A greener ‘new normal’ – sustainable manufacturing at Adelphi

July 30, 2020

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COVID-19 has given us insight into the possibility of a cleaner and greener world. Everyone has a role to play, to ensure that these effects continue, as we work towards a “greener new normal”. Sustainability concerns are at the heart of Adelphi’s values: the Group pledges to “support the local economy and the natural environment, operate with integrity and deliver on our commitments”.

We are proudly leading the way, by proactively integrating sustainable practices across our business, from sourcing components, to innovating how our products are made and packaged for our customers.

Our eco-friendly production facility ‘The Friary’ was unveiled in 2017, and it has had measureable positive effects on Adelphi’s environmental footprint. The size of Adelphi’s machine build production area was increased from 270.9 square metres to 951 square metres, meaning that more parts than ever can now be built in-house, reducing the carbon footprint of our deliveries.

The Friary has eco-friendly LED lighting installed, thermal testing has been conducted, high quality insulation introduced, and 256 photovoltaic solar panels mounted on the south-facing roof of the warehouse. These produce excess electricity at a rate of 3% per month. The building was also constructed to harvest rainwater for use in the company’s cleaning and toilets; our two tanks save an average of 12,000 litres per month. Whilst work was underway on The Friary, an old artesian well was uncovered, which was excavated, re-lined and recommissioned. This, along with the harvested rainwater, now serves all the buildings on site with water for cleaning and is also used for machine testing.

   
(Solar panels (left), and Adelphi’s artesian well (right)

Adelphi’s environmental awareness initiatives extend beyond what has been facilitated by the building of The Friary. An air source heat pump has been installed to provide eco-friendly heating for our sister building Blacksmiths. One of our most popular products, the Apollo II liquid viewer, is now packaged in sustainably sourced foam, made from polyethylene resin which is derived from renewable sugarcane-based feedstock (pictured below).

We swapped plastic for paper cups in all water coolers and for all hot drinks, and have had a conscious drive of everyday recycling awareness among staff, taking our recycling of cardboard above 95% every month. We also recycle plastic, metal and glass wherever possible. We exchange offcuts of stainless steel at the local scrapyard. A local recycling company called Shredded Neat collect our waste cardboard and plastic. Biffa also collect our recycled card, cans and plastic bottles generated by staff food consumption. We are exceptionally proud of our environmentally friendly facilities and the improved eco-awareness of our staff, and we are pleased to often welcome customers and contacts to our site for tours.

The year after we opened The Friary, the Adelphi Group won two environmental awards in recognition of our efforts:

Environmental Initiative of the Year – PPMA Awards
Ethical/Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year – Made in the South East Awards

The Adelphi Group of Companies is also a member of the Sustainable Business Partnership, and our staff regularly organise and participate in eco-awareness events, including Beach Cleans and more.

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