David Serif, Managing Director
of our cardboard packaging is sourced in Manchester
of our electricity comes from renewable sources
of our car fleet will be hybrid or electric by 2023
Understanding the importance and value of sustainability is where advances and improvements begin. That’s why we set up the Whitecroft Academy for the continuous development of our employees, covering topics such as lighting principles, sustainability and Net Zero. Knowledge sharing is also part of every relationship we have with our customers. It’s vital that we work together towards a common goal of greater sustainability. To play our part, we have delivered over 200 training sessions to our customers over the past two years, covering decarbonisation of the built environment and circular lighting. This is just one of the ways we’re sharing our knowledge and experience for the benefit of us all.
As part of our sustainability drive we wanted to support a local project that would make a positive difference. We’ve chosen the Lancashire Wildlife Trust because of their work restoring peatlands in our local area. Peatlands store 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon globally, twice as much as all of the world’s forests. They also play an important part in preserving the natural habitat for rare and endangered wildlife and plants. Our donation will help towards local peat restoration projects and give us the opportunity to get out and about with the Trust to experience the restoration process first hand. In September 2022 employees will be taking part in our first ‘Welly Workout’ organised by the Trust. Keep an eye on our news section to see how it goes.
By manufacturing in the UK and sourcing materials as locally as we can, we limit our carbon footprint and reduce it whenever possible. Achieving ever greater sustainability is a never-ending process. We’re currently measuring our scope 1 and 2, emissions and making changes to those things we can control. This can be seen in the energy saving improvements we’re making in our manufacturing. Currently 100% of the electricity we use on-site comes from renewable sources and we have future plans to add photovoltaic panels to our 10,000sqm facility, enabling us to generate our own electricity. And we’ll continue to find new and better ways to manufacture responsibly and sustainably.
Reducing waste has a positive impact on the environment. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and helps to sustain the environment for future generations. With 0% of our waste already going to landfill we’re finding clever, new ways to cut down on waste. We have removed single use plastic cups from site and transitioned to refillable coffee cups. We are looking at ways to improve our packaging to further reduce single use plastics. We are also implementing changes in our painting facility to make it run more efficiently. But there’s still more that can be done. That’s why we’ve created a dedicated team to find further ways to cut down on waste.
PLASTIC CUPS REMOVED FROM SITE
REDUCTION OF THE USE OF VIRGIN MATERIALS IN OUR PRODUCTS BY 2030
OF OUR WASTE GOES TO LANDFILL
To deliver low carbon, sustainable, projects demands a new way of thinking. A way that balances economic, environmental and social needs. And it is circularity that provides the answer. Creating a circular economy keeps products at their highest utility, then refurbishes, re-purposes, re-distributes, resells and recovers luminaires. We launched Whitecroft Vitality in 2020, with products that are modular, upgradeable and designed for disassembly. And in the same year launched Cascade Flex Vitality, the UK’s first Cradle to Cradle® certified luminaire. Our ambition to embrace circularity doesn’t end there. We’re committed to having a Whitecroft Vitality variant for all our major product lines and for all our luminaires to be circular by design by 2025.
The greater focus on reducing operation carbon is understandable, as it accounts for 28% of greenhouse gases created by the building industry. Whereas embedded carbon accounts for less than half, at 11%. However, it’s necessary to address both of these drivers of climate change. We are producing Environmental Product Declarations and CIBSE TM65 and use this information to identify where we can do better and how we can innovate to reduce the impact of our products. In addition, we are able to give our customers transparency, so they can understand the carbon impact of their building. Actions such as these help all concerned to address the hidden problem of embedded carbon.
When we embarked on our innovative approach to circularity, with the launch of Whitecroft Vitality, we were determined it would be a genuine game changer. We equally recognised that it would take support from specialist organisations to achieve true success. This led us to seek guidance from leaders in their respective fields. Such as Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, EPEA, One Click LCA and The British Standards Institute. We have been able to learn from their unrivalled expertise and having certifications with these organisations requires us to demonstrate continual improvement. This level of accountability shows our total and unquestionable commitment to sustainability.
We support all 17 UN Sustainble Development Goals with our main focus on those where we believe we can have the biggest impact, Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resillient and sustainable and Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Download the PDF version of our sustainability journey so far.
Download
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