The National Piping Centre is a national and international centre of excellence for the bagpipe and its music. It offers world-class bagpipe education, the finest Scottish food and also serves as a wedding venue. The company applied for the Step Up to Net Zero (SUTNZ) programme, as it has a small team and recognised the need for guidance on how to adopt more sustainable initiatives in the business.
Through the programme, the company was able to recruit a sustainability co-ordinator with a hospitality background, named Rosemary. Rosemary was given a four-month placement to work on an Action Plan to facilitate the company’s short-term sustainability goals and support the company on its green journey.
RESULTS
- Planning Consent has been received for the installation of Solar PV and Battery Storage on the Listed Building.
- Changes in the bar/restaurant – changing to compostable cups and stirrers for takeaway in the bar/restaurant. The company is also encouraging staff to use washable cups. The shop also now uses compostable wrap and recyclable padded envelopes.
- REEDcycling – the Piping Centre is now acting as a bank to collect reeds from pipers. They will send them away once they have a large volume to recycle all components – this includes melting down the recyclable metals to be used by other organisations.
HOW THEY DID IT
During the four-month placement, Rosemary implemented many sustainability action points. Rosemary’s knowledge and work have built a steady foundation for the company as they will continue to use the action plan as a building block for any future ideas.
The company will now work on its medium to long-term objectives and is aiming to have improved greener communication with its supply chain, hold regular teaching sessions for staff, and have a greener focus on its events throughout the year.