PHAM NEWS | OCTOBER 2024 20 Point of View


Drive to sustainability wins King’s Award


Triton Showers has recently been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of the company’s commitment to sustainable development. PHAM News talks to MD David Tutton about the Nuneaton-based shower manufacturer’s ambitions to reduce its carbon footprint and why it is so important to the business.


T


he King’s Award for Enterprise has been presented to Triton in recognition of the brand’s drive to reduce its impact on the environment. Here MD David Tutton explains


more about the achievement and the company’s ambitions to continue to meet its sustainability targets.


Congratulations on receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise. Can you tell us something about the process involved in winning this award? DT Thank you! We are incredibly honoured to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise, and are one of only 29 select businesses across the UK to be recognised by His Majesty this year in the Sustainable Development category. This prestigious award underscores our commitment to placing sustainability at the heart of Triton’s business strategy and our determination to achieve our ambitious ‘Net Zero by 2035’ target. It is one of the most prestigious business awards


because of the extremely high bar set throughout the application process. The judging panel looks for truly exceptional performance over time, so the process required a significant amount of diligence, detail and time to build our story. The panel commended Triton for its leadership


in driving change and recognised our long-term commitment to sustainability, which makes the award even more meaningful. It’s safe to say that we were extremely proud to receive such feedback!


You have set some ambitious targets for reducing Triton’s carbon footprint and impact on the environment. Can you explain why you consider it important to place sustainability at the heart of the company’s business strategy? DT At Triton, we take pride in being the market leader for showers in the UK and Ireland. With that leadership, however, comes the responsibility to actively reduce our impact on the planet. Placing sustainability at the heart of our business strategy is simply the right thing to do, for our planet, our people and for our business. Moreover, we see sustainability as a business


imperative. It strengthens our position in the market, especially given the increasing focus on decarbonising UK homes through electric heat solutions. Electric showers have long been considered an energy efficient choice, drawing on cold water mains to heat water on demand, and they have a major role to play when it comes to the electrification of homes. It’s important that we continue to grow the


category through our latest appliances, such as the ENVi, our next generation electric shower, to not only reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the environment, but the nation’s as a whole. What’s more, being a leader in carbon reduction helps us to attract and retain an engaged workforce, enhance our supply chain resilience and align with broader industry trends.


The emphasis on sustainability, plus the various third-party accreditations required, must inevitably incur some costs, but are there any financial benefits to the business? Is it a question of short-term pain for long-term gain? DT We have invested significantly in our sustainability journey over the years, across product, people, innovation, supply chain, brand campaigns and infrastructure. These investments are not only essential to our business strategy, but they also align with our core values. While there are upfront costs, we see it as a


necessary long-term investment. Sustainable practices not only futureproof our business against regulatory changes and market shifts, but they also provide a competitive edge in a market increasingly driven by eco-conscious consumers. It’s a balance, but one we firmly believe will bear both environmental and financial returns over time.


How optimistic are you that you will succeed in the aim to achieve Net Zero by 2035 and what more does the business need to do to reach that target? DT We are only part way through our journey to reaching Net Zero. 2035 may seem like a long time away, but it’s important that we act now to stay on our reduction ‘glide path’ towards that goal. The first steps taken were to ‘baseline’ our


business and understand the drivers of our carbon footprint. This provided clarity over which areas required attention to meet our goals. Following on from this, we created a ‘Sustainability Six’ programme, which includes six clear initiatives that address the most sizeable individual elements of the company’s carbon footprint. Each initiative has its own team, which is


empowered to establish the plans and actions that will reduce our carbon footprint each year. The teams are supported with sponsorship at board level to ensure that these ambitions are central to our business plan. So far, we have achieved our reduction ‘glide path’ each year. We don’t expect the journey to be a smooth one, and some elements of the footprint, such as the UK carbon emission factor calculations, are out of our control, but we are confident that we have the right processes in place to achieve our ambitions.


Do you think Triton’s achievements in reducing its carbon footprint will make any difference to the purchasing decisions of installers and consumers? DT We are already seeing a shift in how installers and consumers view sustainable solutions. More people are recognising their role in supporting the UK’s journey towards Net Zero, particularly in the context of decarbonising homes. Doing so brings a whole host of benefits too, including water and energy savings, which often translate to a reduction in bills. It’s important, however, that we develop


solutions that deliver style and water savings without compromising on performance. The success of our most recent launch, the ENVi electric shower,


Triton MD David Tutton was presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise by the Warwickshire Lord Lieutenant, Tim Cox, at the company’s head office


has validated that these elements are important aspects to our audiences, and we have succeeded in ticking all the necessary boxes.


Are you concerned that taking the moral high ground on sustainable manufacturing will put you at a disadvantage with less scrupulous competitors? DT Not at all. We are confident that this is the right business strategy for our business, our customers, and our planet. Sustainability is increasingly becoming non-negotiable in our industry, and incoming legislative and regulatory changes, such as the 2025 Future Homes Standard, will only accelerate the transition.


In what way has the company’s values had an impact on some of its most recent shower ranges and ongoing product development? DT Our purpose is to ‘inspire everyone to shower sustainability’, and one of our core company values is ‘inspiring enterprise and creativity’. This cultural approach has helped us to focus our new product pipeline on these areas, and the recent launch of ENVi is testament to this. Not only does ENVi illustrate Triton’s leadership


in driving sustainable action through energy- efficient electric showering, but it is also the first electric shower to balance personalised profiles, settings to encourage behaviour change, and an installation solution that ensures a minimal design. In order to fulfil our purpose, it’s important that


we empower end-users to make their own choices when it comes to sustainable showering. ENVi’s smart control panel allows users to personalise their shower experiences through tailored temperatures and duration. ENVi is also Triton’s first ClimatePartner


certified product, demonstrating our commitment to taking responsibility for our carbon emissions. Through this partnership, we have calculated the carbon footprint of the entire lifecycle of the ENVi shower and are subsequently investing in climate projects to fully compensate for these emissions. This work has since been verified and accredited by ClimatePartner, an independent partner that has helped us identify suitable projects that reduce or remove carbon emissions. Quite simply, ENVi leads the way in the


future of efficient, sustainable solutions in the bathroom designed to save water, energy and money, all while providing a stylish showering experience. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/1024/25


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