Flooring contractor Designer Contracts has cut energy usage by more than 10% thanks to its Sustainability Champions scheme.

Launched a year ago, the in-house campaign to promote sustainability in the workplace, has saved the company some 63,737 kilowatt hours, with total energy usage slashed by 11.35%.

Designer Contracts financial director David Walker stated: “The first year of monitoring our utility and waste has been a big success. The nature of the business means it has not been easy to measure the waste saving as that is trade dependant – but many of our contracts have been renewed on better terms as a result of the closer attention.”

The leading-edge scheme gave employees in each of its regionsthe chance to engage in positive climate action and environmental responsibility.

Representatives from each region, warehouse and head office were given accountability for monitoring and recording energy usage and waste invoices to maximise the company’s sustainability savings throughout the year. Each ‘champion’ received an incentive for doing so with the top five performing regions – Yorkshire, Thames Medway, East Anglia, South West and West Midlands – just awarded a further bonus.

Commercial director Louise Walters said: “Our sustainability champions were asked to record daily energy usage to identify spikes and any inconsistencies and review and record monthly utility bills.

“They were also responsible for recording all waste collections, reducing print and paper use, minimising waste from our products and packaging, segregating waste to maximise recycling opportunities, reducing energy use by turning off electrical appliances not in use.

“This was an important new initiative for us in 2024 and supports the work we are doing across the board to ensure that, as a company, we work towards Net Zero and minimising our impact on the climate.

“Thanks to the success of the first year, this is a scheme we plan to repeat in 2025 and beyond.”