Improving your sustainability, one rack at a time

Would you believe that only 5% of the worlds land mass remains untouched by humans? At QTS, we are concerned for the planet’s wellbeing but also your products and staff safety. We know that sometimes it can be difficult to get the right mixture of cost efficiency and sustainability, but we think that we can help to alleviate some of this burden.

The population increase rate of the world is currently around 1.05%. This does not sound like much but that could push the world’s population over the 8 billion mark. Naturally, this increase in population is going to cause an increase in demand over time.  If we look at the consumer spending for evidence of this then you will see that between 2014 and 2019 consumer spending increased by over 80%. Of course, as businesses, this is exciting. However, it does bring about the problem of not having the capability to house this much stock.

How can you become more sustainable in your warehouse?

The space saving answer  is to stack warehouses high by using multiple racks on top of one another. There are some risks associated with this. What if the decks collapse? What if something falls and causes injuries? Well, by using a wire mesh deck in combination with an anti-collapse wiring will help to combat both issues. And we have the perfect 2 products that can be completely tailored to your needs:

EasySHELF:
easySHELF Wire Mesh Decks are a low weight, high strength wire mesh decking system that is suitable for storing palletised goods or single units in a secure and simple way.

Constructed from fusion welded steel in various configurations, the easySHELF surface is on average 70% permeable. This reduces the gathering of dust, whilst at the same time allowing light and water from sprinklers to penetrate lower levels. Designed with a waterfall design front and rear the easySHELF is secured safely into place with no additional fixings for rapid and straightforward installations.

rackGUARDIAN:
RackGUARDIAN Anti-Collapse Mesh (ACM) is a High-Strength Steel panelled protection system, which protects your workforce from serious injury or harm from falling product stored at height.

Mounted to the rear of a pallet racking system using a universal bracket, panels are configured in a brickwork pattern and installed to create a strong mesh screen capable of absorbing impacts up to 2500 joules.

How can steel possibly contribute to the sustainability of your company?

I know what you are thinking, how can steel possibly be in any way sustainable? Well firstly, by building upwards, you are saving space. Natural areas are often cut down and flattened to make space for these big warehouse spaces; by building upwards you can potentially triple of quadruple the amount of storage per meter squared.

Secondly, a common misconception is that the wooden structure alternatives would be better suited from a sustainability point of view. However, wood is a single use material; this means that once the decking is finished with, it will be burnt or left to rot. The burning of the wood releases all the CO2 that is stored in the wood. If you compare the span of steel to wood, then you may have to replace the wood 3 or 4 times which is a lot of c02 that gets released.

Steel is also the world’s most recycled material. Once business have finished with our easySHELF, it is melted down and reformed into more mesh decking. The steel used in the construction of warehouses across the UK has a recycle rate of around 90%. Our main supplier of steel produces a majority of its product through recycling used steel.

If you would like to help us save the planet and improve you sustainability, then get in contact with one of our dedicated sales team today here.