Fife Joinery Manufacturing Ltd - Winner - "Zero Waste Award" Green Business Fife Awards 2009
As the winner of the "Zero Waste Award" at this year's Green Business Fife Awards, Fife Joinery Manufacturing Ltd in Glenrothes can sum up their credentials as "100% timber in, 100% timber out".
The statement is far from just a marketing slogan, but an intrinsic part of the company's strategy to compete against their rival companies, and also their sister companies elsewhere in the Velux International organisation, which owns Fife Joinery Manufacturing Ltd. The Fife operation has been intensifying its environmental performance so that it is now the leader amongst the Velux International Group and frequently shares its best practice with representatives from other countries.
Sourcing Raw Materials
The company manufactures Velux windows and has two main materials - timber and aluminium. From the outset, the company sources timber - typically from the Scandinavian Pine family - in line with the principles and standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which ensures that the forests are managed to provide long term timber supplies while protecting the environment and the lives of forest-dependent peoples, and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The trees are selected because they are coming towards the end of their natural life - they tend to have a natural life span of 85-100 years and then are felled to make space for new trees. For every 1 tree used, 10 new ones are planted.
Additional Income Streams
The sawdust and shavings from the production process provide both an income stream and a heating resource for the company. About half of the sawdust and shavings go to the wood fire boiler, which heats four of the company's buildings. The rest is sold for chipboard production, animal bedding,and in the food industry. Importantly, the material sold is fully traceable - of particular relevance for the animal bedding market. The combination of these strategies contributes to the financial and environmental sustainability of the company.
Recycling
Good design ensures that the use of aluminium is exceptionally efficient with only 1.0% waste. These cuttings are recycled to make more aluminium.
Recycling is widely used throughout the company in segregated waste bins for everything from aluminium, cardboard, shrink wrap etc with the aim of avoiding a "general waste" bin. Much of the recyclable material is sold on and the company is always looking for new opportunities to add value to the business through recycling. For example, the wrappings that protect the timber from seawater during the crossing from Sweden or Norway are recycled and made into Gore-Tex fabric.
Although the company does not have a traditional canteen, the next project is to find a suitable way of collecting and recycling waste from staff packed lunch-boxes.
In other areas of the company, staff are reminded about the use of lighting and electricity, slim line cisterns have been installed and there is a drive towards the paperless office. In the factory, this has been achieved already with drawings and specifications all available on screen.
Good Neighbours, good business
Since Velux started in 1945 there has been a policy to supply markets with locally made products and this, of course, led to local jobs. Today, the workforce at Fife Joinery Manufacturing Ltd still employs mostly local people. Approximately 75% of them live close enough to walk to work. Many families are employed with several generations all working together. As a result, the company enjoys good relationships with the local community and has developed positive links with local schools, especially Carlton Primary School, their closest neighbour. There are regular visits and talks to the school pupils, which incorporate the company's environmental messages, but stress specifically the importance of safety in and around a manufacturing factory. This policy has been extremely effective and is an excellent example of the company's good neighbour stance.
With such positive communication between company and community, the importance of keeping the company competitive and ahead of its rivals has been well supported by staff. The 200 workers have embraced the green policies and recognise that green means good, sustainable business, which helps safeguard jobs and the communities that depend on them.