These principles underpin our decision-making processes and guide the way we think about our business and our impact. As our knowledge grows, we may have to adapt or evolve our principles.

Reduce means several things within the context of our business

Product

• Reduce the use of emissions-intensive materials without compromising on quality

• Educate customers to buy quality and champion long-life machines to reduce production and disposal emissions created by lower quality

• Demand the best quality components from manufacturing partners

• Promote products that reduce energy use and eliminate waste such as water and softwood

• Promoting good maintenance rather than throw away culture

• Educating customers about the embedded emissions within products to aid the purchasing decision

• Reduce packaging and eliminate hard to recycle materials

Operations

• Using electric vehicles only for business travel – cars and forklift

• Only essential overseas travel

• Aim for zero airfreight

• Using 100% renewable energy suppliers for warehouses and offices

• Investing in more efficient utilities systems where there is a net environmental gain

• Only buy new when necessary to maintain a competitive, customer focused business

• Considering office waste. Use of reusable coffee cups, only print when essential

Reuse. Raw materials and production represent 90% of the emissions we create. 
The biggest positive change we can make is to reuse components

Product

• There are materials in our products that receive no mechanical ware and are not altered by years of use. Our aim is to collect every unit we can at end of life and re-use (subject to quality inspection).

• Imperfect products to be re-sold, donated as such rather than scrapped

Operations

• Reuse all packaging materials

Repair. Commit to repair every dryer possible. We talk to customers to understand the use a product gets and consider whether a new energy-efficient model will provide a greater net environmental benefit than persisting with an old energy hungry dryer. We will still try and repair the old dryer and find a suitable low-usage site, rather than disposal.

We pledge to make the same net-benefit assessment using our embedded carbon emissions software to guide office and warehouse equipment purchase.

Recycle. Unfortunately, not all components can be reused due to wear or damage. We separate all our 
end-of-life into material types and try to find the lowest impact upcycle/recycle

We engaged in design and working closely with manufacturer partners to produce cutting edge products with sustainability at their heart.

We are currently introducing award-winning, patented, flame retardant bio-plastics to our manufacturing partners. The formula created at the University of Sheffield and commercialised by Floreon, reduces embedded carbon emissions in the plastic components we use. These bio-plastics are made using plants such as sugar cane and corn and have less than 18% of the environmental impact of producing oil-based plastics.

This is comparatively costly, however it’s important for us to lead the way and drive change within our supply chain

Our suppliers must share our environmental and social objectives. By 2022 we will have audits available on all our overseas and UK suppliers, checking working conditions, environmental practices etc.

We believe that everyone involved should benefit from a well-run business, after all it’s the people that make it happen.

10% of annual company profits are committed to the team bonus and each year our people get the opportunity to become shareholders. Currently 40% of the team are shareholders, we hope that this will be 100% over the next few years!

We pledge 10% of profits to charitable causes in 2021-22. Last year we gave away £40,000 worth of much needed stock to local charities and businesses. £10,000 to Self-help UK to set up covid support groups, £2500 to the children’s hospital and various small donations to local tree planting, food banks and community interest groups.

We also spent over £10,000 on offsetting 1000 tonnes of CO2 through the carbon footprint verified scheme.

Our team are committed to volunteering for environmental projects administered by 1% for the planet in 2021-22.

‘Leave it as you found it’ is a play on words regarding signs you often see in public facilities, the meaning for us is that we will do our best to create as little damage as possible, whilst pledging to tidy up any damage our operations have done. We have precisely measured our entire scope of emissions for 2020-21 and invested in verified carbon offset projects managed by the carbon footprint Ltd and climate partner to offset these emissions, therefore achieving carbon neutrality. We aim to take care of all the emissions we have created since 2013 by 2025 but recognise that offsetting is a last resource, our greatest impact comes from reducing our emissions and still investing over and above in environmentally beneficial projects.

We must take active steps ourselves to learn more about how we can reduce our impact, learn from experts and inspire others into action. Volunteering and engaging with like-minded suppliers and networks, taking courses on the subjects are all ways in which we can grow our own contribution.