Kit for Kids are now members of Carpet Recycling UK
Kit for Kids is pleased to announce that we are now members of Carpet Recycling UK. As part of One for Fun Ltd.’s environmental policy, it is important to us that we consider the impact of our products on the wider environment. As our carpets make up over 50% of our total product range we felt this would have the greatest immediate impact.
Who is Carpet Recycling UK?
Carpet Recycling UK is an independent not-for-profit membership association working to reduce the amount of carpet and textile flooring waste being sent to landfill. They work with a variety of members in the supply chain to divert unnecessary carpet waste away from landfill and into other resources. Their membership associations include companies from manufacturing through to retail as well as recyclers and equipment providers.
Carpet Recycling UK works to:
- Develop strategic collaborations and networks to use carpet waste as a resource
- Identify appropriate reuse and recycling options for carpet waste
- Support and promote members’ environmental and sustainable achievements
Why is it important?
In the UK, we send over 15 million tonnes of rubbish from our homes to landfill every year, and around 470,000 tonnes arises from textile flooring waste alone.
Carpet Recycling UK estimates that approximately 70% of textile flooring waste arising in the UK is being diverted from landfill into reuse, recycling and as an alternative fuel in the energy from waste market.
Now more than ever it is important that we raise awareness of the issue, in particular:
- There is a need to think of ways to divert bulky carpet waste away from landfill
- To become more sustainable as a company and think about the impact to our business and the wider industry
- To reduce the amount of toxic gases released when waste sits in landfill
Why we joined?
Increasingly, individuals and businesses are looking at ways of doing more for the planet by becoming more sustainable and exploring ways they can recycle. For example, many companies are printing less, examining the raw materials in their products as well as the packaging and also looking at waste throughout the supply chain.
Kit for Kids have been exploring ways in which we can improve our own environmental footprint. Our carpets make up 52% of our total product offering so this was the first category to explore. We want to build sustainability into our product journey from the very beginning as well as into the culture of the wider organisation.
Our Head of Product Technical, Tracey Denton, said, “We are delighted to be working with Carpet Recycling UK. Through this partnership we hope to provide our customers with valuable information that can then extend the useful life of our products.”
We understand that carpets like ours are not 100% recyclable due to the anti-slip backing that is bonded to the carpet. However, we are committed to exploring options of how they can be repurposed rather than sent to landfill.
We also know that whilst a carpet may have finished its primary use in the Education setting, the carpet is often in good enough condition to be used elsewhere. We want to encourage people to think about the various reuse options, both in and out of the school environment, rather than throwing them away.
Being part of Carpet Recycling UK will allow us to take advantage of emerging opportunities in carpet recycling and keep up to date with what others in the industry are doing to support this. We hope that through the sharing of information we can explore new ideas and practices before passing this information down to our customers.
Being part of this membership will allow us to:
- Reduce waste for us and our customers, and to look at potentially saving on costs
- Highlight ways we can be more sustainable as a company
- Help us raise awareness with our suppliers and customers, and pass on ways they can also make a difference
- Help those who don’t have the funding to purchase a brand new carpet through the reuse of others
How we can support you as a supplier or customer to make a difference
We will provide information including tips and suggestions of how your carpets can be reused if they are no longer suitable in your setting. Keep an eye out on our social and website for future publications. If you have any specific questions you would like to ask us then please email sales@kitforkids.com