FOCUS | Sustainability


it became a talking point for environmental activists such as Greta Thunberg. Today, we all use the term, but I think there is some misunderstanding as to what it actually means.


According to the Collins dictionary, the defi nition of sustainability, in terms of the ecology, “is the ability to be maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage”. Modern use of the term tends to aim more at reducing our impact on the environment, not only to be sustainable, but also with the notion that there should be no impact on the environment at all.


The Neoperl factory in Malvern, Worcestershire


GOthe flow WITH


Kevin Gates, MD of Neoperl UK, explains why water- saving should be top of the agenda for consumers and the KBB industry


W


hile you may not recognise the brand by name, you will almost


certainly be aware of Neoperl’s products – despite the fact that you may never have seen one. Neoperl Group is a German/Swiss company that manufactures the aerators and fl ow regulators featured in a huge number of kitchen and bathroom products, including taps, showers and appliances. These shape the water stream and regulate the fl ow rate to help save water.


In fact, more than 90% of the world’s


fl ow regulators are made by Neoperl right here in the UK in its factory in Malvern, Worcestershire, where it has been making aerators and water fl ow regulators for the past 20 years. Kevin Gates, managing director of the facility, explains the part Neoperl plays in helping reduce water waste and why the KBB industry must work together to raise awareness about how we use water.


Neoperl


smooth open aerators


Q & A


Q The KBB industry has been on a mission to educate consumers of the benefi ts of using water- saving products, but don’t they just want a luxurious experience? A We believe that consumers would like to use less water, but most associate reduced water consumption with poor-performing products. In the same way, we understand that, when selecting a new tap or shower, the prime consideration tends to be how it looks and we suspect there is little discussion about fl ow rates or about how the tap is to be used in that specifi c situation. Retailers are therefore in a perfect position to give advice and reassurance that, these days, less water doesn’t mean a less comfortable experience.


Q How can we get the message through to consumers? Is it a case of educating retailers more to get that conversation moving? A We are not aware of any retailers specifi cally selling the benefi ts of reducing water fl ow in a tap and yet it is a huge benefi t to their customers, who


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are unlikely to be aware that a fl ow regulator even exists, let alone the benefi ts it could bring in terms of saving water and reduced energy bills, as they wouldn’t have to heat as much water. A fl ow regulator could save 70,000 litres of water a year in an average home from the shower alone.


If every retailer offered to look at water usage when surveying the home as a special service to their customers, there would be enormous benefi ts for the environment, their customers and even their own businesses.


A combined aerator with fl ow regulator device is so simple to install. It’s a matter of raising the awareness and where better to start than with retailers of kitchen and bathroom products.


Q What are the objectives and targets of your sustainability efforts and what progress has been made? A Sustainability has been on our agenda for many years, long before


Tap featuring Neoperl’s


Mikado aerator


As a manufacturing company that predominantly uses [recyclable] plastic to make products, it is easy to become embroiled with the wider impacts of the misunderstanding of the use of the term ‘sustainable’. Stream and fl ow control devices can signifi cantly reduce the amount of wasted water and this more than compensates for the water and energy consumed during production or CO2 from transport, resulting in a positive eco-balance for our fl ow regulator product.


Q How are you engaging your employees in the company’s sustainability efforts? A We are driving for sustainability to become just part of the normal working day for all of our employees, because when it becomes embedded in the culture of the business is when it really starts to make an impact. From a production point of view, we recently put a great deal of effort into our ‘zero to landfi ll’ goal by clearly separating waste streams. We’ve also managed to arrange for the recycling of polyethylene fi lm. This isn’t something offered by our local authority and some employees asked if they could bring in waste packaging from home for recycling at work and it’s something we’ve readily embraced. We invested heavily in the latest tooling technology, which dramatically reduces material consumption and improves quality, which in turn reduces scrap. Clearly, this is something that everyone from purchasing through to manufacturing can relate to and it has had a massive effect on our environmental impact.


It’s a great example, which demonstrates to employees that sustainability doesn’t have to be at the expense of effi ciency.


A fl ow regulator could save 70,000 litres of water a year in an average


home from the shower alone · May 2020


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