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Modulift’s Sustainability Journey: Engineering Lifting Solutions for a Safer, Cleaner Future
- Practical Sustainability, Built into Daily Operations
- Investing in Renewable Energy
- Responsible Energy and Utility Management
- Waste Management and Circular Thinking
- Investing in People, Skills & Safety
- Responsible Governance and Ethical Business
- Part of the Wider Group Commitment
- Engineering Progress for the Future
Sustainability in the lifting industry is not only about reducing emissions. It is about building safer workplaces, designing durable products, managing resources responsibly, investing in people, and making practical changes that deliver measurable progress.
For Modulift, part of the pewag UK Group, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of how the business operates. From environmental management and waste control to workforce training, responsible manufacturing and a major investment in solar energy, Modulift is taking meaningful steps to reduce its impact while continuing to deliver the quality, safety and engineering expertise its customers expect.
This progress forms part of the wider sustainability commitment across the pewag UK Group, which was recognised at the LEEA Awards during LiftEx 2025, where the group won the Excellence in Sustainability Award. The award reflected measurable progress across emissions, renewable energy, waste reduction, safety, training, innovation and governance – achievements that Modulift contributes to as part of the wider group.
Practical Sustainability, Built into Daily Operations
At Modulift, sustainability is not treated as a single project or one-off initiative. It is built into everyday management systems, operational controls and continual improvement objectives.
In its 2025 Environmental Objectives and Targets report, Modulift maintained regular QHSE communication through monthly Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Committee meetings, ensuring environmental performance, expectations and improvement initiatives remain visible across the business.
The company also reported no legal compliance issues, no Environmental Agency notices or penalties, and no environmental incidents during the reporting period.
This provides a strong foundation for sustainability: before major improvements can be made, businesses need reliable systems, clear accountability and consistent environmental controls.
Investing in Renewable Energy
One of Modulift’s most significant sustainability milestones has been the installation of a large-scale solar energy system at its Holton Heath site in September 2025. The system includes 388 PV modules, 2 inverters and 388 optimisers, with an installed DC power capacity of 250.26 kWp.
The solar installation is projected to generate 259.18 MWh of usable solar energy annually, helping to offset the site’s electricity consumption, which was listed in the solar report as 254.53 MWh.
This means the system has the potential to produce more electricity annually than the site’s recorded consumption estimate, creating a powerful example of how UK-based manufacturing facilities can make renewable energy a practical part of their operations.
The environmental benefit is equally significant. The installation is expected to save 50.12 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, equivalent to 2,302 trees planted.
Beyond the environmental impact, the project also supports long-term business resilience. The system report estimates lifetime bill savings of £1,381,341, a projected system profit of £1,153,741, and a payback period of 2.3 years.
Responsible Energy and Utility Management
The solar project sits alongside Modulift’s wider approach to monitoring and managing utility use.
In 2025, Modulift continued to monitor electricity, gas and water usage, investigating significant increases or anomalies where needed. The company recorded electricity consumption of 269,528 kWh, gas consumption of 200,506 kWh, and water use of 23.31 litres per employee.
The report notes that gas and electricity consumption increased compared with 2024, largely because of increased overtime and additional oven cycles linked to production activity.
This is an important sustainability point. Transparent reporting means recognising where usage has increased as well as where improvements have been made. By tracking these figures, Modulift can identify the operational causes behind changes and make informed decisions about future efficiency improvements.
Waste Management and Circular Thinking
Responsible waste management is another key part of Modulift’s environmental approach.
In 2025, Modulift reported that permanent systems were in place for all waste streams, including clear segregation, storage and disposal processes. The business also introduced a more permanent solution for pallet and timber waste storage, replacing the previous “on call” service model.
The ESG KPI data also shows that Modulift generated 17.89 tonnes of recyclable waste in 2025, including steel scrap, paper and cardboard, plastic, wood and other recyclable materials.
The same dataset records zero tonnes of non-recyclable residual waste for 2025, alongside 9.68 tonnes of hazardous waste.
Food waste segregation was also introduced as a new environmental objective in 2025, with food waste bins implemented in kitchens and a dedicated food waste wheelie bin delivered.
These actions may appear operational, but they are exactly the kind of changes that make sustainability measurable and repeatable. They demonstrate a move away from reactive waste handling and towards structured, traceable systems.
Investing in People, Skills and Safety
A sustainable business is also one that invests in its people.
Modulift’s ESG data shows that the company employed 50 people in 2025, up from 40 in 2024, reflecting continued growth.
The business recorded 2,151.41 training hours in 2025, averaging 43.03 training hours per employee.
This included training delivered through the pewag academy as well as other job-specific, refresher, crane, forklift, welder, induction and career-development training.
In health and safety, Modulift recorded 100% health and safety system coverage for employees, zero fatalities, and zero recordable work-related accidents in 2025.
These figures are important because they show sustainability in its wider sense: protecting people, developing skills and creating a workplace where employees are supported to work safely and effectively.
Responsible Governance and Ethical Business
Sustainability also depends on strong governance.
Modulift’s ESG governance data for 2025 records zero confirmed incidents of corruption or bribery, no political activity, no lobbying activity, no outstanding legal proceedings for late payments, and zero confirmed information security incidents.
The company also reported that all employees were paid an adequate wage in line with applicable national requirements.
These indicators contribute to the wider sustainability picture by showing that responsible business is not limited to environmental performance. It includes transparency, ethical conduct, fair employment and accountability.
Part of a Wider Group Commitment
Modulift’s sustainability progress forms part of the broader pewag Group ambition to achieve CO₂-neutral production by 2030.
Across the wider group, pewag achieved a 27% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions in 2024, avoiding 2,608 tonnes of CO₂, and increased its renewable energy share to 32%.
As part of the pewag UK Group, Modulift’s investment in renewable energy, environmental management, waste segregation, training and governance supports this wider direction while creating practical benefits at site level.
The business is showing that sustainability in manufacturing does not have to be abstract. It can be measured in kilowatt-hours, tonnes of CO₂ saved, waste streams managed, training hours completed, incidents prevented and improvements delivered year after year.
Engineering Progress for the Future
Modulift’s sustainability journey is about more than one solar installation, one report or one award. It is about building a stronger, more responsible business for the future.
The company’s solar investment is a major milestone, but it sits within a wider framework of environmental controls, resource management, employee development, safety performance, governance and continuous improvement.
As customers across lifting, offshore, construction, energy and infrastructure place greater emphasis on ESG performance, Modulift is positioning itself as a partner that understands both engineering excellence and environmental responsibility.
For Modulift, sustainability means continuing to deliver trusted lifting solutions while reducing impact, improving efficiency and supporting the wider transition towards a safer, cleaner and more resilient industry.