In response to the growing concerns about the Climate Crisis, Ellard started our Carbon Literacy and sustainability journey in 2022, with the dual aim to decarbonise our operations and create a deeper understanding of the environmental impacts of fossil fuels. Operating in the industrial sector, there were many barriers to breakdown, with a widespread perception that sustainability initiatives were not worth the investment of time, money, or resources.
Mark Molyneux, Ellard's Managing Director, explains our commitment and journey perfectly, check it out!
Before Carbon Literacy
Although we had been tracking some of our emissions across scope 1, 2, and 3 since 2021, efforts to reduce them were minimal. Recognising this gap, we formed Ellard’s first ESG Taskforce, covering Environmental, Social and Governance issues. This started us on the journey of rather than just collecting emissions data, we were actively working to analyse, understand and reduce all emissions across our operations. Being a group of volunteers, whilst passionate about the matter, many lacked a deeper understanding of what is required to achieve a Net Zero society. With this in mind, we set out to find learning materials that could aid our team and increase their knowledge.
As a part of the Indutrade group, we have access to a diverse range of industries. These connections introduced us to the Carbon Literacy Project. This offered a clear pathway to make sustainable growth actionable across our business. Initial training for our Senior Management Team started our foundation of understanding and investment to a more sustainable operating model. However, we quickly realised there was still a disconnect between our goals and the broader company culture.
The Carbon Literacy Training Experience
To address this, we decided to roll out Carbon Literacy Training business-wide. The training stood out amongst the rest for its accessibility, customisation across various audiences, and actionable learning. This ensured active engagement across our office and shop floor staff, regardless of their learning styles.
To further personalise the training for our business, we enlisted the help of members of our ESG Taskforce, training three members to become Certified Carbon Literacy Facilitators and Trainers across the span of two years. This elevated our training further, offering peer-led courses to all our employees. We chose this route to ensure that members of staff felt comfortable throughout the training, being able to ask any questions and therefore get the most out of each session. Over six months, we facilitated a day's worth of in-person training to all our staff, with the aim to be a 100% Carbon Literate business.
Each session had a range of different learning techniques, the six modules covered, included interactive breakout activities, open discussion opportunities, and looking at real-life examples right from our industry. For many people, the journey to decarbonisation can feel unimportant, and many feel detached from it. We wanted to guarantee, that no matter a person’s understanding or stance on Carbon Literacy, they complete the training feeling heard, and seeing that the climate crisis, is real, it's happening now, and it's human-made, but that we play a role in tackling it.
After Carbon Literacy
Since 2022, we have been on a long journey with The Carbon Literacy Project, and whilst we have seen numerous changes within our operations, our commitment to Carbon Literacy has remained strong. At the start of 2024, we completed our goal to have 100% engagement in Carbon Literacy, from the warehouse to Senior Management. There has been a distinct change in the level of understanding and knowledge on the topic. Now each employee has the right language to communicate the climate crisis and understands how to take more ownership to reduce their collective carbon footprints. As of 2025, with the addition of new starters, we are at 93.02% of employees trained, intending to be back to 100% Carbon Literate by the end of March.
One of our biggest barriers to face was the submission of individual and group actions. Whilst our employees were engaged throughout the training, many struggled to articulate how they were going to do their part. To help tackle this we implemented post-training sessions, to help those who were struggling to complete their pledges. This was particularly helpful in getting our trainees across the line, making the course more accessible, and ensuring everyone could complete the training and start making a positive, measurable impact.
Achievements and Outcomes
Throughout Ellard’s Carbon Literacy journey, using employees' action pledges to hold us accountable, we have seen a myriad of low-carbon initiatives implemented throughout the business. The project enabled us to not only motivate those within the ESG team but also create a positive culture shift throughout our entire operations. From small changes that have made massive differences, to large-scale projects such as our solar roof, this journey has been critical to help us reach our goals.
One of our most ambitious pledges led to the addition of our solar roof. Working with the landlord of our HQ, we partnered with Perfect Sense and Electricity North West. Installing a 136.12kWp solar PV system, that consists of 332 high-quality panels, set up to generate over 139,000 kWh of clean energy in the first year. The panels were estimated to save £32,432 in year one, with an estimated payback period of 4-5 years.
Within our warehouse, we’ve seen positive change within all our shop floor staff. One of the biggest tasks that we wanted to tackle was reducing how much waste our operations create. Previously, our operations team was reliant on single-use materials, such as plastic wrap and bubble wrap. Now, with the help of our pledges, we operate using a circular model, by utilising the 9r’s method, we’ve managed to reduce how much material is prematurely discarded. Additionally, we’ve moved to using Blue Angel Accredited 100% recycled paper packing, retiring the use of bubble wrap where we can. This not only reduces emissions related to our packaging but also reduces the negative effects our operations have on biodiversity. In 2024 we released a video for Earth Day on how our operations are reducing single-use plastic. Take a look!
Next Steps
These are just two examples of how we’ve implemented the learnings from Carbon Literacy within our operations. Whilst we are only a few employees away from being 100% Carbon Literate, our mission does not stop there! With the help of our dedicated Carbon Literacy Facilitators/Trainers, we’re now working towards improving our Supply Chain’s understanding of what it means to be Carbon Literate. Starting in March, we will be working with customers and suppliers, offering free-of-charge training to them in hopes of helping them start on the same journey that Ellard has been on. At Ellard, we understand that we play a part in creating a societal shift towards Net Zero and within our industry we are thriving to be the catalyst of change.
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