It was the third consecutive year the Welch Group was crowned ESG champion by leading
palletised freight distributor Palletline in its annual awards ceremony which this year was held at the International Conference Centre in Edinburgh and attended by 450 guests.
The Welch Group is widely regarded as Palletline’s environment champions. In the past few years it has flown the flag for green practices, embedding ESG principles at the core of its business
The award was one of 10 presented to Palletline members and teams during an exclusive ceremony hosted by comedians Fred MacAulay and Connor Burns.
Sponsored by Auditel the Environmental and Social Impact Award was presented to the member who had demonstrated a firm commitment to sustainability, with a robust strategy for continuing to reduce its carbon footprint.
The Welch Group was highlighted for its commitment by making a significant investment in an electric fleet, enhancing employee wellbeing programmes and reinforcing ethical practices across its business.
In the past year Welch’s has started trialling electric double deck trailers and has also invested in Megawatt charging infrastructure which is set to go live imminently.
CO2 emissions so far this year are down by 12 tonnes. Welch’s operates five electric vehicles on the roads with three 28-tonne trucks to be added to the fleet by the new year.
Chris Welch said: “We are delighted to have won this award for three years in a row. “Our commitment to ESG has helped us achieve double figure growth in the past 18 months or so as our customers recognise the benefits in their own businesses and it’s great to be seen as a leading lighthouse when it comes to ESG.
“It isn’t just about electric lorries, it encompasses community partnerships, educational programmes and charitable activities.
“Everyone in the network is playing their part, even if not all shout about it, so we are delighted to have received this award in recognition of everything over the past year.”
In recent years The Welch Group has been at the forefront of adopting pioneering emissions-reduction technologies and electric vehicles and technologies.
The cause has been embraced by the whole workforce, with staff actively encouraged to engage in sustainable practices, underlining a commitment to ensuring sustainability remains at the core of everyday operations.
Welch’s received the first 42-tonne electric tractor from Renault – which sits alongside Welch’s on the e-Freight 2030 consortium – funded by the Department for Transport and Innovate UK and made up of electric HGV manufacturers, fleet operators, data analysts and HGV charging infrastructure providers to showcase scalable business models for electrifying heavy road freight.
Chris – who is the fourth generation leader of the 90-year-old family business, said: “Electrification is the biggest thing to have happened since the diesel engine was invented and we are in Cambridge – the most ideal place where there is great potential to tap into our neighbouring tech parks, research parks and university campuses.
“We focus on ESG as a core part of a business because we are in a strong position to do it and it is the right thing to do. We don’t do it for the recognition but at the same time it is great to know that what we are doing gets the stamp of approval.”
