Paul Mulready, Marketing Manager of Northwood Hygiene Products – a leader in Away-from-Home professional paper hygiene and wiping products – talks about why sustainability is important to the business.
With a recent multi-agency UN climate science report warning that more drastic action is needed to tackle climate change, it’s clear we must do more to protect the planet. Published in September, the ‘Uniting in Science’ report revealed that greenhouse gas concentrations are reaching record highs and fossil fuel emission rates are now above pre-pandemic rates.
Researchers behind the report also said that although some mitigation pledges for 2030 have helped to lower greenhouse gas emissions, they were not enough to limit global warming.
The message is simple – we need to unite to tackle climate change. As an industry that produces a lot of disposable products, such as toilet tissue and hand towels, we must adapt to greener business operations and introduce more environmentally responsible practices to drive change. So, what have we done at Northwood to contribute to sustainability?
A circular economy
Sustainability is more than meeting environmental targets – it’s about embracing a full circle economy, focusing on the products we make and how we make them, our production facilities, employees and communities.
At Northwood, we want to make a positive contribution to the environment by working with like-minded companies, helping to drive sustainability by delivering product innovation, eliminating waste and reducing our carbon footprint.
One of a handful of companies in the UK that is fully vertically integrated, selling as well as converting parent reels, we collect more than 100,000 tonnes of recovered fibres and produce nearly 70,000 recycled parent reels a year. 75% of our products are made from recycled paper and all of Northwood’s paper mills now produce Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified base sheet paper.
Furthermore, 93% of our hand towels by annual volume are now plastic-free, delivering a reduction of more than 51 tonnes of plastic per year. We use plastic-free packaging where possible, and our shrink wrap is made from 30% recycled post-consumer waste.
Zero waste
Preserving resources and reducing energy usage is an important part of the journey towards net zero and Northwood has introduced a number of sustainable policies that have impacted on our carbon footprint.
Every tissue mill is now ISO 14001 accredited and adheres to a zero-waste manufacturing process, with all production offcuts and rejects being sent back to our mills to be made into parent reels. We continue to invest in state-of-the-art machinery and infrastructure to further improve our environmental credentials.
We engage with our team, educating them about the crucial role their individual behaviours play in our sustainability. Everyone is committed to saving energy, minimising water usage, recycling waste, and reducing emissions wherever possible.
Less miles, less fuel
Identifying where you can make positive changes is essential in our global bid to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Many of Northwood’s company cars are electric and we have installed EV charging points at several sites. Our Euro 6 compliant vehicles never have an empty load to reduce fuel consumption, whilst our enhanced driver training programme has successfully reduced fuel usage by more than 10%.
Protecting our forests is essential and our FSC certification demonstrates our commitment to responsible forestry. As a true UK manufacturer, our carbon footprint is incredibly small compared to businesses that import from Asia, with those products travelling thousands of miles by sea or air.
The industry has made strides towards more sustainable washroom solutions and we’re proud to be doing our bit for a greener and cleaner future. Businesses need to be mindful of their carbon footprint and consider how they are perceived when it comes to sustainability – every choice they make really does count.
For further information, please visit the Northwood website below, or call 01952 236 930.
