At The Lowry, we recognise that we are one link in a supply chain – that the goods we choose and sell have an environmental impact, as do the services we offer. We are implementing an organisation-wide sustainable procurement strategy in order to minimise the carbon footprint of our products and services, working with suppliers who share our emphasis on an environmentally friendly approach. From our tender process right through to the way we process recycling and waste, this policy will apply to every department at The Lowry. It will act as a standard that the entire organisation will need to work to when buying services and products.
Actions that we’ve already put in place across our hospitality offer include the introduction of more environmentally-conscious products in our coffee shop and within the confectionery we sell, such as sustainable palm oil chocolate and carbon neutral sweets. We’re continuing to focus on working with local, artisan suppliers, including H.M. Pasties, Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co. and Four Sis4ers Distillery, making the switch to more sustainable companies where necessary (our ice cream is now supplied by Jude’s, a certified B Corporation). Our coffee supplier is now the North West-based roasters Neighbourhood, a certified carbon neutral company.
In our Pier Eight restaurant, three out of five starters, two out of five main courses and all five desserts are now vegetarian or vegan. We’ve also made the swap from plastic bottles to cans and glass bottles in all front of house areas. In terms of energy usage, all non-food fridges are now on timers in front of house spaces; we’ve also fully transitioned to email-based orders and invoicing, as well as introducing a paperless induction system.
Within our retail offer, we’ve focused on transitioning away from plastic packaging, with 100% recyclable and biodegradable Hive Wrap used instead of bubble wrap, and card mug boxes replacing polystyrene. We also reuse packaging from deliveries as much as possible. The Lowry shopper bag is now offered as an alternative to plastic carrier bags, and is made from recycled bottles. In our Pocket Money range, all toys are made from tin, wood or card, and we’ve designed and implemented ‘card clasp’ stickers instead of cellophane bags for The Lowry’s cards.
Behind scenes, we’re focusing on making sure that computers, fans, printers and all lights are switched off when leaving the stockroom, with additional signage in place here and in our retail office. We’re helping to reduce our energy usage by deleting old emails and files where we can, and have limited printing as much as possible.