Recognising The Importance

We accept that as a manufacturing business we do have an impact on the environment. But we have a choice of whether we make a positive or negative contribution to the problems at hand. It’s really easy to sidestep the issue and ignore it because it’s either convenient, easier or costs less. Our choice is to do our bit and do everything we can to reduce any impact we have on the environment.

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We have an audited quality control system in place and are inspected annually to the ISO 9001 Standard.

Our commitment to recycling, landfill reduction, chemical usage, sustainable materials and waste reduction is critical to maintaining this.

It is important for us to  regularly scrutinise our materials and processes, to reduce any negative impact our activities may be having upon the local and wider environment.

We also challenge our suppliers to do the same.

Accepting The Cost

Being an environmentally better company has cost implications. You only have to look at the costs of recycled papers against standard ones to see that they are significantly different. Helping the environment and reducing carbon requires investments of time, resources and equipment. It takes training, compliance, time and effort. This does increase costs, but its important. The question is, will you support us and pay just that little bit more for a company that is doing it right?

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Remaining certified and audited to the Forestry Stewardship Council since 2008, demonstrates our commitment to maintaining sustainable materials throughout our manufacturing business.

We recycle ALL our waste materials. All papers and boards are segregated into clean waste and printed waste, plastics, cardboards and refuse waste. These products then travel through a certified waste carrier into recycling systems.

Even our refuse waste is then sorted at a recycling centre to sift anything we may have missed or could be usable. Very little of our waste is presented to landfill.

All our inks are the most eco friendly we can buy and our chemistry process has been alcohol free for over 10 years.

Our waste water is filtered before it enters the drainage system.

Our environmental practices form part of our ISO 9001 Policy and Accreditation

Our next step is ISO 14001

What We Are Doing

We remain certified and audited to the Forestry Stewardship Council and have been since 2008. We recycle ALL our waste materials. Our inks and cleaning chemicals are the most eco-friendly we can buy. Our print press chemistry process has been alcohol free for over 10 years. Our waste water is filtered before it enters the waste water drainage system. Our environmental practices form part of our ISO 9001 Policy and Accreditation. Our next step will be the environmental standard of ISO 14001

Read more

Remaining certified and audited to the Forestry Stewardship Council since 2008, demonstrates our commitment to maintaining sustainable materials throughout our manufacturing business.

We recycle ALL our waste materials. All papers and boards are segregated into clean waste and printed waste, plastics, cardboards and refuse waste. These products then travel through a certified waste carrier into recycling systems.

Even our refuse waste is then sorted at a recycling centre to sift anything we may have missed or could be usable. Very little of our waste is presented to landfill.

All our inks are the most eco friendly we can buy and our chemistry process has been alcohol free for over 10 years.

Our waste water is filtered before it enters the drainage system.

Our environmental practices form part of our ISO 9001 Policy and Accreditation

A Quick Guide to FSC

Trees absorb and store carbon. The human race produces too much carbon for the atmosphere to cope with. As trees age the ability to absorb and store carbon reduces. FSC manages forests to ensure that the correct aged and amount of trees are harvested and replanted to sustain this balance. This management protects and sustains wild life and local communities. Illegal and unmanaged logging means that vital carbon reducing resources are lost forever along with the forest wildlife and its communities.

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Sustainable forestry is one of the most effective means to mitigate climate change.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere as they grow.

When harvested, carbon is stored in every piece of furniture, timber-framed house and piece of paper.

FSC certification ensures responsible management of forests with new trees growing, absorbing more carbon – a prerequisite to upholding the cycle.

At the same time, FSC certification requires the maintenance or enhancement of the biodiversity of forests and demands that communities depending on these forests benefit from the forestry operations.

The bottom line is FSC is a good thing, it does have a cost, but if you accept that and join in, you make a difference.

There is a saying at Bowden and Sons, “what I did yesterday can not be changed, but what I do today changes tomorrow”