Sustainable Development: How Our Pioneering Policies Are Being Noticed

For more than 30 years, our watchwords have been ‘safety’ and ‘sustainability’ – and it looks like our pioneering attitude is finally being appreciated. Our place as forerunners in the world of sustainable development was further cemented when Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, paid us a visit to learn about how we’ve made our business friendlier for our staff and the environment. What he found on his visit (which was broadcast via Facebook Live) was a handful of happy workers working in a self-sustaining, environmentally conscious factory. Less work, higher productivity Simple pragmatism led us to enact a shorter working week 30 years ago. On a Friday afternoon every payday, we noticed that our employees enjoyed a drink with their wages, then would return to operate equipment in evenings while under the influence. Needless to say, this was a bigger health and safety hazard than even the 1970s would allow, so we decided to give our employees the afternoon off every Friday. Our common sense decision has since become the blueprint for a fairer working environment in the eyes of many. But more importantly it gives our employees the chance to beat rush hour, enjoy a longer weekend with their family and catch up on their household chores – all without compromising on productivity in our factory. An award-winning approach Our award-winning approach to efficiency was also born out of a pragmatic attitude. Our big question was this – how can we save money but maintain the quality of our products? So we thought of simple solutions to complicated questions. We switched off lights in offices that weren’t being used, installed energy efficient lightbulbs, recycled our packaging and avoided landfill tax by purchasing a skip which is only emptied once every two years. Our sustainability efforts were increased in 2003, when we became the first UK-based SME to generate our own power with solar panels and a wind turbine. Reviewing the past 30 years, it’s clear that we’ve been at the forefront of sustainability, implementing a number of methods that other businesses are only just discovering.

For more information on Sustainable Development: How Our Pioneering Policies Are Being Noticed talk to Ormiston Wire Ltd