In addition to the direct impact of the operations at our Brother UK office in Greater Manchester, we achieve positive environmental impacts through our relationships with others in the Brother Group, particularly Brother Industries UK. For this reason, we are showcasing the work of Brother Industries UK, who help us to provide sustainable product end-of-life solutions to our customers. They also enable us to strive for the environmental protection embodied by the Brother Earth philosophy.
The ‘circular economy’ is a concept that the Brother Group are contributing to turning into reality. It involves closing the materials loop so that waste materials don’t fall out of the end. It is about moving away from the traditional linear economy of make, use, dispose. It is about “designing out” waste from the product life cycle, recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life.
Valpak have provided waste management and recycling services to us since 2012, they help us deliver our aim of Zero Waste to Landfill certification.
Benefits to Brother UK:
In collaboration with Valpak, we work hard to document and change our waste management procedures for our different waste streams. This allows us to treat the waste streams earlier in the process, ensuring that we meet our zero waste to landfill commitment. This certification is important for many of our customers, who stipulate such environmental conditions in their own purchasing policies.
Benefits for Valpak:
Valpak find new solutions to help us achieve zero waste to landfill and these are now available to other clients with similar waste streams. Valpak also use Brother as an example of best practice to their customers, sharing our process of achieving and maintaining the standard.
We have an ongoing partnership with Tameside Greenspace and help them to improve and maintain woodland and greenspace areas, pollution control, improve biodiversity, woodland/canopy cover, landscape diversity and visual impact.
Teams of colleague’s volunteer to maintain and provide more sustainable areas in Tameside, making a positive impact on our woodland, greenspace, wildlife and community. The Greenspace team rely on our volunteers as without them they would not be able to fulfil the pledge and strategies within it.