BELL Lighting - Sustainability

Becoming Carbon Neutral

Our Scope 1 and 2 calculations for 2023 were completed by a third party, and the results showed that we could reduce our carbon emissions by switching to hybrid or electric vehicles.

We gained Carbon Neutral status through making positive decisions across our business. Some of the changes which we made as a company included moving energy suppliers (we now work with suppliers who use energy which is harvested solely from renewable sources), and introducing lighting and heating controls across our National Distribution Centre.

Alongside these changes we also worked on a carbon offsetting project in Brazil through the Salto Pilao Hydropower Plant.

Continuing Our Journey

We were awarded Carbon Neutral status once again in September 2024!

Our Carbon Neutral achievement was thanks to a reduction in carbon emissions in several areas, but it was also thanks to our involvement in three offsetting activities in China. These projects related to generating reliable wind energy, preventing commercial logging, and reforesting barren lands.

We continue to make real strides in our daily activities in 2024, with our fleet of vehicles beginning along the transition towards going fully electric, with hybrid and electric vehicles added to our portfolio.

Solar Energy

After attaining Carbon Neutral status once again in 2024, we set our sights on further sustainability goals to begin 2025. Our primary concern was the installation of solar panels at BELL House, ensuring that we reduced our energy consumption as a business.

In June 2025 we installed solar panels at our National Distribution Centre, strengthening our eco-credentials in the process. We didn't stop there. In July, we took another important step, transitioning all of our Area Sales Executives to electric vehicles (EVs).

As a final step in the right direction, we updated our Scope 1 & 2 carbon emission figures in 2025, covering areas such as neutral gas site use, petrol and diesel from company vehicles, electricity site use and electricity from transport; further to this extensive work, we also completed our Scope 3 calculations for the previous year (2024).

Our Sustainability Goals

We are proud to be rated in the top 5% of all organisations by EcoVadis! As of December 2024, we are now rated Gold once again through EcoVadis. As part of our commitment to the EcoVadis process, our Compliance and Health & Safety Officer, Shannon Hepworth, recently completed the EcoVadis Solutions Practitioner Program.

Our future ambition is to achieve Net Zero status and we hope to become an inspiration for local businesses in their efforts to operate in an eco-friendly manner, by inviting them to our offices in Normanton and showcasing our sustainable initiatives.

The next 5 years are set to be an important period, with the company targeting ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification and a move to all electric company cars, amongst other directives.

Packaging Update

We have made strides towards reducing the environmental impact of our packaging.

We have done this by ensuring that all of our cardboard boxes are FSC certified, recyclable, and made from mostly recycled materials (63%), implementing a new recycling process to ensure that we do not send waste to landfill, and introducing circular economy focussed products into the market.

We further improved a host of processes in 2024, digitising our pick notes process, our new starter contracts, our invoice storage system, and our Exports processes. We are actively working towards digitising work within remaining departments, and we have made further strides in our packaging activities. All of the packing materials which leave our warehouse are now recyclable or paper based, with our polystyrene and plastic bags moving over to a paper or vegetable starch alternative. Further to this, we have upgraded the quality of our void fill, increasing the recycled content of our sealed air. Lastly, we have moved over to a recyclable bubble wrap, and our pallet wrapping is now 100% recyclable.

Carbon Emissions

We have now updated our Scope 1 & 2 carbon emission figures, covering areas such as neutral gas site use, petrol and diesel from company vehicles, electricity site use and electricity from transport; further to this extensive work, we are proud to announce that we have also completed our Scope 3 calculations for 2024.

This is a significant step for any business, and it puts us closer to our goal of reaching Net Zero status in the near future. Measuring Scope 3 carbon emissions is a commitment which is reserved for businesses that are serious about taking the right steps towards sustainability without taking any shortcuts.

The Firestay Geo® and Circular Economy

Our Firestay Geo® Sustainable Modular Downlight is the next step towards sustainability and circular economy for BELL Lighting, and we are ahead of the curve in the race towards our eco goals. The downlight housing is designed to remain in the ceiling for life, resulting in zero waste to landfill.

Designed to be used alongside our Firestay Geo® housing, our Geo-Mod® is a sustainable light engine which enables the user to replace the CCT LED unit at the end of product life, with the module being returned to your local BELL Lighting collection hub, resulting in full circular economy.

Upon return to your local wholesaler, another Geo-Mod® product must be purchased and installed within the remaining Geo housing. No disposal is required throughout the process.