon neutral

WG Davies is committed to working towards a sustainable, social and more climate friendly future. We recognise that without sustainability there is no future and our goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The need to go green

We are focussed on protecting our planet, reducing our carbon foot print and adopting sustainable practices that mean we will leave the world a better place for future generations.  At WG Davies we believe everyone should do their bit, no business is too small to make a difference, we all have a part to play.  

Please read on to understand the action we have taken to date and our commitment to becoming carbon neutral in the future.

Green initiatives at WG Davies

To date our green initiatives have included:

• Biomass Boilers

• Solar Panels

• LED Lighting

• Buying Local

• Workplace Recycling

Biomass boilers

We have installed biomass boilers at all our sites, with a combined capacity of 2,500kW, more than enough to heat and provide hot water for the offices, workshops and domestic systems at Cardiff, Tenby and Swansea.

These boilers will also pre-heat the steam cleaning service we offer from our depots, and we have even installed underfloor heating (using the water from our biomass boilers) at our Swansea steam cleaning bay to give us all year round usage.

Biomass Boilers are better for the environment as they do not burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal or gas. They are considered carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide emitted during combustion is absorbed by the trees during their growing lifespan. The fuel we use is virgin woodchip, which is the by-product of forestry operations and sawmills, meaning nothing goes to waste!

Much of this low grade timber would have been left on the forest floor previously, rotting and releasing the CO2, using the biomass boilers ensures that useful heat is produced from this resource.

Solar panels

We have optimised our use of solar power with solar panels on the roofs of our workshops and offices at Cardiff, Tenby and Swansea.  These panel produce a further 110kw of power at each depot by capturing the sun’s energy and converting it into renewable electricity, which we use for lighting.    

LED lighting

The upgrade to LED lighting at all of our depots is a green choice because they last between 20-25 times longer than a halogen bulb and they are exceptionally efficient; over 80% of the electrical energy used by an LED is converted to light (leaving c20% which is lost to heat for example).  With an incandescent bulb these figures are roughly reversed.

LEDs require little maintenance and are more rugged than more traditional forms of lighting – they can withstand a greater range of temperatures and are less easily broken by knocks or vibrations, all of which makes them perfect for our workshop areas.    

One LED light can do the work of roughly 25 incandescent light bulbs over its lifetime and when they do reach the end of their life, LED lights are 100% recyclable.

Buying local

We believe in supporting local businesses not only because we want to reduce the carbon foot print associated with long distance delivery but because we truly value our local community.  We are totally committed to sourcing everything we can locally to ensure the sustainability of our community.

Workplace recycling

Wales is recognised as one of the world's leading recyclers, coming first in the UK, second in Europe and third globally, with more than 65% household of waste material being recycled.   Wales has the ambition of becoming a zero-waste, net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

At WG Davies we made a commitment to minimise the use of unnecessary single-use plastics and to maximise our recycling some time back and the regulations for Welsh businesses, which came into force in April 2024, formalises that commitment.

We have provided a series of small bins in communal areas, all of which are clearly marked to indicate what they can be used for, along with larger bins in the yard of each depot.  This ensures our waste is properly separated before it is collected so that all recyclable materials are recycled.  

Our next steps … 

Going green is a journey not a destination and we know we have some way to go to reach our goal of being carbon neutral.  Currently we are working to calculate our carbon footprint so that we can be really focussed on the most effective ways to reduce it in the future.  

Alongside that we are working to ensure our workshops are e-ready.  That entails a full assessment of the training, tooling and charging facilities required at each of our sites.  We already have four 7.5kw charging points at our locations and, alongside that, we are favouring electric and hybrid vehicles when purchasing parts delivery vans or company cars for staff. 

For now we want to you to know that we are aware we have a responsibility and a role to play in ensuring a brighter future. We look forward to providing updates as we work to further reduce our carbon foot print and move towards the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral.