Our sustainability wins in 2024: read our Carbon Reduction Plan

Ashtons is committed to sustainability and has implemented many impactful measures over the last few years to reduce our carbon footprint, and strengthen our ESG credentials. These include the introduction of electric and hybrid vehicles, going paperless at our offices and the introduction of hybrid and flexible working to support a healthy work life balance, and reduce office-based energy consumption. Our Ashtons e-Works  electronic prescribing and medication administration (EPMA) system also allows our clients to transition to a paperless system, as well as saving them up to £580k annually through reduced costs in stationery, audits, medication, and staffing.

Our newly published Carbon Reducton Plan evaluates the ways in which we have been making progress, in all aspects of the business and our interactions with suppliers and partners. All measures in the plan have been undertaken during our Baseline Year: 01/01/2024 – 31/12/2024, and we have also calculated our Baseline Carbon Footprint. Establishing a baseline is crucial for achieving true sustainability as it allows you to set clear, measurable goals for emissions reduction against a defined starting point, so that progress can be tracked over time and strategy adjusted, if needed, to meet targets.

What have we achieved in 2024?

Office move

In 2024 we relocated our office-based staff to our new Head Office at Ridgeland House, a more modern facility with better eco-credentials. These include double glazing for better insulation, a modern HVAC system that is more energy efficient and controllable than our previous gas boilers; and full LED lighting throughout, with motion sensors to optimise energy usage.

Achieving ISO9001:2015

In 2024 we were proud to achieve the ISO9001:2015 certification, which ensures our customers receive reliable products and services that adhere to high-quality standards; and our procedures comply with the highest regulatory requirements. This dedication to quality management also helps reduce direct emissions and energy usage; and encourages improvements in the supply chain, reducing waste and lowering indirect emissions.

Establishment of ESG Board

Our ESG Board is a key driver of sustainability across the business, driving energy-saving initiatives, encouraging operational efficiency and also engaging our suppliers and business partners in sustainable practices.

Procurement

In addition to their previous move to paperless operation, our procurement team made three key changes this year. They successfully reduced two main wholesaler deliveries per day to only one delivery per day. They increased focus on bulk ordering which minimises more frequent deliveries and also reduced selling in singles to customers, increasing selling in bulk to minimise more frequent despatches.

Future targets and commitment to achieving Net Zero

Future projects that we are currently working towards include the launch of Ashtons 2.0 in 2025, which mixes in-person and remote services to boost efficiency and cut emissions. Further improvements to the Supply Chain are planned for 2026, to find a way to digitalise the processing of supplier delivery paperwork, and we also plan to switch to fully recyclable, biodegradable prescription bags.  22% of our current fleet of leased delivery vehicles are currently fully electric – we aim to transition this to the entire fleet by 2030. By 2040 we have pledged to achieve Net Zero.

We understand that achieving true sustainability is an iterative process and we are constantly evaluating the way we operate to see where we can make further improvements. We commit to measure our carbon footprint annually and are excited to see what we can achieve over the year ahead!

Read the full carbon reduction plan here.

Find out more about our sustainability effort here.