HELP TO GO GREEN
F. Ball and Co. Ltd. has introduced a number of green initiatives to help flooring professionals achieve more sustainable ways of working, as well as directly addressing its own activities.
There has never been greater pressure to curb our impact on the environment, including reducing our carbon footprint, the natural resources we use and what we throw away.
F. Ball’s sustainable initiatives can be split into two categories: efforts to regulate the resources the company consumes and efforts to manage its outputs. Accordingly, and in compliance with ISO 14001 standards, the company evaluates its activities at its Staffordshire headquarters as well as the entire life cycle of its products when looking for ways to be more sustainable. This includes considering the materials used to make them, manufacturing processes and how the products can be recycled or disposed of responsibly following use.
A key focus of the company’s efforts has been doing its bit to help reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by the flooring industry, with F. Ball introducing recyclable packaging for many of its products and much of the new packaging itself manufactured from recycled materials.
ECO POUCHES This includes fully recyclable ‘eco pouches’ for its Stopgap 400 Repair compound and Stopgap 500 Micro floor finishing compound.
The new ‘eco pouches’ require significantly less plastic to produce than the products’ previous packaging and deliver additional benefits for customers, including extended product shelf-life and increased durability. They are also waterproof, lighter and easier to handle, offering greater convenience.
GREEN BOTTLES The launch of eco pouches followed F. Ball’s switch to fully recyclable plastic bottles for gauging its liquids, primers and tackifiers. The replacement five and 20 litre bottles, which also utilise recycled plastic in their manufacture, can be disposed of in the same way as other recyclable plastics and can be reprocessed multiple times.
A key consideration when making the switch to new packaging was to ensure that it performed as well or better than the previous versions. As such, extensive testing and assessment was undertaken to ensure the new bottles are as strong and robust as their predecessors, guaranteeing products reach the end user in perfect condition.
20 | SUSTAINABILITY
RECYCLING Apart from introducing recyclable packaging for several products, F. Ball has also trialed a scheme that provides contractors with a convenient means of recycling its plastic bottles and buckets. The initiative provides recycling points at select distributors across the UK where contractors can effortlessly dispose of empty F. Ball five and 20 litre bottles so that they can be recycled, for free, limiting what goes into landfill.
By making the swap to products with more environmentally-friendly
packaging, the flooring industry can help to make a big dent in the waste it produces. The company continues to explore
further alternatives it can introduce to its packaging for a more sustainable future.
CARBON FOOTPRINT F. Ball is also working hard to reduce its carbon footprint of the business however possible, by implementing measures with the aims of both consuming less energy and increasing the proportion of the energy that comes from renewables, including generating solar powered electricity on-site.
This has involved installing solar panels at its Staffordshire headquarters to generate some of the site’s electricity supply, as well as 17 charging points on site for both company and employee electric vehicles. The buildings incorporate the latest energy efficient technologies, including LED lighting, which is either connected to proximity sensors or programmed to turn off when not required. Its factories are also equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including high-efficiency motors and boilers to minimise energy consumption.
Jenny Barnett, Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality Manager at F. Ball, summarises the impetus for sustainability in the flooring industry: “It starts with our ethical duty to limit the effects our business activities have on the environment, as well as the business case for ensuring the sustainability of our practices for years to come.
“People are increasingly looking to buy from companies who take their environmental responsibilities seriously. As technologies enable greater energy efficiency and reliance on renewable energy sources, companies will face increasing legal and societal pressures to minimise the environmental impact of their business activities. A business that does more than is strictly required of it now will be better prepared for the future.”
www.f-ball.com
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