SUSTAINABILITY EZEE DOES IT FOR SUSTAINABLE SALES
Inspired by sustainability, Andy Barnwell, director at painting and decorating brand Eco Ezee, tells Elizabeth Jordan why merchants should be looking for the sustainable alternative...
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co Ezee is a family owned company which specialises in the design and manufacture of innovative products made from waste material, by-products from other manufacturing processes or ecologically sustainable sources. “Sustainability means EVERYTHING” says Andy Barnwell, “All three of our companies produce 100% sustainable products made from recycled materials, bi-products from other manufacturing processes or from sustainable sources. We only make sustainable products so will not consider any other format,” he
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explains “We have been established for over 10 years and this was our mission from the start. It just takes a little more thought at times instead of going with the status quo, particularly on packaging.”
“Everyone needs to catch up, we have proven that one can produce 1st class sustainable products with no price premiums, in fact many of ours are substantially lower than their non-sustainable competitors! It’s not rocket science if you are truly interested in making a difference…but many cannot be bothered, unless threatened with new taxes!”
20 years ago one would buy tools that were made to last and users would take pride in having their tools cleaned and prepped ready for use.
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Barnwell says that they have only been noticed by those already following the sustainable cause. “People are most definitely looking to find sustainable suppliers such as our companies and get very excited when they can buy great products that tick all the sustainability boxes. Having professional quality tools that last is essential rather than encouraging the ‘throw away’ poor quality tools, culture that seems to have developed.” “Companies like Travis Perkins should be congratulated and applauded on their continual drive for sustainability, we have been very successfully trading with them for over 10 years and our Eco Ezee decorating sundries range is a huge seller for them. Another very sustainability conscious company Tikkurila paints are also going the 100% sustainable route too. It is easy for the big merchants to find good quality sustainable products…IF they can be bothered to look or switch to them!” Barnwell says that they work with merchants “all the time and they are delighted when we introduce new sustainable products to them. Cynically, many companies add an ‘eco premium’ or ‘environment premium’ to their products which is simply unnecessary in most cases. This understandably puts most people off! All of ours are either the same or significantly cheaper than their non-sustainable rivals so there is no reason to use sustainability as a reason for prices to rise.”
“General waste and the throw away culture is to blame,” he says, “This is a relatively modern ‘disease’ only 20 years ago one would buy tools that were made to last and users take pride in having their tools cleaned and prepped ready for use…they’d most likely buy the very best they could which in the long run would work out cheaper.”
He advises that people should “Take pride in using a great product and enjoy using it too. As with ’takeaway’ food it’s all too easy to buy something quick and easy and then scrap…so there needs to be a culture change in the industry which start with the apprentices and Colleges and encouraged by the large contractors and organisations.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2019
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