Meachers Global Logistics won the prestigious Sustainable Supply Chain of the Year award at the Big Sustainability Awards at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton. Meachers’ PA to the Commercial Director, Helen Gardiner accepts the award from John MacMillan, Chief Executive Officer at AyMa IoT, who sponsored the award.
• Meachers Global Logistics named Sustainable Supply Chain of the Year at the Big Sustainability Awards
• Transport logistics experts are proud to be recognised for commitment and investment towards making Southampton a cleaner, greener place to live and work.
Southampton-based Meachers Global Logistics is celebrating after being named Sustainable Supply Chain of the Year at the Big Sustainability Awards on Thursday 28 October.
The international supply chain solutions firm won the prestigious award at an evening event organised by The Southern Sustainability Partnership at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton.
Meachers was also awarded runners-up plaques for two further categories – Transport/Fleet Management Initiative of the Year and Carbon Reduction Project of the Year.
As one of UK’s leading independent providers of international freight and transport logistics services, Meachers has introduced a range of initiatives over the past few years as part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, reducing pollution and increasing air quality.
For example, Meachers’ entire fleet is under five years old which ensures the latest engine technology to reduce CO2 emissions by 85% and NOx emissions by 90%. The company also has a night-running operation, double-shifting over 60% of their fleet and affecting 40% of deliveries and collections at night to improve air quality and reduce congestion.
Meachers worked closely with the University of Southampton and commissioned a report from them on the company’s carbon footprint which summarised that efforts to date had reduced the carbon footprint by over 30% in the past two years.
In addition, Meachers in partnership with Southampton City Council, developed the acclaimed Sustainable Distribution Centre (SDC). Based on a main arterial route outside the city, the centre consolidates deliveries of goods for businesses and organisations across Southampton, resulting in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, congestion and noise pollution and improved safety on the roads.
By using the Sustainable Distribution Centre, local organisations help to significantly reduce Southampton’s carbon footprint and decrease the output of other harmful gases caused by heavy goods vehicles.
The Sustainable Distribution Centre could reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles travelling into Southampton City Centre by up to 75%, potentially 6,900 vehicle movements per annum – excluding heavy goods vehicles travelling to the docks.
Commercial Director Gary Whittle said: “Meachers Global Logistics has a long Southampton heritage and we are proud to be recognised with this Big Sustainability award for the commitment and investment we have made towards making Southampton a cleaner, greener place to live and work.
“We have used our industry experience, innovations in logistics technology, unique supply chain partnerships and local understanding of the area to directly address the environmental concerns for the benefit of businesses and residents.
“The SDC ensures that the environmental impact on the local area is minimised while continuing to support the city’s economic growth and prosperity. The project contributes to the Green City Charter for Southampton: to be carbon neutral by 2030.”
Managing Director Stuart Terris also attended the awards ceremony and said: “This award is the result of a team effort at Meachers, including our hard-working warehouse team, drivers, admin staff and managers who have kept the business thriving and businesses across the country going through the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I would like to thank Southampton City Council for helping us create the Sustainable Distribution Centre, as well as Carswell Gould who have raised awareness about the project and the work that we do.
“We are now looking forward to new initiatives to keep the supply chain industry thriving in the years ahead.”
