Commitments to our Planet
We’re committed to helping you better your home, whilst ensuring our efforts don’t come at the cost of ours — Planet Earth.
Our Mission
To remain a responsible, B Corp certified operation as we help more customers to create a home they're proud of 🪛
Keep reading for a snapshot of the ways we're keeping our business accountable for measuring and reporting on the environmental impact of manufacturing hardware.
Or grab your specs and a cuppa, then dive into our first ever Impact Report for the year of 2023 ☕
Materials
One way we can minimise our carbon footprint is by challenging material choices and design processes, wherever possible.
Our materials journey so far
Our materials journey so far
Before 2021, our collection was made entirely of solid brass. We used different production processes to achieve different colour finishes, e.g. Black, Satin Nickel.
But our first annual carbon audit in 2020 highlighted that some finishing processes had far greater carbon emissions than others, e.g. electroplating brass to achieve a Black finish.
In response we introduced new materials in aluminium and stainless steel. Products made from these materials offer the high-quality properties we expect of our hardware, but produce less carbon during manufacture.
Our materials will always be our main source of carbon emissions. Diversifying our material range is the first step in our reduction journey, but we’ll continue to seek more ways to improve.
Materials goals for 2024
Materials goals for 2024
1) Increase our share of aluminium hardware sold from 8% to 10%.
2) Launch a collection of wooden hardware, using sustainably sourced wood.
3) Change our best-selling Black KEPLER Pull Handle from a stainless steel base to aluminium.
4) Change remaining brass-based Satin Nickel products to be made of stainless steel.
Suppliers
As our supply chain diversifies, we'll collaborate with our supply chain partners to continually evaluate those production processes that impact our carbon footprint.
Our suppliers journey so far
Our suppliers journey so far
Our first carbon audit revealed that our greatest impact comes from our raw materials and production, which is why we’re continually working with our suppliers to implement reduction strategies at the early stages of our product lifecycle.
For now, it’s production facilities in China and India that create our meticulously-made hardware. Each partner is a specialist in their field of engineering, meaning they’re attentive to the high level of detail that we demand of our products.
Ahead of collaborating, it’s our responsibility to ensure each partner meets our onboarding criteria, then continually abides by our strict Supplier Code of Conduct. We need all parties within our operation to commit to reducing our planetary impact, plus to protect the welfare of all workers within our ecosystem.
Suppliers goals for 2024
Suppliers goals for 2024
1) Plan a supplier visit for Q1 of 2025, either to China or India.
2) Utilising our demand planning software, reduce our dependency on air freighting. And be sure to stick to it.
3) Partnering with big retailers, like B&Q, has required us to conduct different supplier audits. We've onboarded with Sedex, a sustainable supply chain solution that requires us to implement unannounced, or semi-unannounced, third party supplier audits.
Packaging
We made big strides forward with our packaging proposition in 2023, eliminating all plastic from our customer orders.
Our packaging journey so far
Our packaging journey so far
As of January 2023, 100% of new products have been sent from our suppliers plastic-free. This is an example of how we've collaborated with our supply chain to create new processes that align with our impact goals.
We’ve replaced individual plastic cases and bubble-wrap with protective layers of recyclable paper and card. We also created card envelopes for screw components, plus use water-based adhesive tape for sealing packages.
Packaging goals for 2024
Packaging goals for 2024
1) Roll out our 'screws-in-packaging' project, to reduce picking errors and maintain customer satisfaction.
2) Maintain plastic-free packaging solutions as we launch new categories that consist of more delicate products.
People
It's important that our planetary principles are brought to life through our employee culture and daily operations — both in the office and outside of work.
Our people journey so far
Our people journey so far
In 2023, our employee headcount increased by just 2. We did have a higher turnover of staff though, with a total of 7 new starters within the year.
In addition to meeting the London Living Wage and introducing some new employee perks (e.g. dental insurance), we also maintained a strong employee satisfaction score of 94%.
Despite our daily operations at Plank HQ being a small proportion of our overall carbon footprint, we still took measures to minimise it further. We switched our energy supply from EDF to Octopus Energy, so as to be on a sustainable green tariff.
The majority of our employees live close to our London HQ, meaning over 90% of us commute by foot, bike or public transport. We're also permitted to WFH two days a week, meaning we can optimise our work-life balance and not travel needlessly.
In 2023, we raised over £17,000 for charities including Crisis and Furnishing Futures.
People goals for 2024
People goals for 2024
1) Consider the impact of inflation on wages and review routinely.
2) 'More fun, everyday' — We want to ensure we remain a fun and motivational place to work.
How you can help:
1. Material choice
1. Material choice
If you're yet to choose a design scheme, consider Black Aluminium for your hardware. The facts suggest it’s our lowest carbon material option.
2. Upcycle something old
2. Upcycle something old
Don’t always buy new. Save some money and emissions by considering upcycling, hacking or refreshing existing furniture, using our premium finishing touches.
3. Care for your new hardware
3. Care for your new hardware
Routine, non-abrasive cleaning with a cloth and warm, soapy water will keep your finishes looking spick-and-span for years to come, so you won’t need to re-buy anytime soon.
4. Recycle your old hardware
4. Recycle your old hardware
Use your order number and our free returns portal to send your old hardware to us, then we’ll dispose of it responsibly. Alternatively, take it to a local recycling depot or dealer — you may even get some money back.
5. Recycle our packaging
5. Recycle our packaging
All of our cardboard packaging and pamphlets can be recycled, plus our protective poly bags (the foamy ones) can be recycled in dry mixed recycling — just double check the terms of your local recycling facility.
6. Donate with us
6. Donate with us
If you’re fortunate enough to have a comfortable home, join us in supporting Crisis’ mission to combat homelessness in the UK. Read more here make a donation to Crisis and consider making a donation of your own?
7. Tell us how we can do better
7. Tell us how we can do better
Have ideas on how we can do better? Share your thoughts with us at planet@plankhardware.com
