Firm proud to leave a green paper trail (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Firm proud to leave a green paper trail

8:47am Wednesday 10th June 2009

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For the green-minded, buying paper products prompts questions on the environmental impact of producing the goods.

In common with furniture, it raises concerns as to whether precious rainforests and other environmentally-sensitive areas are being decimated to cater for our needs.

Any customers harbouring such concerns will be reassured by the work ethic and practices at one of the few remaining UK-based stationery manufacturers, a long-established Otley-based firm which is setting an example with its green agenda.

With fifth and sixth generations of the family at its helm, Sinclairs stationers – makers of the well-known Silvine paper products – is very much aware of its responsibilities to the environment.

“We take it very seriously indeed,” says managing director Andrew Howard, “We buy from paper companies around the world. Our raw materials come from well-managed sources.”

When buying paper, the firm lays down a set of criteria, including using suppliers that source pulp from sustainably-managed forests – those managed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

“We don’t buy paper made from genetically-modified trees or illegally-harvested wood,” says Andrew. “We look for sustainable plantations. We would not use wood from natural forests whose trees have been cut down to convert the land to plantations or another non-forest use.”

The firm only uses wood from forests where traditional or civil rights are not violated and conservation practices are not threatened. It seeks out businesses that conduct themselves in an “ethical manner,” says Andrew, adding that due to the economic downturn, it has become more difficult to source paper due to the closure of mills around the world.

“We only deal with companies that we know manage their sources and their employees well, and have a good reputation. In industry, you very quickly learn such facts.”

Paper is also sourced from within the UK, but, says Andrew, that is not easy, particularly following the recent closure of a Scottish mill, which was one of the last major mills in the UK.

They use mills sited as close as possible to forests to minimise the distance travelled. “We don’t want to be hauling wood further than we need to,” adds Andrew.

As a manufacturer with FSC accreditation, Sinclairs can help customers to fulfil their own corporate social responsibility commitments.

The company is working towards recognised environmental accreditation which demonstrates a good knowledge of environmental controls. “We are setting up an environmental management system with environmental policies,” says Andrew. “We are working to reduce our input on the environment by setting targets in areas such as energy use and reduction in the use of solvents.

“With all waste, we are aiming to reduce the amount sent to landfill and recycle where possible. We are looking at all areas of the business to see where we can reduce waste.”

He adds: “We have always recycled to a certain extent and sold waste paper – where there’s muck there’s brass.”

Andrew says that, realistically, there is always going to be some waste, but the firm has succeeded in finding unconventional outlets for recycling, such as the scrap and craft store Scrap Magic in Eccleshill. “It is not easy to find an outlet for some items such as coloured reel-ends, but the scrap store takes them for all sorts of ingenious uses. It’s great, because otherwise this waste would probably end up in landfill.”

Last year, the company launched a campaign called Worldaware to coincide with the rebranding of its Silvine products. The Worldaware logo will act as a corporate social responsibility badge of honour, stressing the importance of taking into account a firm’s wider impact on the environment, attempts to minimise waste and sparing use of raw materials from ethical sources.

The firm has introduced a number of practices to reduce energy consumption.

“The bulk of our energy consumption is electricity, so we are looking at lighting. Rather than having a whole bank of lights shining, we are putting in new switches which operate lights in certain areas. This gives us more control.

“We operate very large machines and are looking particularly at how to reduce energy use by looking at areas such as leaks on the compressed air systems to cut waste.”

Away from the production area, timer switches have been installed in some corridors and toilets. “We carry out an assessment first as to how regularly the light is needed.”

Sinclairs sends a large amount of paper to major recycling firms, shopping around for the best deal.

More specialist products such as wire and spiral books are passed to specialist agencies who can make use of them.

“We look for companies that may be willing to take certain products. It is sometimes difficult, with so many different types of plastic being sought by different firms.

“If it’s being taken off our hands, whether paid for or not, it is of benefit as it is not going to landfill.”

The company also ask employees to look for possible savings in reducing waste in any area. “People are keen to do it – they want to be part of the environmental policy,” says Andrew.

Sinclairs works with customers to reduce packaging. “Some want products packaged a certain way, and we point out that they could make a saving with reduced packaging.

The firm has, for many years, been a member of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Says Andrew: “We live on the edge of very beautiful scenery with so much wildlife, and we want to support both.” Donations made to the Millennium Trust help to plant trees in the national park every year.

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