FOCUS | Sustainability
TKC has Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certifi cation for all of its stocked door ranges and cabinets. Pictured is the Ascot slim shaker door range
said they would pay more for eco-friendly products, while 30% said they research products before buying them to make sure they are sustainable”.
The big four
Elk Kitchens’ Gardner comments: “There is no doubt that environmentalism is emerging as one of the ‘big four’, and is up there with price point, quality and aesthetics.” However, he adds: “To be a real sales benefi t, it has to do more than virtue-signal and must fi nd a new way of engaging in process and design that leads to a new aesthetic and a credible alternative to the status quo.” Zero Kitchens’ Burgess adds: “The upswing in enquiries for us underlines the eco-awareness increasing in consumers. As people are becoming more aware of the fact there are alternatives available that will have a less negative effect on the world, without necessarily compromising on any design aspect, this is moving their purchasing aspect on to more sustainable products. The inevitable effect that programmes such as Blue Planet is having on our population is increasing everyone’s awareness that we need to do more to help stop the harm we are doing to our planet and ourselves too.” Häfele’s Martin Canning, head of
category adds that retailers can be eco-friendly in their fi t-outs too by
38 · May 2020
UKE helps retailers go carbon-neutral
Helen Lord, director at the Used Kitchen Exchange, tells us about the company’s latest initiative – The Carbon Neutral Scheme
A
t kbb Birmingham in March, we launched our Carbon Neutral Showroom Scheme. This is the fi rst of its kind worldwide and is a very
exciting move towards genuine and measurable sustainability within the kitchen industry. Our trademarked Kitchen Sustainability Calculator, devised in partnership with Liverpool John Moores, Lancaster and Liverpool Universities, with the help of funding from the European Union, has the capability to measure the embedded carbon in any kitchen sold. This scheme is great for businesses, homeowners and the planet. By encouraging customers to trade in their used kitchens, this new way of working will provide customers with the additional capital to trade up. In addition, each showroom/business joining forces with us will become a Certifi ed Partner and be provided with all the support, literature and information needed to effortlessly reduce their carbon footprint and help increase showroom footfall by removing barriers to change.
This campaign has been years in the making and I am delighted to be able now to expand the work we
have been undertaking with showrooms up and down the country to help reduce the industry’s carbon waste. We all know becoming carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative is a must and with our Kitchen Sustainability Calculator carbon offset can easily and accurately be measured – further contributing to the work manufacturers are undertaking to reduce the carbon impact of production. Each kitchen regenerated can recover up to 10 tonnes of carbon, which can be ‘reused’ as a credit towards the new kitchen.
In the past four years, Used Kitchen Exchange has saved more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon waste – the equivalent of 5.6 million smartphones being fully charged.
These numbers are so powerful when shared with
showroom customers, especially when used in conjunction with the motivation of a cash credit. Because of the work we have done, this wasted asset can now be used as a force for good. It’s good for business and the planet too.
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