Supporting the Colchester-based company's mission to increase its use of green energy, Rose Calendars has harnessed solar power through the installation of four solar panel arrays, now amounting to 251 panels on the roof of its factory. The company had first started implementing solar power generation at its factory around 10 years ago.

With an aim to cut annual power consumption by 25% and reduce carbon footprint, the output of Rose Calendars’ solar panels can now total 70kW per hour on a sunny day, forecasting a major reduction in CO2 emissions by 40,000 tonnes per annum.

The positioning of the solar panels was critical for this as analysis of production hours at the factory demonstrated using roof space in a more westerly direction would create the best return at a more efficient time.

A potential further 20 tonnes of electricity could be saved within the company by instigating other power efficiencies, thus a reduction of 60 tonnes for the organisation overall.

During the highest peak of energy generation on the sunniest days, the company is now making zero demand on the grid for additional energy to run production equipment.

Managing director Michael Rose said: “We are proud to be leading the way in reducing our environmental impact by using solar energy in the production of our promotional calendars. This is another vital step in our strategy to be environmentally friendly.”

Since 1908, the family business has been busy implementing many environmental measures, such as the use of recycled and recyclable materials, heat recycling of hot air in the winter and cool air being vented in the summer, and zero waste to landfill.

Rose Calendars also subscribes to an initiative to capture carbon through The Woodland Trust. For every tonne of paper purchased, a levy is paid which contributes to new native woodland being planted in the UK.

The company has become a major UK supplier of business calendars of the highest quality, suitable for any firm to use as a promotional tool.