Following the appointment of its internal Environmental Action Group, Archwood Group, the North Wales-based business behind two leading UK brands, has joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign and has also made the move to 100% renewable energy.
Archwood Group is a leading manufacturer of timber products with two trading brands: Richard Burbidge, a manufacturer and supplier of stairparts, decking accessories and decorative mouldings, and Atkinson & Kirby, which supplies premium hardwood flooring.
Earlier this year, Archwood Group, announced the appointment of an internal Environmental Action Group to drive its sustainability goals and pledge for a greener future. The Environmental Action Group is working towards the ultimate goal of reducing carbon emissions and is currently reviewing its environmental impact. From this, the group will develop a carbon footprint management plan which will set clear measurable objectives, targets and timescales to becoming a net zero business.
This comes as the group gets ready to release its first sustainability report, which outlines some of the actions Archwood is taking locally to support sustainability.
As part of this, FairShare has been selected as the groups selected charity of the year. FareShare redistribute surplus food from the food industry to thousands of charities across the UK and with food waste a major source of carbon emissions, the charity is helping to combat this with Archwood having already provided the equivalent of 2,220 meals to those in need.
The group is also implementing several internal goals, including pushing for 100% recycled content on all packaging purchased were possible, as well as replacing a selection of its plastic packaging with recycled materials from December.
Archwood has a zero to landfill policy for all general waste – wood waste represents 96.7% of the total wastage at its North Wales HQ, all of which is recycled and repurposed into material for animal bedding, cat litter and panel board. This also fuels the site’s boilers providing hot water and heating in the winter months.
The group has also invested in an upgraded extraction system which has resulted in a 18% efficiency gain, helping to reduce the site’s consumption of CO2.
As part of Archwood’s commitment to environmental best practise, the business has also joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. Race to Zero is the UN-backed global campaign rallying businesses to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world.
All members who make the pledge are committed to the same overarching goal: reducing emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and robust near-term targets.
According to the UN, 2020 to 2030 are the most important 10 years, labelled ‘The Decade of Action’, this time will determine the course of humanity.
As part of its commitment to the campaign, Archwood is pledging the below:
- Halve its absolute greenhouse gas emissions before 2030
- Achieve net zero emissions before 2050
- Disclose its environmental progress on a yearly basis
The business is already making progress having recently made the move to 100% renewable energy at its manufacturing facility, warehouse and office in Chirk, North Wales. The move will reduce the annual CO2e impact by 469 Tonnes – the equivalent to more than 200 cars being taken off the road.
Josh Burbidge, Managing Director of Archwood Group, comments: “We are proud to be part of the United Nation Race to Zero campaign. The campaign gives credibility and substance to Archwood’s sustainability actions and confirms the importance of environmental responsibility as a core value which forms part of our business culture. Joining Race to Zero is a significant step forward as society, policy and business evolve to meet the challenges ahead. We will be keeping you updated throughout our Race to Zero journey and will be sharing our first Sustainability report very soon.”
