CASE STUDIES
Wernick Group
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A family-owned business established in 1934, The Wernick Group is a national provider of permanent and temporary modular buildings, site accommodation and off-grid power solutions. Wernick has 33 depots and divisional offices throughout the UK, with manufacturing centres in South Wales, Nottingham and York. The Group consists of six companies, namely Wernick Buildings, Wernick Hire, Wernick Refurbished Buildings, Wernick Events, Wernick Power Solutions and Wernick AVDanzer.
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Wernick Group became signatories to the Pledge to Net Zero in December 2022. To support their commitment, they launched a Carbon Management Plan in Feb 2022 which comprises 22 transformational actions to foster real change amongst their staff, suppliers and stakeholders to reach net zero. This case study focuses on its success to date and the exciting plans to decarbonise its estate, fleet, supply chain and sustainable product offering.
Why did Wernick sign up to the Pledge?
We wanted to be transparent and credible in our approach to net zero, both through demonstrating carbon reductions within our operations and to also meet our customer's needs. We wanted to ‘walk the walk’ and placed net zero as an organisational priority. The Pledge allows us to share our work and lead the way in innovation and sustainable solutions.
What plans have you got for the future?
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We have developed an extensive plan for the future, driven by our ambition to achieve significant milestones. Our road map commits us to:
• Installing further voltage optimisation units and solar panels at our highest energy-consuming factories
• All gas central heating in offices to be changed to a low-emission alternative by 2024
• All new build offices to be energy-positive A+ EPC rated by 2024
• All new company vehicles to be hybrid or fully electric by 2025
• By 2030 all gas/fossil fuel heating to be changed to a low-carbon alternative (including workshops & factories)
Alexis Massey,
Group Sustainability Manager​
Any top tips?
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Focus on a clear hierarchy for carbon reduction and prioritise investment with both a cost and carbon payback. People are key to the success of your journey, explain what net zero is to them in simple terms and the action that they can take to help you get there. This includes your staff, suppliers, customers and stakeholders. Create a clear net zero brand and narrative that staff can understand and relate to, harness their ideas to improve energy efficiency, waste management and net gain opportunities and most importantly celebrate your successes with them!
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*Rating was carried out by official quality energy assessor, Sutcliffe Consulting Engineers Ltd.
What have you done so far to reduce carbon?
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In 2022 we re-baselined the Group’s carbon emissions due to recent acquisitions alongside asset purchases. Over the past year, we have successfully completed 11 low-carbon projects delivering energy efficiency, carbon reductions, and enhanced resilience across our operations. These initiatives have resulted in significant savings, including:
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Annual savings of 175,000 kWh and 41 tonnes of CO2e
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Energy equivalent to powering 56-average-sized 3-bedroom homes for a year
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Installed renewables which provide annual generation of nearly 150,000 kWh of our own clean energy
Key projects completed include:
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The upgrade of LED lighting in all factories and depots (due to be completed by the end of 2023)
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Installation of Voltage Optimisation units at our main factory in Kenfig (our other two manufacturing facilities will follow)
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Upgrades to our office buildings for an EPC B rating
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Solar panel installations at our head office and main factories (Kenfig and York)
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Purchased five electric forklift trucks
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Transitioning our fleet to electric with the introduction of vehicle chargers and plug-in hybrids within our company
We have placed a focus on waste management, including a single supplier arrangement to drive recovery and recycling rates across our operations whilst reducing and eliminating single-use plastics. Through investing in our products and assets, e we substantially helped our our clients' reduce their emissions. These include our GreenSpace hire range of cabins, which can achieve a generic EPC A rating* and our Power solutions where we offer integrated renewables. Also, our digital approach has enabled paperless solutions for invoicing, collections, and deliveries, improving accessibility while conserving resources.
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