Jon Chamberlain, Managing Director at Marshall-Tufflex, doesn’t just want to talk the talk, he wants to walk the walk too.
Under his leadership, the team at the cable management manufacturer have been making significant strides to elevate its already well established, environmentally responsible product credentials, to mitigate the impact of its entire operation on the environment. Here, Jon discusses some of the initiatives that the company has undertaken over the last year to support this ambition.
Recycling and reducing waste aren’t new to us. For almost 30 years, we have been using thousands of tonnes of recycled material, originating from PVC-U window frames in the production of our cable management products. Last year, this totalled an average of 60% recycled content across all of our PVC-U systems.
We are, of course, immensely proud of our achievements in this, but one manufacturer alone cannot save the planet. We can make an even more significant change if manufacturers, contractors, wholesalers and distributors also support the production and use of recycled products. At Marshall-Tufflex, we want ALL PVC-U cable management products installed in buildings to be manufactured with recycled material and we would like this to be a reality by 2028. This can be achieved with the support of the entire supply chain to stock, specify and install PVC-U trunking solutions with recycled plastic content.
We recognise that, to call on the industry to follow our lead, we need to demonstrate that we are truly living those examples throughout our business, not just via the products we sell. So, reviewing our own environmental impact and taking a proactive approach to reducing our carbon footprint and aligning our business practices with environmentally friendly initiatives across our entire operation was a natural next step for us.
We officially launched our ‘Journey to Net Zero’ last year and our strategy is to Measure, Reduce and Offset residuals. To achieve our Net Zero goal, we are reviewing three different kinds of carbon emissions and this is already changing the way we work, whether it be the fleet we utilise, the energy we use, our gas and fuel consumption, and how we manage waste and our supply chain.
Positive change
We believe in the fundamentals of positive change, no matter the scale – whether that be small, incremental adjustments, through to larger scale policy renewals – it all makes a difference. For example, we are constantly seeking ways to reduce waste across our entire operation and now have dedicated facilities to recycle paper, cardboard, polythene, wood, metal, print cartridges and aluminium cans.
We have also taken a number of steps to reduce our emissions, including the installation of EV charging points at our head office and ensure that any new machinery aligns to specific energy saving requirements. For example, we recently invested into a new fleet of electric lithium-ion battery forklift trucks and new robotic machinery to increase production rates and packing times.
A further milestone for us is becoming Planet Mark certified, which not only provides third-party verification on our environmental credentials, but actively encourages us to do better. To re-certify, we must reduce our carbon emissions by at least 2.5% every year. Being part of this organisation also helps us identify areas for improvement, where we can set credible carbon emission reduction targets and take meaningful steps towards our Net Zero goals.
Our holistic approach to reducing our environmental impact also includes our new packaging charter, which continually looks for ways to use environmentally friendly packaging or to minimise packaging whilst ensuring that our product is well protected and delivered in excellent condition. New product packaging is due to be introduced this year which utilises 100% recycled cardboard and is 100% recyclable.
Going for gold
To support our objectives and provide partners with increased insight into our sustainability performance, we have been assessed by EcoVadis. We are proud to have been awarded the silver rating for our ongoing commitment to sustainability and are now working towards gold.
EcoVadis allows us to get a deeper understanding of our supply chain and means we can share key sustainability metrics with electrical wholesalers.
Our achievements have been made possible thanks to the collective effort and support of all our employees and the initiatives that have been led by our Net Zero Team, who ensure we remain focused on, and accountable to, the standards and goals we want to achieve. The team is headed up by Ketlyn Silva, who is our Quality and R&D Manager and since joining Marshall-Tufflex in 2021, she has championed this movement and has been instrumental in helping to engrain the philosophy in our culture and daily operations,
We know that we can’t achieve Net Zero on our own, and that’s why we’re calling on our customers and partners to join us. We all have an impact, no matter how small. By stocking and promoting sustainable products manufactured from recycled materials, wholesalers can help stimulate a real step change across the industry.
The construction industry is the UK’s largest user of natural resources and the largest producer of waste, as well as being a huge contributor to carbon emissions. To reduce this impact and to achieve real results, the whole supply chain needs to work together to foster positive change.
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