For Quantum Flooring Accessories, a leading manufacturer in the contract flooring accessories market, addressing energy consumption, transportation logistics, and raw material usage stands out as pivotal in mitigating environmental impact.
Sustainability has been a cornerstone of Quantum Flooring Accessories business for many years and since 2020 there has been a robust carbon reduction roadmap.
Tim Hayes, Specification & Marketing Manager at Quantum, notes, “Prioritising sustainability isn’t new to us, and its importance has become increasingly evident. We’ve implemented various measures over the last ten years to reduce energy consumption. We have reduced the energy required to process one tonne of material by over 15% through enhanced production efficiencies and further savings have been made by continuously investing into more energy efficient equipment. Moreover, our closed-loop water system has significantly curbed water wastage by up to 90% during manufacturing processes.”
Tim further highlights, “Our commitment extends to tangible actions, including installing solar panels on our refurbished and insulated roof and transitioning our car fleet to EV’s. Our solar panels are capable of meeting up to 100% of our energy needs on sunny days and around 30% on average over the year. Being part of Greater Manchester’s Green Economy has enabled us to showcase our solar initiatives as a testament to our sustainability endeavours”.
While there are clear sustainability benefits, Quantum emphasises the equally compelling business advantages. Harnessing solar energy has notably reduced operational costs, particularly amidst fluctuating energy prices, resulting in a significantly shortened payback period.
Even seemingly small adjustments, like transitioning from plastic jiffy envelopes to cardboard has benefits. The cumulative effect of such measures cannot be understated, especially in a context where every resource-saving effort counts.
In terms of recycling, Quantum has achieved a remarkable milestone by recycling 99.5% of waste from production with inhouse processes and take-back schemes.
Tim Hayes outlines their comprehensive approach, which entails holding an upper-tier waste carrier license, enabling Quantum Flooring Accessories to efficiently manage the retrieval of old aluminium nosings and collect off-cuts from contractors who provide a cutting service using stock length for their customers, as needed. Typically, due to the intrinsic value of aluminium, recycling by the contractor is the norm. Conversely, PVC accessories waste presents ease of recyclability and can be seamlessly integrated into the recycling process alongside PVC (vinyl flooring) waste.
In terms of material exploration, Quantum acknowledges ongoing research into alternative options to PVC while also recognising its recyclability and indispensable nature in certain product lines within the construction sector. It is imperative to underscore the essential role of PVC in various construction applications. Both PVC and aluminium boast high recyclability and are readily adaptable for future use. Notably, aluminium stands as an infinitely recyclable material, demanding only 5% of the energy required for its initial production, with approximately 75% of all aluminium ever manufactured still in active use today.
Looking ahead, Quantum remains committed to further sustainability strides, including the elimination of single-use plastics across procurement and marketing channels. Moreover, the company advocates for industry-wide collaboration on such items as the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) focused on sustainability metrics, fostering transparency and enabling objective evaluations among manufacturers. Such initiatives, Tim Hayes believes, would empower architects and specifiers to make informed choices aligned with sustainability objectives. Quantum Flooring Accessories have already implemented a ID document tracking system for all of their marketing and product content, which will be shortly rolled out across their website.
Quantum Flooring Accessories have successfully achieved a silver business award for their sustainability actions, policies and achievements. In the year ahead they are looking to further reduce energy consumption and also increase biodiversity on their Oldham manufacturing site.
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