Sustainability

Anderson & Garland recognises the important role we all play in tackling the global climate change crisis, which is why we’re committed to creating positive changes, to try and reduce the environmental impact we have on the planet.

As Auctioneers of pre-owned goods and chattels, we've actually been in re-cycling business since 1840. Each year we give tens of thousands of items a new lease of life through our many auctions.

We also work hard to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill when clearing houses, by donating as many low value items to our charity partners as possible. 

Whilst we're proud to be actively involved the recycling industry on a daily basis, we still have some work to do, as not all daily business functions are carbon neutral...yet!  Therefore, as part of our on-going commitment to reducing our ecological impact year on year, here are some of the changes we're making.

Green Initiatives

Recycle. Reuse. Reduce.

As the leading auction house in North east of England and Scottish Borders, we have a responsibility to lead by example. Reusability is at the core of our company’s ethos, and is a core value.

Recycle unwanted items – Reuse them – Reduce waste

Purchasing a preloved item at auction has a substantially lower carbon footprint than buying new. A recent study by the Auction Technology Group concluded that in 2021, by buying at auction through it's auction partner network, rather than new, from retail outlets, saved the following CO2 emissions:

*Carbon emissions saved by the sale of these popular items at auctions run on ATG’s marketplaces globally

Business Operations

Waste Disposal

We work closely with carefully selected waste disposal providers, both on House Clearances and at our offices. They share our commitment to reducing landfill waste and increasing reusability.

We have recycling stations located throughout our purpose built saleroom and foster a 'recycling first' attitude with both staff and customers alike.

Waste Reduction

All packaging materials are hand sorted by our saleroom team and recycled or reused wherever possible.

We no longer use disposable cups with our energy efficient coffee machines and water coolers. Valuation clients are now offered complimentary coffee in ceramic cups. Staff also use recyclable cups and water bottles 

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 Print Reduction

Despite being very proud of the detailed glossy catalogues we produce for our fine sales, they come at an enviromemtal cost. In Spring 2023, we pledged to substantially reduce the amount of paper and printing waste produced as a business. We concluded that the greatest reduction would come with the total digitalization of our auction catalogues. Therefore, the difficult, but necessary decision was made to cease the production of the hard copy versions, and instead, put the resources into enhancing the digital offering online. Our valuers and support team are also encouranged to send out valuations digitally, and also to only print out documemts, if absolutely neccesary,  By doing this, we aim to  reduce our printing by over 70%, compared to 2022.

Fleet Vehicles

This year we changed our company cars for electric vehicles. Once viable alternatives become available, we will also look to change over our van fleet to electric.

Green Energy

Clean energy is something we're passionate about, which is why our purpose-built saleroom is fitted with a state of the art solar panel system. Not only does this allow us to generate our own electricity, but also to give back green power to the grid. 

To reduce our electricity consumption, we are changing the light fittings within our building to more environmentally friendly versions. This is part of an ongoing programme of work and is  due to be completed in the very near future. 

On-going Commitment

We continue to review our business process’, making positive changes, wherever possible.