Green Team

As part of the Distribution recycling project, in 2019 a Green Team was set up in the Dundee Head Office, comprising of colleagues from different areas of the business. The aim was to create a place where colleagues could engage and improve on our environmental challenge.

A competition was held to create a recycling slogan to brand the Head Office recycling bins and a logo was created.

In early 2020 the Green Team (shown) visited the Gate Church Saving Project where Dundee West End Community Fridge project to reduce food waste in the community and to help alleviate food poverty in Dundee had been recently launched.

The Gate Church Saving Project are working in partnership with Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network and with CJ Lang to prevent short-dated food going to waste by making it available to members of the public.

As part of our community engagement and recycling programme the Green Team receive a Give Box from the Carbon Church Saving Project. The box, placed within the office, supports the collection of reusable clothing and household items. This is to make sure that items are passed on to people experiencing material poverty in the local community, in collaboration with the Dundee Clothing Project, Togs for Tots, Lifegate Community Café and Starter Pack Dundee.

Sustainability

What Are We Doing?

We take pride in prioritising eco-friendly standards throughout all our business activities. By improving our delivery scheduling and introducing new delivery management and scheduling software we have been able to reduce our CO2 emissions by more than 100 tonnes, as well as eliminating all waste through increased recycling efforts.

In our warehouse new LED lighting and battery charging equipment has been installed, which will help us to reduce our CO2 emissions by a further 300 tonnes over 5 years.

Through our distribution centre we are also now recycling all card and plastic from our company-owned store estate and Head Office, and we’ve also made the move to become a zero to landfill operation through collaboration with some of our business and community partners.

Looking to the Future

Looking into 2021, trials of alternative fuel vehicles ahead of a fleet replacement programme are part of the emissions improvements the company is looking to make. Further opportunities also lie in upcoming legislation for us to find new solutions for the future.

The distribution team have also engaged with schools and educational activities, including taking a trip to Gourock Primary School in early 2020. After receiving a letter from one of the pupils asking what CJ Lang was doing to reduce plastic waste, two team members held a Q&A with the P5/6 class where they answered many questions from pupils who were learning about the importance of taking care of the environment.