National shipping container company Royal Wolf has begun constructing a new facility in Newcastle, New South Wales, equipped with a series of key sustainable measures.
Located at Kooragang Island, the new facility is part of the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and build a consistent model for operations across Australia and New Zealand.
“The main focus for us is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Neil Littlewood, managing director of Royal Wolf Australia. “By installing solar panels, energy-efficient light bulbs and motion sensor lighting, we are better able to quantify our energy use.”
Designed in collaboration with Dowse Projects, the Newcastle facility will be solar-powered by a 61.2 kW system that will produce 235 kW on average per day.
It will also feature a 20,000-litre water catchment and reticulation system, motion-sensor lighting, and landscaping using native Australian plants.
“The water catchment and reticulation will enable us to not only store and save water but also harvest it for reuse throughout the facility,” said Littlewood.
The Newcastle facility was designed with future-proofing in mind as it features infrastructure that allows for additional sustainability measures and future technology to be incorporated further down the track, such as electric vehicles.
“As a company, we want to grow and stay at the forefront of innovation, whether it’s in sustainability, technology or in our operations,” Littlewood said. “Although we don’t currently have electric vehicles, we’ve installed electric vehicle cabling to ensure we’re already set up when the time comes, so we don’t need to go back and dig up concrete or complete further work.”
Furthermore, where possible, 5 Star Green-rated sustainable materials will be used in the construction of the new facility. Work on the site is expected to be completed in August.
Royal Wolf is a company that specialises in the hire, sale, and modification of new and used shipping containers. The company is the largest provider of container solutions in Australasia, with 40 customer service centres across Australia and New Zealand.
