Environment. 1.0 Introduction

Transcription

1 Brintons and the Environment 2013

2 Environment 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Environmental Benefits 3.0 Environmental Performance 4.0 External Accreditation 5.0 Initiatives 1.0 Introduction As a global manufacturer and distributor, Brintons is aware that we have a direct impact on the environment and a responsibility to limit that effect wherever possible. We acknowledge our responsibility towards the environment and are committed to the long term aims of sustainable development. Brintons actively works to improve its environmental performance across all its activities and thereby reduce its impact on the environment. In addition Brintons works with its suppliers acting as a positive influence to encourage sustainability in the operations of businesses with whom we trade. As our products and processes continue to develop our environmental policies and procedures are being continually evaluated and integrated within our environmental management system across all operations within our business world wide.

3 2.0 Environmental Benefits Brintons carpets make a significant contribution to improve indoor living standards and conservation of energy. Our wool based products are both sustainable and offer superior benefits. 2.1 Why Wool? As well as being a durable natural fiber with a natural resistance to dirt, wool has a variety of environmental benefits. Wool is a natural and renewable resource. Wool has the natural ability to absorb indoor air contaminants resulting in cleaner breathing air. Wool products are reusable and recyclable. 2.2 Why Brintons? Wool is by far the largest component of a Brintons carpet. We only manufacture high quality carpet. Better constructed products with good maintenance last longer. With a significantly prolonged life replacement is required less frequently positively impacting long term waste. We have calculated both our Corporate Carbon footprint in line with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, and a Product Carbon footprint complying with PAS2050. We have also been involved with a project undertaken by The University of Leeds in calculating the environmental impact of scoured British wool by using life cycle sssessment Following this work we have managed carbon reductions across the Group. We are actively involved in carpet recycling initiatives, being members the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE). 3.0 Environmental Performance 3.1 Carbon and Energy We are continually working towards reduced energy and water consumption across all sites with the corresponding reduction in Carbon emissions. These improvements have included: Efficient energy recovery systems for effluent. Reduced gas consumption on driers. Improved air compressor performance through preheating the air intake. Installation of high efficiency lighting. Localised lighting arrangements to enable lighting to be switched off when not in use. Use of inverter drives in production machinery and site services. Loading doors automatically linked to factory heating systems. Rain water harvesting. Reduced water consumption in dyeing. Implementation of route planning software to minimise fleet fuel consumption. Back loading of materials / waste to utilise empty vehicles on return routes. New IT technology including the use of virtual servers. Focused local target and monitoring activities on each site, reporting performance into their monthly Safety Health and Environmental Team meetings back in 2006 the Carbon Trust recognised the achievements that had been made in this area with Brintons being certified into the Energy Accreditation Scheme (EEAS). Brintons needed to show that real energy savings were being achieved through management commitment, investment and energy efficiency measures, with the scheme being moderated by the Energy Institute. Reductions in the Carbon foot print data confirm the benefits of improved energy performance being realised.

4 3.2 Resource Efficiency Brintons has invested heavily in continuous improvement activities across all manufacturing sites within the group. 5S (seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke) is in place across all production departments which is a structured approach to reducing waste in the workplace wherever it is found, where waste is defined as: Rework and scrap. Over production. Over processing. Waiting. Excess motion unnecessary movement by operators, vehicles etc. Transportation unnecessary movement of material. Inventory. 5S is yielding significant benefits to the company both in efficient use of resources and reducing waste. In addition key employees have been trained in six sigma which is a structured data driven methodology which is being used for driving improvements throughout various activities within Brintons. Kaizen events are now a regular occurrence whereby teams work with employees from within a department plus their internal customers and suppliers for 3 to 5 days to address a clearly defined issue where improvement is required. Some of the significant improvements achieved to date by the Continuous Improvement Team through kaizen events include: Clearly defined pedestrian and vehicle routes, and work areas, resulting in improved housekeeping, and improved health and safety for employees, and creating a better work environment for employees. Reduced set up times in-between batches in both yarn manufacturing and weaving. Improved dyehouse efficiencies with reduced batch sizes. Reduction in yarn stops at loom resulting in higher loom efficiencies and less waste at loom. Increased measured length accuracy within yarn manufacturing resulting in less waste yarn. Reduced process variation on the Finishing lines through six sigma analysis of the numerous production variables. Improved work layouts to reduce non-value added activity by operatives. Significant reductions in work In progress throughout the supply chain. Improved efficiency in work scheduling across the production departments. Numerous improvements to quality control systems to reduce rework and waste within the production processes. Improved productivity through work balancing as work loads vary in individual. Improved waste streaming to avoid landfill of reusable/ recyclable waste. departments. 3.3 Product Related A Brintons wool rich carpet is a woven carpet made from a 80/20 wool nylon mix. Wool is a naturally occurring rapidly renewable resource. All the types of wool used by Brintons are from sheep whose fleeces are sheared off annually as a natural by-product. The wool from these breeds have the properties required to produce a carpet with exceptional appearance and longevity in performance. All packaging associated with a Brintons carpet can be recycled, and has been kept to a minimum whilst still being sufficient to adequately protect the product from being damaged whilst being delivered to our customers. Brintons woven carpets are stretch fitted with grippers in a Residential installation requiring no adhesives, and water soluble adhesives can be used in Commercial installations. We offer a service that allows our end of life carpet tiles to be collected from our Commercial customers, reconditioned and reused in schools and charitable institutions. Further details of this service can be obtained by ing takeback@brintons.co.uk

