Sustainability and Environmental Practices

At Bryant and Cairns Windows & Conservatories, we know that in order to provide a sustainable and environmentally aware operation, it takes more than just supplying high performance, energy efficient 'A' rated products.

In our continued quest to ensure our business runs effectively and help minimise impact on the environment, we have continued to put in place multiple sustainability strategies, with a commitment to engage in effective and environmentally aware practices across all areas of our business.

Our Commitments in 2024

RECYCLING

We are proud to partner with ENVA, a leading provider of recycling and resource recovery solutions. The aim, to help improve our waste management processes and minimise the amount of general waste and construction waste going to landfill. We are proud to announce that at this stage in our partnership, we have been able to recycle 99.97% of all waste managed by ENVA. 99.76% of this equates to onsite recovered waste, which includes the removal and recycling of all old upcv and glass products removed from installation sites.

Working in tandem with our secure disposal of paper documents, we also recycle 100% of our paper and cardboard.

KÖMMERLING PROFILE

As an installer of UPVC products, we are continually working to establish a better understanding of the impact our operations have on the environment and putting things in place to ensure we operate as efficiently and as possible. Thats why we have chosen KÖMMERLING as our main window profile fabricator, provider of energy efficient window systems, lead-free stabilisers in virgin material, and intelligent recycling concepts.

KÖMMERLING profiles fulfil all of the requirements for thermal insulation and the associated energy efficiency. Their profiles are used in the manufacture of about 13 million window units worldwide each year, helping to save about 300 million litres of fuel oil. This also saves about 750 million kilograms of CO₂ that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere – equivalent to the quantity absorbed by a forested area the size of 80,000 football fields! Moreover, there is less draw on valuable resources like fossil fuels, which remain preserved for future generations.

In 2004, KÖMMERLING completely eliminated the heavy metal lead in the virgin material for all of windows, using since then stabilisers based on calcium and zinc. This reduces the annual extraction and consumption of lead by 6,500 tonnes – equivalent to over 160 truckloads. Of course, windows produced free of lead exhibit all of the classical cost-effective advantages of the material UPCV, including durability, low maintenance, high cost effectiveness, and extremely good thermal insulation.

Recycling is paramount to the production of KÖMMERLING profile, with all old window profiles being reintroduced into the material cycle where they are again used as regrinds in KÖMMERLING's new profiles. Supported by this specific knowhow, KÖMMERLING create products that represent the efficient use of resources and hence responsible activities. The recycled material in KÖMMERLING profiles constitutes on average a 90% reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions otherwise associated with conventional UPVC and ensuring that old UPVC windows are reused in a closed cycle.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CHARGING POINTS

In September 2022 we began the process of introducing 2 dedicated electric vehicle charging points at our Head Office and Conservatory Showroom. Completed in November 2022, this is part of our concerted effort to transition our office fleet to electric vehicles with 5 new electric vehicles already on the roster.

GOING PAPERLESS

In a bid to reduce unnecessary paper waste, Bryant and Cairns made the big decision to go paperless with our own portfolio of Bryant and Cairns brochures in 2020. Many businesses remain heavily reliant on the power of printed matter as promotional material for their services and products. For most, they continue to be of great value as many clients still prefer printed brochures. A hard decision to make, we have had to consider the negative aspects of continuing to produce our own printed brochures:

Brochures end up in the bin

Albeit a fantastic resource for the client during the process of choosing their products, printed brochures will inevitably end up being thrown out shortly after the sales process is complete.

Print is hard to change

Company and product specifications change over time. With printed sales collateral, every change requires the reprinting a whole new batch. Older brochures become redundant and need to be removed from circulation, meaning wasted material that has to be disposed of.

Print is hard to distribute

Whether it is the requirement of receiving in new printed material from printers/manufacturers, or sending existing brochures to clients, there is always the need for some mode of shipping. By reducing the need for physical delivery, we can minimise the carbon footprint created by all modes of transport required.

We have carried out the process of digitising all of our printed matter, which can now be accessed and downloaded via our dedicated brochure page on this website.

COMMITTED TO GOOD PRACTICE

• We regularly assess our existing commitments to ensure we are maximising our opportunities to improve as a business and how we can provide a meaningful service when it comes to sustainable working measures. Those commitments include:
• Continued assessment on how we can minimise our energy use through increased efficiencies within the workplace.
• Reducing and recycling waste wherever possible
• Ensuring all materials used within the context of our installation processes and office environments are ethically sourced or recycled where possible.
• Engagement in new processes and educational resources to establish a continued and better understanding of how our operations impact on the environment.