Sustainability | FOCUS
Zero Kitchens handleless Birch Plywood kitchen using sustainable carcasses fi nished in Osmo oil fi nish. The orange worktop is recycled glass
looking at the smaller details. “Our studio partners are increasingly looking for eco-friendly fi xtures, fi ttings and appliances in response to their own customers’ demand for these products, as they try to make more conscientious purchasing decisions,” says Canning.
“In response, we’ve selected a range of products so our studio partners can offer their customers eco-friendlier options than their usual alternatives, and are hand-selecting sustainable items for exclusive distribution.” In recognition of this shift in attitude, manufacturers in the UK and Europe are all going green with eco-friendly, mainstream, affordable products. Notable recent launches include the Renzo kitchen by British brand Daval, made from 100% recycled wood. Daval managing director Simon Bodsworth comments: “As our industry generally favours a more linear economy, especially in respect of white goods, it makes sense to introduce a sustainable design solution for the modern kitchen and help build an even better future for our customers, their homes and, by virtue of that, the planet.”
German kitchen brand Rotpunkt is also leading on the sustainability front with its BioBoard – a sustainable, green and eco-friendly alternative to traditional chipboards that uses 37% less timber than the average across all its kitchens. Head of UK operations Matt Phillips comments: “This is a great USP to give our retailers a competitive edge, without compromising on quality and it also opens the door to conversations with end users about how different
May 2020 ·
The V-Zug factory in Zug, Switzerland
The new Tasso U-Spout fi lter tap from Franke
dispenses hot, cold, and fi ltered water via a separate lever
after reducing the amount of waste materials sent to landfi ll sites to almost zero in 2019.
materials can impact on how the kitchen looks, as well as its weight, cost and carbon footprint.”
Manufacturers across the board are all doing their bit to become more sustainable – from ensuring all the wood they use is FSC [Forest Stewardship Council]-certifi ed and using water-based, non-toxic paints to recycling and using waste wood to fuel energy-from-waste boilers to produce heat or electricity.
People, planet, profi t For Keller Kitchens, carbon neutrality is an important part of its corporate social responsibility programme. “We are fully aware that our company activities affect both people and the environment,” says national sales manager Tim Spann. “Accordingly, we take full responsibility for our actions and make conscious decisions to achieve the perfect balance between people, planet and profi t. Every kitchen we produce is 100% carbon-neutral.” The company recently launched its
Super Matt kitchens in 1,950 NCS colours to sit alongside its Silk Gloss, High Gloss and Structured Lacquer options. All use water-based paint. “While we are launching a large number of new products this year,” Spann adds, “sustainability is a prerequisite, rather than something we consider innovation. Sustainability is natural to us.”
TK Components (TKC) recycles all of its wood waste and has achieved full FSC certifi cation across its range, while Hills Panel Products (HPP) has introduced a range of measures, including the recycling of heat from manufacturing processes, installation of solar and biomass energy generation, increased use of recyclable packing, ending the use of polystyrene packaging, greener back- offi ce practices and widespread installation of LED lighting. “Waste material recycling is also
very important,” HPP managing director Keith Wardrope explains. “We recently received a recycling award
“Our company recently received the Zero the Hero award from UK Waste Solutions (UKWSL), which provides waste reduction and management services to industry.”
In a similar vein, as part of the ‘Grohe goes Zero’ initiative, all fi ve production plants belonging to the German brand, as well as its logistics centres in Germany, have been converted to run on green electricity. “We also celebrated our factory in Thailand being recognised as the most sustainable production plant of its kind in south-east Asia,” says Tony Wilson, kitchen channel manager at Grohe UK. “It features many sustainable design features, including photovoltaic panels on the roof that reduce CO2 emissions by around 1,000 tonnes per year.”
Tapping into sustainability The tap sector, in which Grohe is a big player, is another that is leading the way in sustainable innovation, with many brands now offering multifunctional taps that provide an eco-friendly alternative to bottled
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