Sustainability at Nikwax

CLEAN CHEMISTRY

PFAS-free ALWAYS. We have never and will never use PFAS in our products.

Clean chemistry is in our DNA. Since our founding in 1977, we have been committed to using clean chemical alternatives to the industry standard cleaning and waterproofing technologies. We are the only aftercare company to have never used PFAS or aerosols in our products.

We’ve taken our commitment a step further by developing our own chemical management system to ensure no harmful chemicals enter or leave our facility, whether from raw materials or ready-for-sale products. Our chemical management system is audited by a third party in line with our 9001 certification to ensure we are not only upholding best practices, but also continually reviewing and improving them. We’ve also made our chemical management system available to other companies, encouraging them to adopt safer chemical practices.

Industry standards: Our clean chemistry achievements are verified by third parties.

CONSERVATION

We are committed to supporting biodiversity and the environment through our donations to the European Outdoor Conservation Association and the World Land Trust.

• We have supported the World Land Trust since 2007.
• We’re founding members of the European Outdoor Conservation Association, which has supported hundreds of projects around the world.
• In 2024 we celebrated 10 years as a Sustaining Member of the European Outdoor Conservation Association, helping them to fund grassroots conservation projects and grow their membership base.
• We’ve donated over £200,000 to conservation.

CIRCULARITY

Our products support a circular economy:

• Nikwax products support a circular economy by helping your outdoor gear last longer.
• Our bottles and caps are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
• Our bottles are made from r-HDPE, which is widely recycled in at-home recycling bins in the UK.
• By recycling our packaging, you can help keep in the loop and reduce waste.

Our plastic use:

• We’re eliminating single use plastic in our operations.
• In 2023, 98% of the plastic we used was recyclable and we increased the use of recycled plastic to over 80% of total plastic purchased.
• We’re continuing to work on increasing the amount of recycled plastic we use.
• If you’d like to know more about our plastic use, click here.

CLIMATE ACTION

We work hard to minimise impact on biodiversity and the environment:

• All our products are manufactured using renewable energy.
• No waste from our head office or manufacturing site goes to landfill.
• We only use renewable electricity across our global offices.
• We have switched our UK company cars to electric or plug in hybrids.

We are ambitious in our climate action plan:

• We are committed to becoming Net Zero by 2040.
• We achieved our target of a 30% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions 18 months early.
• We have offset all our historical scope 1 and 2 emissions with our long-term conservation partner, the World Land Trust.
• We continue to offset scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as business travel, with the World Land Trust.

COMMUNITY

• In 2022 we became employee-owned. This means our employees (Partners) have a central role in how we operate and grow as a business.
• Since their introduction, employee-owned trusts have become an increasingly popular route for owner/founders to achieve succession, whilst protecting the community of employees they have created.
• We’re a Sedex member, supporting transparency and ethical and responsible manufacturing practices across our supply chain. We have also undergone a 4 Pillar Sedex audit, certifying the responsible working conditions and environmental practices at our manufacturing facility.

Our work in the local community

• We have supported The Outdoor Guide Foundation in its ‘Waterproof and Wellies’ campaign. Together, we are providing essential outdoor gear to young children, helping them to fully embrace the wonders of nature as part of their dailyschool activities. We have provided ten primary schools in the Weald area of the Southeast, close to our HQ in Wadhurst, with ten sets of waterproofs and wellies each.
• We contributed funds for the construction of an “outdoor classroom” at Ticehurst and Flimwell Primary School. Teachers use this space to give lessons on the environment, and they also use it as a hide from which children can observe wildlife on and around the school’s pond.

We are proud to represent UK manufacturing

• Nikwax is manufactured and shipped across the world from our headquarters in East Sussex, we are proud to have won the Insider Made in the South East Awards for Manufacturer of the Year in 2023.