The United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) is partnering with the Carbon Trust on an "emissions toolkit" project that will help warehouse operators cut their carbon footprint and save money.

Keith Horgan, Carbon Trust partnership development manager, says the company believes there are "substantial opportunities" in the warehousing industry to save energy and costs and reduce carbon in warehousing by the simple implementation of existing, low energy technology.

"A partnership with UKWA is the most effective way to engage with warehousing owners and operators and to encourage the industry to make cost savings through carbon management," Horgan says.

He explains that lighting and heating are the core areas for Carbon Trust's energy and carbon saving focus. "We are not talking about high-tech solutions but pragmatic and cost-effective actions ... We believe the UK warehousing industry could save in excess of GBP150 million (USD224.6 million) in energy costs and 1.5 million tonnes of carbon by making simple changes."

The Carbon Trust is currently conducting a series of site surveys and workshops with UKWA members to evaluate opportunities for savings. The surveys will assess potential barriers for introducing energy saving systems and consider the payback period on the warehouse operator's investment in such schemes.

The surveys' results are expected by April 2010 and will be used to produce a bespoke "emissions toolkit" to benefit all UKWA members.

Michael Davidson, UKWA's membership services manager, says the "emissions toolkit" will enable the association's members to "accurately evaluate" the positive impact new energy saving systems could have on their businesses' profitability.

"UKWA is keen to be seen as a champion of green issues in the 3PL sector," Davidson says.

UKWA's 650 member companies operate nearly 10 million sqm (107.7 million sqft) of warehousing space from about 2,000 depots in the UK, which, according to the Carbon Trust, make up a significant proportion of the warehousing industry's carbon footprint of approximately 10.2 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

The Carbon Trust is a government-backed independent company that helps businesses measure, manage and reduce their carbon footprints. It estimates the warehousing industry represents approximately 3% of the UK's total CO2 emissions.

For more information on the project, go to www.CarbonTrust.co.uk and www.ukwa.org.uk.