Emplas is now fabricating the UK’s lowest carbon window frame, a result of significant investment to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels through renewable energy and a key advantage for customers in a market that is increasingly looking to suppliers who can demonstrate sustainable manufacturing.
The installation of new solar panels by the leading trade fabricator means that it is now generating an additional 183,000kWh of clean energy a year, on top of the 30,000kWh it was already producing via existing solar installations, lowering its CO2 emissions by up to 106,500kg per annum.
Emplas has also installed low-energy LED lighting throughout its manufacturing facilities, as well as a new climate control system that has reduced energy used in heating by 40%. That’s in addition to new inverter-driven compressors, reducing the energy to make air by 30% and the introduction of 100, low-energy Raspberry Pi consoles, bringing down energy consumption compared to standard computers by 80%.
As a result of the measures now in place to lower its carbon footprint, in fabrication and excluding upstream manufacture, Emplas is now producing the lowest carbon window frame at approximately 3.73kg of CO2 generated in manufacture.
Jody Vincent, sales director, Emplas, commented: “Over the last three years we have reduced the amount of energy to make a frame by over 40%, by scaling up our solar panel infrastructure but also by introducing efficiencies on the factory floor.
“The energy savings have been remarkable and combined with the use of renewable energy it means we can now make 28,522 frames per year, with zero impact on our manufacturing carbon emissions.”
In addition to substantial savings on energy usage, an upgraded Emplas delivery fleet with low-emission Euro 6 engines has seen a 15% reduction in fuel, while new route planning software has saved a further 10% on pre-existing fuel usage – the equivalent of taking two vehicles a day off the road.
In February 2024, Emplas also introduced a successful and pioneering customer recycling scheme, in partnership with Polypure, Epwin Group’s recycling operation and the Saint-Gobain Glass Forever initiative, that is designed to make it much easier for installers to recycle post-consumer waste.
This is targeting the collection of 250 tonnes of material per year, in addition to the 40 tonnes of PVC-U and 15 tonnes of glass already recycled back into the supply chain via Emplas’ in-house scrap reduction scheme.
“As a leading UK manufacturer, we’ve taken our responsibility to sustainable operations very seriously,” concluded Jody. “It’s had a hugely positive impact on our carbon footprint, and it means we are now actively contributing to a circular economy, all of which also presents tangible benefits for our customers.”
