WDS Sustainability Taskforce

Mission Statement -  “To influence WDS Components in its endeavours to use less of the earth’s valuable resources in an effort to reduce the harmful effects of climate change by becoming more sustainable in order to improve the health and wellbeing of our colleagues, wider society and future generations.” 

Our Environmental Promise

Climate change is the greatest risk facing us all. Across the globe, we are continuing to experience wildfires, hurricanes, floods and storms - all at an increasing rate. Therefore it's important for us to take responsibility as a business to help protect our planet. Whilst these events have devastating effects on our wildlife, infrastructure and people, the methods to be used in combatting it bring about job opportunities (particularly those in STEM), natural restoration, healthier lifestyles with cleaner air, potential technological advancement, and fierce economic growth.

The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 by around 200 countries from all around the world with the aim of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees C, compared to pre-industrial levels. The terms discussed at the previous COP and COP26, the UN climate change conference, have recently been further debated and enabled WDS Components to re-address its environmental commitments.

Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain or improve specific processes or systems over the long term without depleting the resources they rely on or causing significant harm to the environment, economy, or society. It often encompasses three key pillars: environmental sustainability (protecting natural resources and reducing pollution), social sustainability (ensuring social equity and justice), and economic sustainability (promoting long-term economic growth and stability). Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Qayim, Ibnul, et al. "Toward a Vision of Sustainable University: Linkages between Commitment and Practices." 2024. Reference

The three pillars of sustainability are: 

1. Environmental
   Focusing on ensuring the sustainability of the planet and its natural resources. Promoting actions that protect ecosystems, reduce pollution, conserve biodiversity, and ensure that valuable natural resources remain available for future generations.  
2. Social
   To improve the quality of life for people, ensure fair labour practices, protect human rights, promote social equity, access to education and healthcare, and create inclusive societies where everyone can thrive.  
3. Economic
   To support long-term economic growth without depleting natural resources or harming society, creating economic systems that are resilient, efficient, and provide opportunities for all. 

Together, these three pillars work to balance the needs of the environment, society, and the economy, ensuring that we meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

How WDS are aiming to be environmentally friendly

Our objective is to reduce resource consumption at WDS Components. We aim to calculate and monitor our energy usage while identifying areas for improvement in our efficiency regarding gas, water, and electricity.

Contribute to Sustainability

At WDS Components we encourage our employees to use public transport to reduce carbon emissions which will help the environment. Not only do we contribute to reducing our carbon footprint but to also consider our employees who do not have the capability to drive vehicles. Employing public transport does provide accessible options for employees. 

Recycling

Recycling reduces waste. Instead of disposing of paper, items should be put into the recycling bin. If confidential information is exposed, shredding paper is a better option. You can use shredded paper for composting.

Empty Bottles should be recycled; however, single-use plastics do increase plastics in the environment. Instead of throwing away your plastic bottles, why not reuse them?

Another option is to keep a reusable drinking bottle or thermal flask to reduce waste.
Used cans and tins can be crushed to decrease their volume in the recycling bin, making the recycling process easier. Tin cans can also be reused for food and storage.

We're doing our bit to help save the planet but how can you get involved and play your role too? We've put together a few suggestions to help you lower your carbon footprint, and better yet, they're simple changes and easy acts to commit to!

• Switch to LED bulbs
  • They consume less energy and last longer
• Use the stairs
  • Where possible walk instead of using elevators/lifts
• Unplug electronics not in use
  • Phantom power exists and it's a lover of your TVs and chargers
• Take shorter showers
  • Less water means less energy to heat it up
• Turn off the lights
  • If you're not using it, the light doesn't need to be on

Follow these tips and you can easily reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. Don't forget to share these with your friends and family too!

If you want to read more about WDS Components' commitment to climate change, head over to the Environmental Policy page where you can find details of our procedures and access to our BSI Environmental certificate inline with ISO 14001:2015.

Our primary focus is to reduce the company’s overall carbon footprint over the next 5 years

To achieve our primary goal, we will focus on a range of aspects, the main targets being the following:

Reduction in the use of electricity (13.5% over 5 years)

• Measure electricity usage and report each month with a reduction target of 1.5% for 2021-2022 financial year
• Reduction of 3% within 2022-2023 financial year
• Reduction of 3% for each year thereafter for 3 years

Reduction in the use of gas (13.5% over 5 years)

• Measure gas usage and report each month with a reduction target of 1.5% for 2021-2022 financial year
• Reduction of 3% within 2022-2023 financial year
• Reduction of 3% for each year thereafter for 3 years

Reduction in the amount of waste (15% over 5 years)

• Measure volumes between now and 2021-2022 financial year to establish a baseline figure
• Begin in 2022-2023 financial year with a target of 3.75% per year over 4 years

Increase current recycling volumes (15% over 5 years)

• Measure recycling volumes between now and 2021-2022 financial year to establish a baseline figure
• Begin in 2022-2023 financial year with a target of 3.75% per year over 4 years