At Nicklin, we’ve never believed in taking the easy path – especially when it comes to sustainability.
We have always ensured that we only use timber from accredited, sustainable sources and over the past few years, we’ve made significant changes to the way we operate.
From switching to electric forklift trucks and adding an electric vehicle to our delivery fleet, to investing in a biomass plant that powers our site using waste wood – including timber we collect from our customers.
It is all part of a circular economy model that defines our business and is critical as we continue working towards out net zero ambitions.
A shifting political landscape
There’s no denying that the political climate has changed. The new administration in the US appears to be slowing momentum on climate policy, and here in the UK, we are regularly hearing opposition voices calling for a watering-down of net zero ambitions.
But businesses like ours need consistency and clarity rather than short-term political point-scoring and so we fully support the Government’s continued focus on meeting the UK’s legally binding climate targets in 2030 and 205.
The government’s recent announcement to reduce green levies for energy-intensive manufacturers, funded through long-overdue reforms to the electricity market [link to news story], is a major step forward for UK manufacturing.
With electricity prices having nearly tripled in the past decade, this move is not just good for business – it’s essential for our sector’s survival and growth.
The latest report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) offers some welcome reassurance about our positive direction of travel: the UK is still on track to meet its climate targets with policies such as lifting the ban on onshore wind, promoting heat pumps and increasing electric vehicle uptake all starting to pay dividends in terms of overall emissions.
Manufacturing needs a Net Zero strategy
A key message from the CCC’s report is one we fully support: replacing the UK’s reliance on expensive gas with homegrown renewable energy must be the cornerstone of a long-term industrial strategy.
For the manufacturing sector this is a competitive necessity.
We’re proud to be part of a sector that is innovating and adapting, despite the pressures. Our own investment in biomass has already insulated us from some of the worst effects of volatile energy markets. But we need policy that gives all UK manufacturers the confidence to invest in the same way.
Trees, timber and the long view
It is hugely encouraging to see that tree planting in the UK has surged to levels not seen since the 1990s, vital not just for sequestering carbon but also sustainably growing the future supply of UK timber.
There’s still more work to do to return to the tree planting rates of the 1970s, but we’re heading in the right direction. Boosting domestic timber supply is critical to ensuring that the use of timber across manufacturing is as sustainable as possible, particularly in the face of such a volatile global timber market.
Our role in the bigger picture
Nicklin may be a single company, but we’ve always believed that businesses have a responsibility to lead. We’ll keep pushing forward – not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right thing to do, both for the planet but also for our customers.
We’re staying the course to net zero, and we hope others do too.
