A member of our Marketing team, Inga Gusauskaite, attended the University of Northampton (UoN) Sustainability Summit 2024, to learn and share our learnings of sustainability with businesses within the Northamptonshire area.
The theme at this year’s event was ‘Harnessing the power of innovation in attaining our shared sustainability goals under the Northampton Sustainability Accord’.
Attending events like this are especially pertinent given the Group’s ethos of sustainability. We want to further our understanding and continuously learn about how we can be more eco-friendly as well as sharing with others the steps that we are taking to reduce our own carbon footprint.
Speaking after her visit to the UoN Sustainability Summit 2024, Inga said: “I used to be a student at the University of Northampton, so this was a great opportunity to reconnect with the university through this event and be a part of valuable discussions bringing together education and businesses with a shared interest of becoming more sustainable.
“The event was a great opportunity to network with fellow delegates from the Northamptonshire area and recognise the steps that they are taking to be Net Zero by 2030 as well as sharing what actions See Limited is taking to make a difference to the environment.”
Zero waste and solar energy
During the summit, an important takeaway was discussed by Simon Derrick, founder of the Sustainable Business Alliance, who suggests recycling is not always the best solution. Recycling itself consumes a lot of energy, so instead can you turn your waste into someone else’s wealth? Does everything need to be put in the bin, or can it be given to another business to use?
Simon also suggested that surprisingly only 6% of UK businesses use solar panels to generate energy. Contrary to popular belief solar panels operate throughout the night and can help to massively save energy costs. We are proud to be a part of that 6%, with 316 solar photovoltaic panels installed at our operational site in Corby, Northamptonshire.
With our panels installed in 2022, we are looking forward to sharing some more data about our energy savings and the positive impact that this initiative is having on the environment in the coming weeks.
Taking action
Dr Ebenezer Laryea, Associate Professor and Chair of the Planning Committee, said: “We aim for the 2024 Summit to go beyond being a mere forum for discussion, and to rather serve as a crucible for action that will help propel us on our shared path to a more sustainable future.
“We come together not only out of common concern for our environment and society, but by a shared conviction that we owe a sacred responsibility to future generations to address shared sustainability challenges and forge a better path forward towards a more sustainable society.”
The innovative solutions that were discussed over the two-day summit will be forged into an action plan and be part of the Northampton Sustainability Accord.
Driving a green agenda
After attending this year’s Sustainability Summit, we are looking forward to strengthening our business connections in Northamptonshire and are open to further collaboration as we continue to fight the climate crisis.
For more information on our sustainability initiatives, please visit our dedicated page here: https://www.see-limited.com/sustainability