Q: How does Step to Shops greatly benefit the environment?
A: 5.9 billion items are currently delivered in the UK each year. Step to Shops aims to reduce this number by 20% over the next five years. That’s a reduction of around 1.1 billion items a year not being delivered, but instead being purchased on foot. This represents a massive reduction in consumption of energy […]
Q: How does Step to Shops greatly benefit health?
A: Walking is known to be one of the best forms of exercise humans can do. (see W.H.O: Physical activity (who.int) walking; and HARVARD : 5 of the best exercises you can ever do – Harvard Health.) Step to Shops encourages people to make one ten minute short walk to the shops per week. This […]
Q: Are you saying we should stop using apps and online giants?
A: No. We understand it’s not always possible to walk and buy, or self-pick-up. We’re saying that when possible you should think about making a more ethical choice for your local purchases instead. Start off with just a ten minute walk to buy each week and see how much better you feel about it, knowing […]
Q: What’s the problem with 100% green electric delivery vehicles for my online shopping or apps?
A: Electrical vehicles are not 100% green. 58% of UK electricity is produced by burning gas or coal or by generated nuclear power. That means nearly 60% of UK electricity is not from renewables. And it doesn’t end there. The average weight of a modern electric car battery is 450kg, the equivalent of a full […]
Q: Are huge amounts of fossil fuels used in delivery?
A: No, but as we have seen, even electric vehicles use fossil fuels and cause harmful toxins. If you walk to buy something or if you use your car to only drive a mile or so to a shop, you’ve stopped a longer journey being made by a big delivery truck and saved the additional […]
Q: Is delivering leaflets bad for the environment?
A: No. In fact, delivering leaflets is one of the greenest ways you can promote anything. We deliver on foot, using only one vehicle to service one hundred workers who use public transport. So, there is no additional power used to deliver our clients’ leaflets. No electricity and no power needed, other than a good […]
Q: Does Step to Shops limit leaflets in my letterbox?
A: Step to Shops knows what we last delivered in your area, and also has other products that reduce delivery, but vitally we keep the public informed and local businesses promoted.
Q: Why use leaflets and not just social media or digital?
A: Step to Shops uses all media, but we also use local leaflet distribution because it’s the most efficient way to send a message directly around a local walking area of the business it promotes.
Q: Isn’t printing leaflets wasting paper and bad for the environment?
A: No, Step to Shops prints from sustainable European forests, which are growing by 1,500 football pitches every day. Paper is the most recycled product on Earth. Only ‘matt laminated’ paper (with a plastic coating) cannot be recycled, but we don’t use that. (See Love Paper | Discover the story of paper)
Q: What about the ink on the printed leaflets?
A: The biodegradable ink we use for printing replaces mineral oil with other raw materials such as plant oils. These are more biodegradable and provide the same high-quality print results. Also, we store our inks exclusively in large-volume containers to reduce waste. Thanks to our advanced printing equipment, alcohol is no longer needed for basic […]
