White Light goes greener with increased environmental endeavours

As an industry-leading technical solutions specialist, we are always considering the environmental impact of our work and the ways in which we can become increasingly more sustainable in our operation. We proudly own one of Europe’s largest equipment inventories and are fully committed to investing in green technologies and minimising waste by maximising the lifetime of every piece of kit.

Recently, we engaged the services of environmental management consultants Green Element and our Facilities Manager, along with our dedicated Green Team, have been working in close collaboration with them. Research and auditing measures have been undertaken, both in-house and onsite across the numerous locations we work in and as a result, a range of improvements have now been implemented. As we move ever closer towards achieving the ISO 14001 accreditation, here are a few of our latest sustainability endeavours:

• Knowledge is power: our Green Team recently visited our local waste management facility, to discover exactly how their painstaking processes work. All mixed recycling and general waste from our premises is taken to this facility in Wimbledon, where staff work tirelessly ensuring that every different type of material is appropriately segregated. We learnt that general waste is shredded before being incinerated, in turn creating energy for the National Grid. And paper, which is divided into several categories, travels to mills for recycling and can be recycled 7 times before its fibres become too weak. This hugely insightful visit has helped us to adapt and improve our waste management policy and educate our staff about the vital importance of careful disposal.
• EU Eco design: White Light is an active supporter of this initiative. We believe that the legislation governing eco-design is an effective tool for improving the energy efficiency of products. It helps eliminate the least performing products from the market, significantly contributing to the EU’s 2020 target for energy efficiency. It also supports industrial competition and innovation by promoting improved environmental performance of products throughout the internal market. For some time now, we have been working with PLASA, The ALD and other industry bodies to ensure that this legislation remains relevant for our whole sector.
• LED for life: as a company that invests heavily in our equipment stock every year, we are conscious of buying green wherever possible. LEDs consume less energy than their predecessor solutions and therefore produce less carbon emissions. This does not compromise on their efficiency and as they do not contain any toxic chemicals such as mercury, they are long lasting and can be recycled when required. Our commitment to LED technology has already helped to significantly reduce power consumption in some of the venues we operate in. For example, at Central Hall Westminster, a repeat Chinese New Year event consumed 34% less energy in 2020 compared to 2019.
• Meticulous data monitoring: we have a state-of-the-art environmental management system, which we utilise to monitor our energy use. We set goals and targets to reduce our consumption year on year.
• Follow the Green Guide: 10 years ago, we wrote a Green Guide for our teams to adhere to, ensuring the application of sustainable design principles in all we do. Each section of the guide has been carefully curated with the help of environmental specialists and is followed by our personnel on every project. While its contents remain very relevant, it is currently being updated to reflect more recent advances in modern technology.

“White Light invited us in and we were amazed at all the fantastic work they were already doing environmentally. They had buy-in from their MD, which made our work incredibly easy. All that was needed was for Green Element to professionalise White Light’s sustainability agenda, helping them to achieve their well-deserved ISO 14001 certification.”

Sarah Pearl, Sustainability consultant at Green Element

You can read our latest Environmental Policy in full HERE