Safeguarding the environment and being sustainable for the benefit of the planet is a core value here at Nikwax. Over the years we have undertaken a range of measures, always with the aim to better what we do and encourage others at the same time.
Do you know what we have achieved so far? Let us tell you…
Education & Community Aid
As well as continuously bettering our working practices, we strive to help others improve the environment around them. Previously we have had the opportunity to spend time with school children – educating them on science and the sustainable things Nikwax does, as well as what they can do themselves to help.
Over the years, Nikwax has also been able to provide grants to local projects, to aid them on their environmental and sustainable journeys. These have included funding a mud kitchen at a local nursery, plus a sensory garden at a primary school.
Sustainable working practices
We have been harvesting rainwater at our sites for many years now, for use in the manufacture of our core products; after all, Nikwax aftercare is primarily water-based!
We installed solar panels, which have been providing enough energy to cover the electrical usage of our main office unit. When we converted to renewable energy in 2013, this caused our HQ Co2 emissions to drop by 40% the year we did the switch.
We know how landfill is damaging the environment, so we should all be looking to minimise waste as much as possible. Our waste reduction initiative saw the company’s proportion of waste recycled go from 16% in 2006 to 71% in 2013. We are now waste-to-landfill free, with what cannot be recycled going into energy recovery.
Carbon Balancing with the World Land Trust
Since 2007, we have calculated our primary Co2 emissions and every year since then, we have offset them by donating to the World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced Programme. We even included an estimate figure for pre-2007, ensuring that we have carbon balanced for over 40 years. The funds we donate are used to regenerate damaged areas of habitat and help preserve endangered ecosystems.
Being recognised by the Queen…
We are incredibly proud of the numerous awards we have won for the work we do. Back in 2014 Nikwax became the only Outdoor company to receive the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development – a prestigious honour indeed!
The award is the UK’s highest accolade for business success, celebrating the consistent development of products and approaches to management that are commercially successful and have major benefits for the environment, society and British economy.
We will be as transparent as possible to both the consumer and others in the industry, and make many of our practises measurable. You can see our performance here .