Greens visit trailblazing Steel Company aiming to be Carbon Neutral by 2030
A group of Green Party Councillors have visited a busy Sheffield Steel factory aiming to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. Davers Steels Ltd, based on Petre Street has 37 employees and produces fabricated steel products for the construction sector.
Davers Steels has installed 550 solar panels onto their roof, which generate 50% of their annual energy usage and have a 0% carbon Business Energy Tariff. They are also electrifying their vehicles – charged from their own power. They now only have one company vehicle that uses diesel but have plans to replace that with an electric one. They are working towards gaining certification for ISO 14001 Environmental Management, which is a framework that will ensure they continually improve their environmental performance.
Councillor Douglas Johnson, Leader of the Green Group on Sheffield City Council, said,
“What impressed me most about the visit to Daver Steels was that the company’s very clear commitment to achieve environmental goals matched the financial benefits of doing so.
“With rising energy prices, the payback on their solar panel investment has reduced from six years to three. This demonstrates that actions that reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions also make good business sense. They are looking at every element of their business from how they generate their energy, their transport use and how they recycle their waste.
“Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire’s Mayor need to be promoting environmental best practice like Daver Steels are already doing and make it commonplace. We need to see what we can do to make it easier for companies to get advice about reducing their emissions and costs; and also assess what can be done to help with financing the move to install renewable energy and energy efficiency measures for those who need that support.
“Sheffield City Council has set a target of being a zero carbon city by 2030. This is a target for the whole city, not just the Council. So trailblazing SME companies like Daver Steels are important to show the way for others and demonstrate that a green future is not just possible but profitable too, no matter what the size of the business or organisation .”
