SUSTAINABILITY Working to a more sustainable future
Joel Quick, Sustainability Manager at Northwood Hygiene Products, talks to us about the importance of sustainability in the washroom, the progress that Northwood has made, and some solutions that help to make washrooms better for the environment.
What challenges does the cleaning industry face as we navigate
towards Net Zero? Achieving Net Zero is a crucial
objective for businesses of all sizes, however it doesn’t come without challenges. Price is a huge issue for the industry, because the costs to
upgrade to reach a Net Zero target are
substantial. Another challenge is managing the supply chain to ensure that all suppliers are working towards the same goals. This can ultimately influence prices because sustainable solutions will rarely be the cheapest options.
It's important for the industry to rise to the demand, however, and to build a strong narrative around sustainability that will resonate with suppliers, customers, end users and stakeholders. Building sustainability into a business is complex and making products that aren’t wasteful at any point in their lifecycle is challenging, particularly in an industry that uses a lot of single use consumable goods. It is our collective responsibility to limit the amount of waste that goes to landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, optimise water use and cut unnecessary packaging.
How important is sustainability when
managing washrooms? In today’s society, consumers and businesses are much more informed and aware of our impact on the environment. Sustainability must therefore be considered in all areas of a business, with meaningful measures being put in place that work towards reducing our environmental impact.
Businesses are under pressure to build sustainability into every element of a building and the washroom is no exception. Large volumes of soap, water, toilet tissue and hand towels are used in washrooms every day. Furthermore, energy is required to heat and light these spaces and electricity is needed to power hand dryers. It’s important for organisations to look for solutions that help to save water and energy, and consumables that are made from recycled materials and that can be recycled.
From designing more sustainable washrooms, to choosing greener materials and more eco-friendly consumables, there are many changes that businesses can make to contribute positively to the environment.
Offering washroom visitors a greener experience with sustainable products gives them reassurance that a company is doing its best to be responsible. Using more
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sustainable raw materials, reducing waste, limiting consumption and recycling used components where possible are all ways that washroom providers can help to make a difference.
What does sustainability mean to
Northwood? Northwood recognises the importance of sustainability and how it impacts on our suppliers, customers and stakeholders, as well as our local community. As a leading manufacturer in the paper hygiene market, we take this responsibility seriously and we are committed to manufacturing products with as little environmental impact as possible.
“Sustainability is naturally high on the agenda for all
purchasing decision makers.”
With the target of Net Zero on the horizon, the market has shifted and sustainability is naturally high on the agenda for all purchasing decision makers. We know that sustainability has to be at the core of our business and our manufacturing philosophy moving forwards. We continue to invest in our capabilities to minimise our impact on the environment – whether it’s bringing more production back to the UK to cut the amount of miles products have to travel, delisting grades of virgin tissue to focus on strengthening our recycled offer, or investing in technologies to reduce our use of plastic and divert plastic away from landfill.
What steps has Northwood made
towards sustainability? We’ve made great strides as a business. We collect more than 100,000 tonnes of recovered fibres and produce over 70,000 recycled parent reels a year. 80% of our products are made from recycled paper and our paper mills now produce Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified base sheet paper. More than 75% of our Essentials, Optimum, Raphael, North Shore and Whisper ranges are FSC certified, with targets to increase further.
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