With sustainability at the heart of every aspect of our business, we have a clear focus on minimising the impact of our operations on the environment.

Our sustainability drive begins right at the start of our manufacturing process, with our procurement protocols ensuring that not only is the material we use 100% traceable, but also that our suppliers commit to upholding high environmental, social, and quality based standards.

All our aluminium billet is produced in Europe, with around 70% sourced directly from the UK. As well as being locally sourced, the UK billet also contains around 51% recycled aluminium – all of which helps us to minimise our carbon footprint. Through the design of our profiles and systems, we also aim to minimise the amount of material used, whilst retaining the strength and durability of the finished products.

Unlike many organisations, we do not rely on off-setting to achieve our carbon reduction targets and sustainability goals. Instead, we take positive actions to reduce / reuse / recycle and to continually improve our environmental performance. Here are just a few examples of the steps we have taken, all of which are delivering positive results. Please talk to your Smart contact to find out more:

Cradle to Cradle Management

We have recently committed to join the new Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification scheme, an initiative launched by the C2C Institute. The certificate allows us to demonstrate that the chemical compositions of certified products do not pose health or environmental risks, that they are reusable or recyclable, and that emissions are controlled and minimised, and water and soil impacts are known and managed.

Reducing Our Emissions

In a drive to continually reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, in 2016 we invested in our own independent grid supply - removing our reliance on diesel generators.

As we continue to electrify our own fleet of vehicles, we also support employees to drive electric vehicles by having charging points in our car park.

7,000 Solar Panels Providing 20% of Our Energy

7,000 solar panels, which span the roofs of three buildings at our 60,000m² manufacturing site, now produce 20% of our total current energy requirements, reducing our operational CO₂ emissions by nearly 600 tonnes every year.

The panels will continue to generate 2.7GWh of green, reliable energy for decades to come.

Clever Water Management Reduces Our Demand

Since 2011 we have invested in strategies to minimize our water consumption, and have improved our water use efficiency each year.

Our rainwater harvesting system has a capacity of nearly a million litres which we are able to use once filtered. Recycling and reusing the ionized water in our powder coating lines has also helped reduce our demand on local water resources.