We are aware just how important it is to protect the world around us. Without wood, we wouldn’t have pencils!
In 2008 we moved from Keswick to Lillyhall, Workington where the new factory was built with the environment in mind. Below are some of the ways we help reduce our impact on the environment.
-Back at our old factory we developed a painting process for pencils that significantly reduced our VOC emissions, by using UV curing instead of solvent based paints.
-The waste sawdust from the manufacturing process is burnt in a furnace. The furnace is monitored weekly to ensure emissions are well below and legislation. The heat generated from burning the waste is used to heat the factory in winter!
-Rain water is collected and used to flush our toilets.
-All lights are controlled by motion sensors, so that they are switched off automatically if there is no-one in the room.
-We are constantly looking to improve and reduce the packaging we use for our pencils. As part of ACCO Brands, our parent company, we have supported the recycling of more than 900 tonnes of material year on year, for the last 10 years.
-The company also operates a Cycle to work scheme, to encourage workers to cycle instead of using their cars.
Barbara Murray (our Technical Manager) and the rest of the environmental team have won a few awards for their hard work! In 2005 the Company was presented with the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development. Most recently, in October 2014, we won the Environmental & Energy Awareness Award at the local CN Business Awards.
Each year we look for new ways in which we can help the environment. This year we are focusing on reducing and segregating waste. One of the many ways we hope to achieve this is by installing a portable compactor for general waste. This will hold between 4-6 tons of waste and will reduce our waste collection to one per month. We will also be installing a compactor for cardboard waste. We’re also looking at placing small bags in each office and in the factory for books, magazines, cans and bottles.
As you can tell, protecting the environment is very important to the Cumberland Pencil Company. It is something we will continue to work on for many many more years to come!
If you’d like to find out more about our manufacturing process watch the video below.
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