Here at Stocksigns, sustainability sits at the heart of everything we do
Every innovation, every progressive step must be a step towards a better future. That step could be towards lowering our carbon footprint, creating a better place to work or helping to provide a better future. By taking this approach, we will nurture a great place to work, allowing us to reach our full potential and ultimately share in the company’s success.
The goal – Net Zero by 2030
A couple of years back we set ourselves a goal, a goal for both Stocksigns and Messagemaker Displays completely Net Zero by 2030. As such, we have been tracking our carbon footprint for over four years now. During this time we have achieved Carbon Neutrality through offsetting and reducing our carbon emissions and we are well on the path to achieving our goal of being Net Zero.
What we did in 2023 to help achieve this
The implementation of an end-to-end signage recycling scheme
It’s estimated that the construction industry generates around 62% of the UK’s waste and 32% of all waste that’s sent to landfill. As both a manufacturer and supplier, we are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment. As such, we have come up with a solution that overcomes sending redundant construction signs to landfill.
Our temporary construction signage is manufactured at our Surrey HQ using strong, weather-resistant, PVC-free Correx® corrugated polypropylene sheets. Once the signs have served their purpose on-site, they can be returned to our Correx® supplier’s recycling centre, diverting them from landfill. Here the old signage and any cut-offs from our production process are cleaned, shredded and then reintroduced into the production line.
Replacing old equipment for new, more efficient models
Back in 2010 we brought a first-generation SwissQprint Impala, the 15th one in the UK to be precise. This machine printed reliably for us for over 12 years, but we eventually decided it was time for an upgrade.
And so, after months of researching the market, we approached swissQprint again – and brought ourselves a new printer. Our new Impala 4 printer (the 100th SwissQprint printer in the UK) is four times faster than our previous printer whilst using one-tenth of the energy to do so.
Introduce renewable technology and power across our business
In August last year we installed solar panels on the roof of our building. These solar panels produce around 65,662 KWh, substantially contributing to about a third of our daily electrical consumption and saving 15.30 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Since their installation 7 months ago, our solar panels have now generated approximately 15,839 KWh or 15.8 MWh of power.
That is the equivalent of running 113 LED lights 24/7 for a whole year, or running 19 refrigerators for the same amount of time.
Reducing our Energy Usage
Over the past four years, we have been committed to measuring and reducing our electricity requirements as a business.
Overall, our energy usage for January and February this year dropped about 34.5% in comparison to the same period in 2023.
What we’re doing in 2024
New Cutting Machinery – Arrived March 2024
Supply Chain Sustainability School – Achieve Gold
The importance of people and Social value
We believe that if you take care of your staff, your staff will take care of your customers. Stocksigns invests in training and well-being initiatives to help keep our staff happy, healthy and motivated. Our staff benefit from health checks and team walks, we also introduced a cycle-to-work scheme and put mental health support in place.
For professional development, we offer bespoke training and coaching to allow individuals to reach their full potential – with quarterly recognition awards for our best-performing employees.
Outside work, Stocksigns staff take part in regular volunteering and charity events, including our annual mountain climb for The Children’s Trust.
Volunteering at Surrey Docks Farm
Surrey Docks Farm is a working city farm and charity that enables the community to learn about farming, food production, and the natural environment. They deliver a range of accredited training projects for adult students with learning disabilities and get involved with community projects.
In February 2023, the Stocksigns team helped out for a day, mucking out the goats, sweeping the goat and sheep yards, grooming and mucking out the donkeys, digging, and then finally wheeling & spreading woodchips on the wildlife garden paths.
Litter Picking in our local area
Sometimes the biggest difference can come from the smallest of actions. In both the summer and winter of 2023, members of the Stocksigns team took part in collecting litter from around the local area around our premises.
The team enjoyed getting out and about whilst doing our bit for the local community, collecting about 20 rubbish bags each time.
Some of our most notable finds in these litter picks include many leftover maccies wrappers, a multi coloured children’s toy and even an entire scooter that was abandoned in the bushes!
The Children’s Trust Donation Station
Over the past few months we have had a donation station from The Children’s Trust in our office.
This offers a great way for the Stocksigns team to de-clutter their homes and get rid of any unwanted items.
In the last collection the team managed to gather over 19 bags worth of donations and goodies.
These donations have been rounded up and will be sold to help raise more funding in one of their charity shops.
The Children’s Trust gardening
The beautiful grounds surrounding the Children’s Trust play an important role in providing spaces for children and their families, to relax and reflect.
Their gardens offer a space for fresh air, play, sensory development and are a vital part of The Children’s Trust life.
The trust has 24 acres of woodland and gardens, so keeping them maintained is quite a task.
Back in October, our team took part in an effort to help maintain the grounds, dealing with some troublesome weeds that were taking over a part of the garden.
Olympus Hike 2024
Every year the team at Stockigns/Messagemaker Displays, along with some of our customers & suppliers take on an epic challenge in the aid of raising money for our local charity – The Children’s Trust. Last year we scaled Poland’s highest mountain and raised an amazing £15,000.
We are back again with another challenge for 2024, this year we will be taking on ‘The Home of the Gods’ Mt. Olympus! A massive 9500ft mountain in Greece.
Our chosen charity is again The Children’s Trust. The UK’s leading charity for children with injury. Based in Tadworth (local to our HQ) the Trust runs a range of specialist care, education and therapy services for children and young people from across the UK and the UK’s largest rehabilitation centre for children with acquired brain injury (ABI).
