Natracare, the sustainable personal care brand, has recently doubled the number of solar panels on the roof of their office building with support from the West of England Combined Authority and the European Regional Development Fund. Natracare says it’s ‘another step towards completely decarbonising our energy use’ and will help them to save around 18,000kg of CO2 every year.
Powering the office with green energy
Natracare has run on greener energy from solar panels since 2015, and their latest installation has doubled the size of their solar panels to a 40kW solar array. This covers almost all their electricity needs, and often creates a surplus of green energy in the summer months.
Extra electricity generated is exported back to the national grid. This also helps pre-heat hot water at the Natracare HQ, helping to make sure the office showers for employees cycling to work are as green as possible.
Encouraging a greener commute
Natracare has also installed four 7.2kW electric vehicle chargers on site. Employees with an electric vehicle can charge it while they’re at work, and those considering the idea of switching to electric will be encouraged knowing they can charge their car at Natracare HQ.
In a staff survey, only 40% of employees were able to install a charging station at their home. For the 60% that aren’t able to, having a charger at the office could make owning an electric vehicle much more feasible. The Natracare team already car share where possible to reduce commute emissions and switching to electric will be another step in the direction of a more sustainable commute.
Chargers don’t reduce single occupancy journeys; they’re part of a conscious conversation around sustainability at Natracare. How can we maintain some of the environmental benefits we’ve seen whilst working from home by limiting commuting and air pollution?
– Susie Hewson, Founder of Natracare
30% of Natracare employees indicated they’re considering purchasing an electric vehicle in the next 3 years, and 40% have said that they would be more likely to do so if they had access to charging at work.
Looking to the future, Natracare plans to completely decarbonise their energy use. The next step is to install a heat pump. This will become the main source of hot water and heating at Natracare without relying on a traditional gas boiler.
As a purpose-driven brand, Natracare is dedicated to making their offices a greener place and giving back to people and the planet. Find out more about their giving strategy here.
Notes to editors
Natracare is the first company in the world to provide plastic-free, certified organic cotton tampons and totally chlorine-free sanitary pads and panty liners. Natracare products are biodegradable and can even be composted. Susie Hewson created the brand in 1989 in response to the growing danger to human health and the environment from dioxin pollution in the pulping industries with the chlorine bleaching of paper products.
