81% of shoppers now prefer to buy from sustainable brands. As awareness grows about the damage that businesses with large carbon footprints can cause, that figure is only set to grow. With the Australian government pledging to ensure that all businesses are carbon neutral by 2050, sustainable practices stand to not only boost sales but also put businesses at the forefront of new ways of operating. From this, it is important to discuss about the sustainable pallet racking solutions we have available.
Commercial buildings have long been guilty of creating large carbon footprints through the use of machinery and excessive lighting. Making more sustainable choices in warehouse efficiency and design should therefore be the first step toward lowering emissions in general.
Reducing lighting, choosing energy-efficient equipment, and removing packaging are all now standard warehouse practices. More fundamentally than even these obvious switches, businesses could also benefit from considering the sustainability of warehouse layouts themselves.
Sustainable pallet racking solutions can prove transformative for the reduction of warehouse footprints. In this article, we’re going to consider the steps you should take to make that happen.
Maximise your space
If staff have to use a vehicle or other damaging process to get from one end of your warehouse to the other, then your carbon footprint will be automatically higher. Of course, you can’t reduce your pallet count without compromising on product offerings. You can, however, maximise your warehouse space by choosing the right pallet racking solutions for your needs.
Efficient pallet racking layouts that allow you to easily fit your stock into fewer warehouse bays can save the need for excessive vehicle use or product movements. Solutions with wider aperture bays or the ability to store larger weights can especially help you achieve a more efficient system in general. As well as reducing the need for warehouse movement, the ability to reduce things like lighting in the areas that this design focus will leave free can make a huge difference to energy outputs overall.
Seek local production
The size and weight of quality pallet racking solutions make their delivery relatively difficult. If you invest in pallet racking that’s not local to you, this could result in the use of inefficient long-distance lorries and other harmful processes. As we’ll discuss in more detail when we get to our next point, the need for regular maintenance may also mean that long-haul trips must be made regularly.
Regardless of changes you’re making in your warehouse itself, it’s difficult to get away from the damage that this solution might cause. That’s why it’s always worth seeking high-quality, local pallet racking solutions that require far less travel time to reach you. As well as ensuring experts who know and understand local business, this is going to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of even regularly maintained solutions. That will ensure faster, more efficient processes that you and your consumers can trust.
Keep on top of maintenance
The longevity of any product is a huge determinant of its sustainability. If poorly kept pallet racking solutions require replacement in a few short years, it results in wasted materials, additional delivery requirements, and generally inefficient outcomes. Not to mention that poor maintenance can result in unnecessarily high costs and safety risks to your team.
Installations that are completed to a high standard and in accordance with the relevant codes can, in themselves, increase the chances of a lasting solution that will serve for a long time to come. However, even quality pallet racking solutions require annual inspections from an independent company. You should also aim to conduct weekly or monthly inspections in-house. That way, issues including weak spots and other potential hazards can be addressed immediately, ensuring solutions that last, and saving your team from the unnecessary risks they would face otherwise.
Seek more sustainable solutions today
Sustainability is no longer just an option, but rather a business essential that warehouses need to cater for. Sustainable pallet racking solutions make it far easier to reduce your carbon footprint in a variety of ways.
PQR is a local company that you can trust. We have more than 40 years of experience delivering reliably sustainable pallet racking solutions across Queensland. Whether you require safety inspections, maintenance, or assistance with your pallet racking in general, we can make sure that your warehouse operates as efficiently as possible for a long time to come.
For cost savings, increased sales, and general peace of mind, it’s important to get on top of sustainability as soon as possible. Let PQR help you to do that by getting in touch with our team today.
