Essex Bulk Services Bolsters Sustainability Credentials with Mission Zero Accreditation

Craig Childs

A family-run transport firm with a fleet of 122 vehicles, Essex Bulk Services Ltd (EBS), has achieved Advanced Sustainability Accreditation with Mission Zero, the Quality Standard for the road fleet sector.

EBS recognises sustainability in the transport sector has an impact on more than just emission levels. As part of the company’s overall sustainability strategy, and besides already completing the Mission Zero Work-Related Road Risk Silver and Gold advanced modules (both recognised by Transport for London as equivalent to FORS Silver and FORS Gold), Essex Bulk Services can now boast Advanced Sustainability under their Mission Zero Accreditation.

As part of the accreditation, Mission Zero provided EBS with a realistic framework for achieving a long-term sustainable transport operation. Joining Mission Zero influenced the company’s overall sustainability strategy and goals and has heavily contributed to shaping its sustainability initiatives.

Besides key sustainability elements around vehicles, fuels, and emissions, the Mission Zero Standard and the Mission Zero+ Advanced Sustainability Modules incorporate additional sustainability requirements covering areas such as reduction of single use plastics, employing energy efficient devices, staff health & wellbeing, equality & diversity, gender pay gap, and much more to ensure a more comprehensive accreditation that helps the fleet industry to align to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Commenting on why EBS chose to bolster its Mission Zero accreditations by completing Advanced Sustainability, Craig Childs, Director at Essex Bulk Services says: “Sustainability is no longer just a corporate social responsibility initiative but a fundamental aspect of long-term success. Embracing sustainability can lead to cost savings, improved brand reputation, enhanced innovation, and long-term resilience. 

"Employees are increasingly looking for employers who prioritise sustainable practices, fostering a sense of purpose and job satisfaction. Engaging employees in sustainable initiatives has helped boost morale, teamwork, and attract and retain talent. In addition, customers are increasingly conscious of their ecological and social impact and prefer to work with businesses that are environmentally and socially responsible.”

Mission Zero is the UK’s fastest growing fleet accreditation scheme. Through its alignment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mission Zero has redefined the meaning of sustainability in fleet accreditation standards and provides companies with a realistic pathway to achieving long-term sustainability.

Nick Caesari, CEO, Mission Zero comments: “Mission Zero is helping companies of all sizes to achieve a sustainable future. Congratulations to the entire EBS team on their Sustainability Accreditation, we are incredibly proud to have Essex Bulk Services as part of the Mission Zero family.”

RCS – the texting we know and love only even better

In a sea of sameness, sales and marketing campaigns must stand out to win over a mobile savvy generation of decision-makers.

We’ve all been there.

Your phone pings on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a text message from an unknown number telling you about a sale from one of your favourite brands, with a link that you need to click on that you may, or may not trust.

Now imagine that text with clear branding and colourful product images that lets you browse within the same message.

It’s easy to see which message would grab the most attention.

Enter RCS or Rich Communication Services messaging - a messaging format that’s been gaining more ground since Google completed its rollout across carriers and networks back in 2020.

And the statistics bear this out, with nearly 80% of consumers finding RCS appealing, and 74% of us saying RCS would make us more likely to want to communicate with a brand.

According to Chris Gorman, Head of Professional Services at Esendex “RCS is a win for businesses and consumers. For consumers it’s a familiar and secure environment to be in – and there’s no App to download. For businesses it can lead to better engagement and conversions thanks to interactive branding, action buttons, photos, videos, location-sharing and more.

“Android has more than 70% of global market share, so engaging those users with RCS is a really smart move.

“When customers feel that they are being listened to and can contact you quickly and easily on a channel of their choice, they are far more likely to do business with you and recommend you to others.”

https://www.esendex.co.uk

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UK enters US Green Card Lottery for the first time

The United Kingdom is participating in the annual Green Card Lottery for permanent US residence this year. It will be the first time since its inception in 1994. Applications must be submitted on or before 7th November.

The US State Department made a historic announcement today. Individuals born in the United Kingdom and all its dependent territories will be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the US Diversity Visa Programme this year.

What is the US Green Card Lottery?

The Green Card Lottery, as it is popularly known, is an official immigration programme run by the US government to keep immigration diverse. Every year, 55,000 green cards are drawn among participants from countries with low immigration rates to the US. The United Kingdom has been added to the list of eligible countries for the first time, as the number of immigrants from the UK has declined over the past five years.

Holger Zimmermann, managing director of The American Dream, Europe´s leading US immigration agency, urges interested Britons to enter as soon as possible: “The drop in immigration from the UK to the US was probably only due to Covid restrictions.” He reckons that the numbers will already be back to old levels very soon. This year might be the only chance for British citizens to participate in this popular programme, Zimmermann adds.

Requirements and Chances

Millions of people participate in the programme every year, but with 55,000 green cards at stake, the odds are still high, especially in Europe. Internal statistics show a success rate of about 1 in 45. For married couples, the chances are twice as high. Applications are free and must be submitted by 7 November 2023. Winners will be announced in May 2024. Since more than 60 % of all applications are regularly disqualified due to minor errors, accredited immigration agencies such as The American Dream ensure that applications are submitted correctly and help winners with further processing.

About The American Dream

The government-licensed immigration consultants at The American Dream have assisted people with all aspects of immigration and travel to the USA since 1996 - from applying for the Green Card Lottery to planning immigration to applying for business or tourist visas and sending employees to the USA.

The American Dream has helped over 21,000 immigrants on their way to a Green Card and has helped over 0,000 leisure and business travellers obtain a visa or ESTA.

www.the-american-dream.com

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Do you have land? Aldi might want to hear from you

Aldi has revealed the areas it wants to create new stores as it invests £1.4bn over the next two years.

In its annual trading update, Aldi said it's attracted around one million extra customers in the past year, with a new generation of savvy shoppers turning their back on traditional, full priced supermarkets.

Britain’s fourth largest supermarket, which opened its 1,000th store earlier this month, is committed to a long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK – meaning it is on the hunt for more locations across the UK.

Priority locations where Aldi is searching for sites include:

London – Kensington and Hackney

South West – Penzance and Bath

South East – Maidenhead and Worthing

North West – Warrington and Bramhall

North East – Newcastle Upon Tyne and South Shields

East Midlands – Nottingham and Derby

West Midlands – Birmingham and Warwick

East of England – Cambridge and Brentwood

Yorkshire and the Humber – Harrogate and York

Wales – Cardiff and Chepstow

Scotland – Clarkston and Cathcart

Aldi is searching for a variety of sites including:- freehold town-centre, edge-of-centre, and retail park sites suitable for property development. The sites would need to be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq foot store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and good access.

Aldo will also be investing in the development of new and expanded distribution centres, including its new distribution centre in Leicestershire.

Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “We want to make our great value groceries accessible to all, and to do that we obviously need more stores, particularly in towns and areas that don’t have an Aldi already.

“The areas we’ve identified in our latest list are places where there is demand for stores and we are committed to continue investing until we can bring our quality products and unbeatable prices to as many people as possible.”

Anybody who has a site that may fit Aldi’s requirements should contact info.nationalproperty@aldi.co.uk.

For more information on Aldi’s nationwide site requirements, visit: www.aldi.co.uk/about-aldi/property/required-towns