TJ's, a fast food shop located on Oadby's Parade, is a frequent favourite for many local residents- but as environmental conversations became more mainstream Tansu, owner of the shop, wanted to explore their sustainable options in order to not only improve their business operations and costs, but their environmental impact too. Under guidance provided by Oadby & Wigston borough council, TJ's worked with GreenerFuture Leicestershire to discuss options, and by using the Sustainability Snapshot Tool they were able to identify which areas of their operations to focus their efforts on.

Practical Changes to Create Lasting Impact

After completing the Sustainability Snapshot with the GreenerFuture Leicestershire team on-site, it was clear that as a fast food establishment, one of their biggest changes would be related to their energy consumption. With outdated appliances, limited insulation, and the use of fluorescent lighting, it was made apparent that investing in adapting these aspects would make a clear difference to their outgoing costs, and reduce their overall carbon footprint. In response to this, TJ's is currently undergoing research and liaising with GreenerFuture Leicestershire to consider which options would be best suited to their business. They are hoping to update appliances such as refrigerators, and switch all lighting to LED bulbs to make their electricity usage more cost effective and hopefully be able to use these savings to invest elsewhere in the business.

Taking The First Step

By reaching out to GreenerFuture Leicestershire, Tansu was able to get a better understanding of their impact as a business and learn they can reduce their operational costs, boost business efficiency and reduce their footprint. Starting your sustainability journey from scratch can be difficult to navigate, but with the right support and understanding, TJ's Oadby were able to take steps in the right direction. Tansu, owner of TJ's, shared that "GreenerFuture Leicestershire helped me consider details I might have overlooked"- a sentiment applicable to many businesses who may feel lost among the constantly changing legislation and rising cost of living, but with help from the GreenerFuture Leicestershire Advisory Service, getting informative, free advice has been made easy.

Future-proofing our business

As a business, TJ's is committed to continuing it's sustainability journey; looking to focus on changing their packaging to be recyclable where possible, hoping to educate the team further with an environmental mindset, and sharing their change with the local community. As an integral part of Oadby's Parade, TJ's joins the community of businesses in Leicestershire who have taken the first steps in becoming more environmentally conscious in a way that benefits their own operations at the same time.

"I sincerely hope that this kind of information reaches everyone." - Tansu Dalyan