At Active Hands we have been taking a look at our eco initiatives – what we are doing already and what we can do better. We love our planet, and it’s no secret that global warming is causing harm. Here in the UK, the seven warmest years on record have occurred since 2015. There has also been an increase in extreme weather such as storms. Worldwide, we know some of our customers have been impacted by other extremes such as droughts and wildfires.
It’s no secret that the big players in the business world have the most impact on emissions. Still, we can all do our bit. Here at Active Hands, we’ve always had an eye on what we can do to be more eco-friendly. We’ve taken advantage of expert advice made available to us through our local council, and put together an environmental policy.
Manufacture
Manufacture is one of the most polluting processes for our planet. So how do we reduce emissions?
At Active Hands we pride ourselves on long-lasting, high-quality products. Our products won’t wear out after a few months and need replacing, they’re made to be with you for the long-haul. This means fewer gripping aids are manufactured per user. In turn, this means less emissions from the manufacture and shipping processes, and fewer worn-out gripping aids heading to landfill.
We also manufacture all of our Active Hands gripping aids within the UK. We work with a factory in Cornwall, and with outworkers based in the South of England. The completed gripping aids are driven up to our base in Birmingham when our Production Manager, Sarah, needs to come to the office anyway – so they’re not even generating carbon by being posted! We source as much as we can from within the UK. When we do need to order from abroad, we order in bulk to reduce shipping emissions, and costs, as much as possible.
We have looked into and tested various alternative materials for our Active Hands gripping aids, which are made from Neoprene. Nothing could match up to the functionality of neoprene. We know it is essential for our lovely customers to receive the high-quality, long-lasting gripping aids they expect from us. We will remain on the lookout!
Reduce – Re-use – Recycle
An oldie but a goodie!
We reduce where we can. Our products now only include paper instructions if it is essential either due to government regulations or for safety. We package efficiently – we don’t use a big bag when a small one will do! We’ve even invested heavily in improving our website’s capabilities to condense the dispatch process. And we keep shipping emissions to a minimum in our manufacture process.
If we can re-use it, we will. Our dispatch area has a constant flow of boxes and packing materials, which have come from deliveries we’ve received at work and even ones we’ve received at home. So, if you place an order with us and it arrives in a box with ‘paws’ on the side, you know it’s had a previous life delivering food for Karen’s Cavapoo Mollie. And it’s not just boxes! Jo’s old University folders were re-purposed to hold invoices. Clare had a mug clear-out at home and brought them in for our tea breaks. Our team are always asking if things they have could be useful at work!
Our aim is to have as little heading out to the bins as possible, but when things do, we will recycle wherever possible. We have a regular recycling collection and our recycling bin is always much more full than our general waste one – we’ll take that as a win!
Did you know that our polymailers are all either degradable or recycled? It turns out, biodegradable polymailers are flawed: they need specific conditions to break down, as would be found on a compost heap – so they don’t perform much better in landfill than regular plastic! Degradable polymailers are designed to degrade in landfill, whilst recycled ones are both made from recycled materials and recyclable.
If we can’t cut the Carbon, we’ll offset it!
Not all of our carbon emissions can be cut. Our products still need to be manufactured and delivered to us, and we still need to ship them out to our lovely customers! But, we’re not satisfied to just decide nothing can be done. So, we’ll keep looking for ways to reduce our emissions and keep our impact on this planet a purely positive one. Meanwhile, we’re committed to calculating our carbon emissions and donating to carbon offsetting projects each year.
Active Hands Eco Policies: looking to the future…
We care deeply for our planet and environment, and we’re always on the lookout for improvements we can make to do our part. If you have ideas on how Active Hands could be more eco-friendly you can contact our Business Development Manager, Jo, at info@activehands.com.
The post Active Hands Eco Initiatives – Protecting our Planet appeared first on The Active Hands Company.