Pride and optimism are two words synonymous with the UK manufacturing sector. After all, we're a top ten global manufacturing nation that provides over 2.5 million jobs, almost half our exports, and around two thirds of all UK research and development business expenditure. Yet for all its praises, the sector is still finding its feet in the sustainable revolution.
Manufacturing operations need a sustainability makeover to reduce their impact on the environment. But we must do it in a way that ensures the financial and competitive rewards our sector has long been celebrated for are upheld. Until manufacturers are all singing from the same hymn sheet, there’ll continue to be a gap between sustainable practice and feeling the effects along the entire value chain.
Priority number one needs to be learning from years gone by. Namely, going back to our proud manufacturing roots to unite and strengthen the relationships between local (and national) manufacturers. As individual businesses, our impacts are tangible. But as a collective? Incredibly powerful.
Looking back at the roots of UK manufacturing
Reliance on suppliers, purchasers, even the competition enabled our status as the first industrial nation in the world. And despite the digitalisation of communication we’re used to today, the relationships we forge within the sector are integral to continued success.
Closer to home for us, and manufacturing makes up a proud part of Yorkshire heritage. Our region has been at it since the late 1700s! Just as we’re renowned for our production capabilities, we’re celebrated for our community spirit. And it’s this essence that the sector needs to tackle one of the biggest crises of modern manufacturing: climate change.
Overwhelm VS optimism
Information, guidance, and advice for sustainable manufacturing practice isn’t limited. If anything, it’s infinite. In itself, this overwhelm is a barrier for business leaders exploring and changing to environmentally friendlier processes. But here’s the thing, every marathon starts with a single step. All we need to do is work out which foot we should be putting forwards for our manufacturing community.
Relationships: Core to sustainable manufacturing
For our team at Greyhound Box, it all comes back to relationships. That’s from choosing suppliers and partners whose sustainable values align with our own. To the clients on our roster, all the way through to our local and national peers. Investing in a network who you can learn from, grow with, and be inspired/inspire is a core part of the journey to a more sustainable sector.
It isn’t just discussing the advanced machinery or alternative energy sources used to run your factory. It’s a holistic piece, one that touches every square foot of the factory floor. And that’s where a peer network comes in.
Sustainability Peer Network
Earlier this year, we hosted the first ‘Sustainability Peer Network’ from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. It's a series of free sessions for local SMEs, with the core aim of making sustainable practice more accessible and relevant to the community. So far, tens of people have joined us for insightful afternoons of insight and discussion, with the impact already profound.
Rather than being sessions where ideas are sparked, considered on the drive home, but then left at the front door, there’s an element of accountability. Attendees share what they’ve implemented in their business since the session before, with these actions inspiring other members of the network to follow suit.
It’s this combination of accountability and togetherness in a friendly setting that the manufacturing sector nationwide could really learn lessons from. Attendees aren’t coming with all the answers – they arrive with questions, honest lessons, and at different stages on the path to sustainability. Those whose sustainability agenda is well established are sharing what they'd do differently with those yet to start. Those who’ve made mistakes in the past are explaining what they wish they’d have known. And those who are getting the cogs of tangible improvement turning are being applauded.
The pride that's been ingrained in the UK manufacturing community since day dot is being showcased through the Sustainability Peer Network. And it’s highlighted the pride that’s set to continue as we navigate the sector through this green transition.
How to get started
The next Sustainability Peer Network is on Monday 9th September at Greyhound Box, Leeds. We'll be focussing on carbon management, with a Business Sustainability Manager demonstrating how to calculate your business' carbon footprint – and how to effectively manage its reduction. Find out more.
About the author:
Louise O’Brien is the Managing Director at Greyhound Box, a leading manufacturer and supplier of sustainable corrugated cardboard packaging solutions.