Back in July, Dawn Hardman, Director of HR, and Lucy Allen, PR Executive, from the Chamber of Commerce were thrilled to be invited to The Orchard, Malvern Panalytical's brand new on-site catering facility.

Malvern Panalytical, formerly Malvern Instruments, is a scientific instrument manufacturer based in the Enigma Business Park, and recently underwent a major refurbishment of its offices and factory.

The £4m investment has created a state-of-the-art working environment which includes global conferencing facilities, break-out areas and cutting-edge manufacturing and assembly areas. The latest addition is the on-site catering facility run by Blue Apple, focusing on providing good quality and nutritious food which generates minimal waste and limits the use of plastic.

As well as providing a mouth-watering selection of food for everyone to enjoy, The Orchard fits in well with the company's dedication to creating a more sustainable workplace. Employees were gifted with reusable water bottles and coffee mugs to celebrate the launch, and to help support in the elimination of single-use plastics. Everyone who uses the facility also has access to plates and cutlery to reduce Malvern Panalytical's eco footprint.

A tour of Malvern Panalytical's inspiring premises also revealed more about its dedication to being environmentally friendly. On every floor you will see bins that encourage colleagues to recycle - and think about how they dispose of their rubbish. The company also composts all garden waste on-site, and collects crisp packets to raise funds for a local Hedgehog charity - an idea that came about through discussions with staff.

Facilities and Compliance Manager, Paul Prosser, added that Malvern Panalytical views the work environment as a key resource to attract and retain the calibre of staff it needs to sustain and grow its business.

Recent sustainability improvements include the full installation of a solar system, from local installer Caplor Energy. During the first two-weeks of going live, the company reduced its KW usage by 1000 KW a week, saving the environment the equivalent of:

• Four barrels of crude oil
• 31,000 mile-trip in an electric car
• 20g of nuclear waste
• One oak tree
• 134,000 miles on a Segway

Malvern is now looking forward to introducing phase 2 of the Solar Project to include an additional 20 KW to the current system.

Conversations over lunch in The Orchard also led to interesting discussions of the importance of sustainable businesses checking that their partners are also being ‘green'. For example, Malvern encourages its supply chain to be environmentally friendly by placing restrictions on the types of packaging materials that it is supplied with. Further commitments include working in conjunction with BIFFA to progress its recycling policies and facilities to allow Malvern to ensure that 0% of its waste ends up in landfill.

Many of the improvements are linked to Malvern Panalytical's role as an active corporate citizen, and a promise to be mindful of its environmental impact ensuring that the way it does business is as meaningful as the products it manufactures.

For more information about Malvern Panalytical, please visit www.malvernpanalytical.com.

With thanks to Isla Buchanan, Natalie Chatley, Paul Prosser and Kevin Jones.