5 Wool rich carpet waste has a number of recycling opportunities in addition to the established energy from waste outlets: Land restoration programmes. Composting trials currently being undertaken, including green roofs. Indoor ménages. Manufacture of carpet underlay (post industrial waste only). Packaging material. Rug making (post industrial waste only). Textile tensioning squares within a rolled steel slitting line. Thermal and acoustic insulation trials being undertaken. Underlay. Fuel/energy. 3.4 Emissions Brintons fully complies with all relevant emissions legislation across the Group which includes adherence to trade effluent consents and stack emissions. Regular maintenance and emissions monitoring continues to ensure full compliance is maintained. Under the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) regulation all chemicals used by Brintons have been registered and we have declared the way they are used as required. Brintons are regularly updated on their obligations under this legislation to ensure compliance is maintained. None of the chemicals used by Brintons have high concern properties, and there are no restrictions that apply to their use. Work continues to reduce emissions with Brintons operating an efficient vehicle fleet to deliver carpet to UK Retailers. Work also continues to maximise recycling of waste at the manufacturing sites, with recycling solutions now in place for the vast majority of waste streams. Brintons also checks the environmental performance and credentials of all its significant suppliers through the use of questionnaires and site visits and audits. 4.0 External Accreditation To ensure that we are not only meeting but exceeding environmental regulations we use external accreditation bodies. 4.1 ISO 14001:2004 All Brintons manufacturing sites have environmental management systems in place. Our Indian and Portuguese manufacturing facilities are accredited to the ISO14001:2004 environmental management standard. We expect the UK sites to also be accredited by May Green Label Plus: Brintons woven Axminster and Wilton carpets meet The Carpet & Rug Institute s Green Label Plus standards, the independent testing program that identifies carpet with very low VOC emissions to help improve indoor air quality. These products can contribute to LEED certification in two categories: Rapidly Renewable Materials. Low Emitting Materials. 4.4 LEED Brintons carpets contribute positively to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, which promotes global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. LEED certified carpets have a low impact on the environment. Indoor air quality is protected through very low emissions of VOC s (Volatile organic compounds), even when new. Our carpets do not pollute the air they actually remove some of the contaminants and improve the overall living environment. Brintons products contribute to LEED certification in two categories: Rapidly Renewable Materials. Low Emitting Materials.

6 5.0 initiatives 5.1 Water Treatment and Water Minimisation The effluent from all of our manufacturing processes is treated and then returned to the environment. In Europe, by-products from this treatment process are used as an agricultural fertiliser due to their nutritional content. Our yarn dyeing facilities are state-of-the art and offer the lowest levels of water usage per kilogram of yarn dyed. In the last 12 months we have made enhancements to reduce water usage in our UK plant by up to 40%. At our Indian plant, rainwater is collected from buildings and is stored in 5,500m² purpose built lakes prior to use in the manufacturing process. To date 23,700m³ rainwater has been used in this way, with local wildlife and aquatic life encouraged and supported by the lakes. The location of the facility benefits from the heavy India monsoon rainfall. 5.2 Waste Recycling All of our product packaging is made from recyclable materials and we encourage our customers to recycle this material. All raw materials are delivered in packaging that is made from recyclable material. We recycle all of this material and re-use it where possible within our manufacturing process. All office waste paper, cardboard and printer catridges are recycled. We have developed recycling routes for all our production waste. Our yarn waste can be reused/recycled within the manufacturing process but only where this does not impact on product quality. When product quality is at risk yarn waste can be used to generate energy for use in the manufacture of building materials. Carpet waste can be recycled into carpet underlay and also can be used to generate energy for use in the manufacture of building materials. 5.3 Energy Minimisation We have made modifications to minimise energy usage in our factories and these include: Implementation of 5S, Six-Sigma, Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing to reduce set up times between batches, improve process efficiencies, reduced process variations, reduce process waste, improve work scheduling to optimise energy usage, reduce reprocessing, reduce scrap production, reduced excess transport and movement of materials. Implementation of engineering solutions to reuse waste energy from our processes. Installation of high efficiency and automatic lighting. Redesign of lighting networks to reduce the area controlled by each on/off switch therefore minimising the total area that remains lit. Installation of improved energy efficient equipment including dyeing equipment and electrical motors. Installation of smart heating systems that are automatically linked to external door controls. Use of route planning software and back-loading to minimise vehicle fuel consumption. Integrating local energy reduction targets into our environmental management systems and using technology sharing and technology transfer of energy minimisation initiatives. Optimisation of drying systems to minimise gas consumption. 5.4 Encouraging Customer Engagement We offer a take-back service for carpet fitting off cuts and end of life to our Commercial customers, further details can be obtained by contacting takeback@brintons.co.uk We offer a service that allows our end of life carpet tiles to be collected from our Commercial customers, reconditioned and reused in schools and charitable institutions. Further details of this service can be obtained by ing takeback@brintons.co.uk

7 Worldwide offices Brintons Carpets Limited Europe Brintons US Axminster Inc Americas Brintons PTY Limited Asia Pacific Global Headquarters Number 6 Factory Stourport Road Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 7PZ United Kingdom 1000 Cobb Place Boulevard Building 200 Suite 200 Bailey Park Kennesaw GA United States PO Box 788 Geelong VIC 3220 Australia

8 making the world a more beautiful place Americas Brintons US Axminster Inc Tel: Fax: brintons@brintonsusa.com Europe Brintons Carpets Limited Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) solutions@brintons.co.uk Asia Pacific Brintons PTY Ltd Tel: +61 (0) Fax: +61 (0) enquiries@brintons.com.au facebook.com/brintons.carpet linkedin.com/company/brintons pinterest.com/brintons youtube.com/brintonscarpets Copyright Brintons Carpets Limited 2013, Printed in England ED13