3 Changes That Could Cut Your Warehouse Costs and Save the Planet

Cut Your Warehouse Costs

The world is very aware of Here, Kelly Friel from industrial tools retailer Zoro explains how to cut warehouse costs and help the environment with some achievable operational changes.

In 2019, finding ways to make the way your business functions more eco-friendly has become more important than ever. But aside from saving the planet, making some changes to your warehouse operations can also cut costs and give your brand image a great boost. In this article, I’ll be outlining some green adaptations you can implement in your warehouse to reduce costs and become more environmentally friendly.

Cut Your Warehouse Costs

Swap to energy efficient equipment

From forklifts to lifting platforms, warehouse operations can require a lot of vehicles and machinery to carry out tasks safely and effectively. But, running a large number of these machines can take a lot of fuel and your company’s carbon footprint can become inflated. Swapping to electric vehicles eliminates the harmful emissions released from your usual gas-powered machinery, which helps the environment and even the health of your staff. This will also cost you less in the long run, since the power needed for electric vehicles costs significantly less than their fossil fuel equivalents (British Gas).

Opt for eco-friendly lighting solutions

Investing in more energy efficient lighting is also a great way to cut down on costs and help the environment. Consider swapping your usual fluorescent lighting, which is currently in the process of being phased out, for LEDs, which are more efficient and cost effective. This is because LEDs create directional light, which means that, unlike their fluorescent alternatives, LEDs can focus their light in a specific direction rather than all directions.

LEDs can also convert energy more efficiently than traditional light sources, which convert a high percentage of their energy to heat. Alternatively, LEDs convert most of their energy into light alone, so are more environmentally friendly and cost effective in the long run.

Think about your waste management

Your warehouse can produce a lot of waste, some of which, such as pallets, crates and cardboard, can actually be recycled. I’d recommend reviewing your waste production and implementing a reuse and recycle initiative to reduce the amount of waste you’re sending to landfill.

Around 22% of traders have admitted to burning their waste rather than recycling or disposing of it correctly, according to research conducted by Recycling Waste World. I’d highly suggest you avoid doing this, as the gases and emissions released from burning waste can cause some serious damage to the planet.

If you produce products with a lot of packaging, it would also be a good idea to consider swapping the wrapping with more environmentally friendly, biodegradable materials, like paper or carboard. You can now even get plastics that are biodegradable because they’re made from natural fibres and are a much more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastics.

By implementing these three green changes, you can cut warehouse costs and save the planet as a result!


D365 Business Central vs Sage 200: Comparing Sage 50 Upgrade Options

16 June 2025

Choosing the right ERP system when moving on from Sage 50 can shape how efficiently your business grows and adapts. If you want advanced features, greater flexibility and easier integration with familiar Microsoft tools, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is often the stronger option compared to Sage 200. As real-time data insight, automation and scalability are now necessities and not luxuries, your ERP upgrade decision is more important than ever.

​​Generative AI For Business: a Guide

09 June 2025

Generative AI continues to reshape how organisations operate and compete, delivering powerful tools that can drive efficiency and boost creativity. By using generative AI in your business, you can automate tasks, generate personalised customer service agents and unlock new insights to support better decision making.

The Most Useful Power BI Features

09 June 2025

Power BI continues to transform how organisations handle data by making complex analytics more accessible. By understanding the most useful Power BI features, you can create clearer reports, uncover valuable insights and improve decision-making within your business.

Scroll to top