Integrating sustainability into everyday decision-making
As Pat Sherry, Group Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at Balcas, explains, “Balcas is a carbon-neutral business and we strive to reduce and remove the remaining carbon emissions within our operations. Our fleet of forklifts operating on diesel 24 hours a day presented an opportunity to further reduce our carbon footprint.”
Balcas made the decision to switch its diesel forklift trucks to run on bioLPG, working alongside colleagues at Calor Ireland for supply. This choice was made after careful consideration of reliability, carbon emissions, impact on air quality, noise pollution and price. Electric forklifts were initially considered but were not up to the job of constant use five days a week for 20 hours a day due to the battery charge required.
Accumulating marginal gains
The Balcas team calculated that they could save 200 tonnes of CO2 per year with the switch to bioLPG, as well as improve the air quality on site. As an added bonus, the bioLPG forklifts are significantly quieter than the previous diesel vehicles, require less servicing and are most cost-effective to run.
“Balcas is a carbon-neutral business and we strive to reduce and remove the remaining carbon emissions within our operations”
Pat Sherry, Group Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at Balcas, Northern Ireland
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