Positively Green

We have taken our environmental and sustainability obligations seriously for many years. When we started the business back in 1969, ‘going green’ and ‘environmental policies’ were not commonplace. However, when we started manufacturing back in 1983, we did set out to conserve our resources and this meant operating in a more sustainable way. Back then, it cost £8 per day to heat the factories with gas!

Waste is an expensive biproduct of the manufacturing process and if not handled correctly, can have both an environmental impact and cost to the Company. The way we decided to manage that was to turn the waste product into a benefit, by introducing our first biomass boiler at Washington in 1984. The burned waste generated heat that was used to warm the working areas of the Company’s production areas. I’m pleased this continues today, with a total of seven Biomass boilers at Washington and two at Seaton Burn. Our waste does not end up in landfill and our Company is able to limit the cost and environmental impact of waste removal via skips.

Protecting the planet is not something we take lightly. We continue to work on improving our carbon footprint and recently expanded our efforts to include two new, exciting projects with solar energy and rainwater harvesting. We strive to be a positive change and force within our industry and this will continue with our ongoing projects, sustainable sourcing and much more. We all have a responsibility to create a cleaner and greener future for everybody.

Geoffrey K. Oman

Managing Director

Recycled Materials
Recycled Manufacturing Waste
Reduced Electricity Usage
Single Use Plastic Reduction
Reduced CO2 Output

Innovation & Change

Since the beginning of Roundel, a core part of our business has been our endeavour to push forward so we can be at the forefront of kitchen manufacturing in Britain. This ethos of forward thinking also applies to sustainability and supply chains. We believe that if we can be a positive force for change, then we will be. By rethinking, reducing, and recycling, we are minimising our impact on the environment. Looking at Roundel with a holistic approach has enabled us to tackle not only what we do on site but our global impact too. Progress has been made, but as ever, there’s always more to do.

Reduce

If we all reduced our consumption, the World’s resources can be protected. That is why we have always manufactured a quality product that will stand the test of time. Reducing our carbon footprint is also a priority for us. We have conscientiously looked at our operations both big and small. Our offices have been upgraded with LED lighting and PIR sensors and an energy efficient electrical heating system has been installed to reduce our electricity usage.

On The Road

We make a lot of deliveries throughout the UK and we are aware of the challenges ahead with regards to carbon reduction in this area. Better planned routes and vehicle utilization is key to the reduction in mileage and fuel consumption. Our fleet operates on Adblue to breakdown harmful nitrogen oxides prior to emission to atmosphere. Frequent renewal of our heavy goods vehicles and a robust maintenance program ensures the fleet operates to its optimum to help keep our air cleaner. Between 2016 and 2020 we reduced our average annual fuel consumption by 32,208 litres, which reduced our annual CO2 output by 16.46%.

Recycle

For many years we have focused on the reduction and control of waste. Our first incineration plant was introduced in 1984. Biomass plants are installed on all our sites to burn timber waste, which significantly reduces the uplift of waste skips from sites. Furthermore, our biomass plants generate heat that is then fed into our factory units to ensure our employees have a comfortable working environment to operate in during the colder months. And because of this, we have no need to draw natural gas to service any of our Washington facilities. 90% of our manufacturing waste is recycled into heat via the biomass systems, with the other 10% returned to our supplier for recycling. No manufacturing waste from any of our sites is sent to landfill.

Renewables

Our solar project is underway! You may think that the sun doesn’t shine enough in the North East for solar panels, but you would be wrong! Working with Engenera, an award-winning decarbonisation specialist, we have launched a project to install solar panels on the roof space of all our manufacturing buildings. The projected total annual output will be 638,815kWh (kilowatt hours), enough to power the equivalent of 133 three-bedroom UK homes for a year. Completion of the project will be Q2 of 2022, perfect timing to optimize the system! For the rest of our supply, needed on those grey northern days, we use green provider Drax Energy Solutions, which provides 100% renewable energy that further helps us to reduce our carbon footprint.

Rethinking

Conscientious buying helps to reduce CO2 emissions now, but also allows us to future proof our business and the industry as a whole. By buying products made from more sustainable sources, we not only keep up with the shifting demand patterns of today, but also means we can continue buying in the future. The products we manufacture are predominantly timber based, so we ensure that the materials we procure are from a controlled source with FSC certification.