The self-storage industry in the UK has grown into a £1.1+ billion sector, with over 2,900 storage facilities across the country. As this industry expands, there is increasing scrutiny on its environmental footprint. Self-storage buildings – whether large purpose-built warehouses or clusters of shipping containers – contribute to the built environment, which overall accounts for around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. This report examines the key environmental impacts of self-storage in the UK, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, energy consumption, and other ecological effects (materials, waste, biodiversity, water).
It also highlights sustainable innovations, with a case study on how Lockit Local is addressing these challenges by repurposing redundant and underutilised buildings in urban areas.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Operation and Construction)
Greenhouse gas emissions arise both from operating self-storage facilities and from constructing new ones. Operational emissions are primarily indirect (Scope 2) emissions from electricity use (lighting, climate control, elevators). Most self-storage units are not heavily heated or cooled compared to offices or retail space, and they have relatively low human occupancy.
This means their operational energy use – and thus carbon emissions – tend to be lower than many other building types. UK operators are further driving down operational emissions by improving energy efficiency and switching to clean energy sources. For example, LED lighting retrofits can cut electricity use by up to 80% compared to traditional lighting, and many modern facilities have installed motion sensors so lights only activate when needed.
Construction-related emissions – often termed embodied carbon – are another significant concern. Building new storage sites from the ground up entails emissions from manufacturing materials (steel, cement, etc.), transporting them, and using construction machinery. A new multi-storey self-storage warehouse can therefore “embody” a large amount of CO₂ even before it opens.
One way the industry mitigates this is by using recycled or lower-carbon materials. For instance, typical new UK facilities already incorporate recycled content in materials (e.g. >50% recycled steel in frames, 50% recycled content in metal cladding, and high recycled content in concrete aggregates). Use of innovative low-carbon materials is emerging as well – for example, one new facility in Sunbury-on-Thames was built partially with a low-carbon cement alternative.
Embodied Carbon of New Builds
In 2024 alone, the self-storage industry totalled 64,300,000 sq ft of storage space, which involved the construction of 3,845,200 sq ft of new internal storage spaces. The carbon footprint for the construction of these spaces can be significant. For example:
- 2024: Building 3,845,200 sq ft of new internal storage space emitted approximately 160,753,777 kg of CO₂.
- 2023: Building 3,771,360 sq ft of internal space emitted 157,666,796 kg of CO₂.
These figures illustrate the significant carbon impact of new builds. To put this in context, the emissions from the 2024 construction alone are equivalent to the annual emissions of 75,087 cars on the road.
CO₂ Savings from Repurposed Sites
By choosing to use repurposed buildings for new self-storage facilities, Lockit Local dramatically reduces these emissions. For example, choosing a 50 sq ft storage locker in a repurposed site rather than a newly built facility would save 2,299 kg of CO₂ per year. This is equivalent to the emissions from approximately 1 car driven annually.
Lockit Local’s model of reusing existing structures for storage helps mitigate the environmental impact associated with new construction and reduces the overall carbon footprint of the industry. Not only does this save on embodied carbon from construction, but it also prevents the need for further land development, thereby reducing the carbon emissions tied to the production and transportation of construction materials.
Land Use Implications: Greenfield vs. Brownfield Development
Land use is a critical environmental consideration for any new self-storage site. The UK faces a tension between utilising brownfield sites (previously developed land, often in urban areas) and expanding into greenfield sites (undeveloped land such as farmland or greenbelt on city peripheries). Traditionally, many large self-storage facilities – big warehouse-style buildings – have been built on cheaper peripheral land, sometimes encroaching on greenfields. Greenfield development can have negative environmental impacts, including the loss of open space or agricultural land, destruction of wildlife habitats, and increased stormwater runoff due to new impermeable surfaces.
In contrast, brownfield redevelopment is generally seen as more sustainable. Repurposing derelict or redundant urban sites (such as empty warehouses, industrial lots, or vacant retail stores) for self-storage avoids consuming virgin land. This aligns with UK planning policy that encourages reusing previously developed land to protect green spaces.
Brownfield projects can revitalize communities by cleaning up contaminated land and removing blight, turning an underutilised space into a functional facility. For the self-storage industry, urban brownfield locations also offer customer convenience benefits – facilities closer to where people live and work. This “localised” model of storage reduces the distance customers need to travel to access their units, which in turn cuts vehicle emissions and energy use.
Sustainable Innovation: Repurposing Urban Spaces (Lockit Local Case Study)
One of the most promising strategies to reduce the environmental impact of self-storage is adaptive reuse – converting existing structures and “dead” spaces into storage hubs instead of building new facilities. Lockit Local has made this the core of its business model. The company addresses sustainability challenges by repurposing redundant and underutilised building spaces in urban areas to create a network of small, hyper-local self-storage hubs. In other words, Lockit Local turns vacant basements, empty retail units, disused car parks or other idle city properties into modern storage facilities integrated within the community.
This approach yields several environmental benefits:
- Avoidance of New Construction: By utilizing existing structures, Lockit Local largely sidesteps the need for new construction materials and the heavy carbon footprint that comes with building from scratch. The refurbishments and fit-outs they do have a much lower embodied carbon impact. Each locker in a repurposed site represents significant CO₂ savings.
- Reduced Travel Emissions: The concept of hyper-local storage that Lockit Local champions has a direct impact on transportation footprints. Traditional self-storage often meant driving to an out-of-town depot on the city fringe. In contrast, Lockit Local places storage “on your doorstep” – convenient mini-sites near homes and businesses. Customers can often walk or take a very short trip to access their stored items. Fewer and shorter vehicle trips translate to lower CO₂ and air pollutant emissions.
- Energy Efficiency and Smart Technology: Lockit Local’s facilities are designed to be tech-driven and efficient. They utilise a mobile app for 24/7 digital access, payments, and security, eliminating the need for constant staffing or energy-intensive front offices.
Lockit Local’s model aligns with broader trends in sustainable urban development: making cities more mixed-use, walkable, and resource-efficient. By weaving storage into the urban fabric, it turns the industry from a potentially land-hungry, carbon-heavy enterprise into a smart growth partner.
Conclusion
The environmental impact of the UK’s self-storage industry is multi-faceted, but it is being actively managed and improved as the sector grows. Greenhouse gas emissions from operations are being cut via renewable energy and efficiency, while construction emissions are addressed by smart design and reuse of existing structures.
Land use is optimized by favoring brownfield development, thereby protecting greenfields and bringing services closer to users. Energy consumption is on a downward trend per facility thanks to LED lighting, solar power, and the phase-out of fossil fuels. Materials and waste streams are increasingly circular – with more recycled content going in and nearly all waste being recycled or diverted from landfill.
Sustainable innovation, exemplified by Lockit Local’s repurposing of redundant urban spaces, is helping to fundamentally reshape the industry’s footprint. By reimagining “storage” not as sprawling new warehouses but as adaptive reuse of what’s already built, such models offer a blueprint for low-impact growth. In an era where the UK is committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and ever stricter environmental regulations, the self-storage industry’s ability to thrive will depend on its ability to remain space-efficient, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible.
The trends outlined in this report – from solar-powered facilities to community-based storage hubs – indicate that the industry is moving in the right direction. With continued efforts, self-storage in the UK can continue to meet rising demand for space while dramatically shrinking its environmental footprint, contributing to more sustainable cities and communities for the future.
