Foremost Furniture Ltd – Environmental Policy

Foremost Furniture believes that businesses are responsible for achieving and maintaining good environmental practice and operating in a sustainable manner.

We recognise that our activities have an impact on the environment in terms of the use of raw materials, emissions to air and water and waste generation.

We are therefore committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral and fundamental part of our business strategy and operating methods.

It is our priority to encourage our customers, suppliers, and all business associates to do the same.  Not only is this sound commercial sense for all; it is also a matter of delivering on our duty of care towards future generations.

Our policy is to:

  • Comply with legislation, guidance and approved codes of practice issued at International, National and Local levels
  • Minimise our waste and reuse or recycle as much as possible within the framework of our waste management procedures
  • Minimise energy and water usage in our buildings, vehicles and processes to conserve supplies, and minimise our consumption of natural resources, especially where they are non-renewable
  • Prevent pollution of land, air and water
  • Provide adequate resources to control the environmental, health and safety risks arising from our work activities
  • Reduce the environmental impact of our vehicles
  • Apply the principles of continuous improvement in respect of air, water, noise and light pollution from our business and reduce any impacts from our operations on the environment and local community
  • Via analysis of our carbon footprint seek opportunities to continuously improve our ability to identify measures and control the environmental impacts of our activities
  • Make sure all materials where possible are sourced from sustainable, renewable or recycled means and assess and monitor suppliers and subcontractors to make sure all company objectives and procedures are achieved
  • As far as possible purchase products and services that do the least damage to the environment and encourage others to do the same
  • Maintain an open and constructive dialogue on environmental, health and safety issues with our employees, contractors, suppliers, customers, and regulatory authorities
  • Use local companies in the first instance and where appropriate
  • Address complaints about any breach of our Environmental Policy promptly and to the satisfaction of all concerned
  • Update this Environmental Policy annually, or as required
  • Implementation:Foremost Furniture believe that we are responsible for achieving and maintaining good environmental practice whilst operating in a sustainable manner. Therefore, our internal processes have the following key elements implemented:
  • Disposal of waste via 6 routes:
    1. Hazardous solvent waste is disposed of using authorised accredited hazardous waste removal companies
    2. Dry Mixed Recycling is collected. Material skips are located on site
    3. General waste is collected for processing. One general waste skip is located on site – Waste transfer documentation is retained for a minimum of 3 years
    4. Ad hoc bulk waste is taken from Foremost Furniture to the Suez waste transfer and recycling centre
    5. Paper waste is collected and shredded by a Confidential Destruction Company who supply us with certificates of destruction
    6. Food waste is collected for processing. Food waste bins are located on site
  • Our waste management company recycle over 90% of all the waste they collect
  • Foremost Furniture holds a Waste Carriers Licence (Reg. No. CBDL157712)
  • Consignees return notes and waste transfer notes are retained for a minimum of 3 years
  • Wood shavings and sawdust are collected by local farmers and used for animal bedding
  • Reconstituted foam is used, and we recycle all foam off cuts
  • Cardboard is compacted on site and collected for reuse by Rishton Waste Paper Ltd
  • Material returned to site is refurbished or reused as much as practicable to reduce the amount of waste generated
  • Upcycle our customers own furniture/our own salvage furniture saving it from landfill, minimising the need to produce new
  • Operate and maintain company vehicles with due regard to environmental issues as far as reasonably practical
  • Provide EV charging points at our site
  • Plant (as a minimum) 30 trees per month with Carbon Neutral Britain
  • Have 400 solar roof panels (annually reducing our CO² emissions by 31.96 tonnes) we have the capacity to add an additional 400 panels)
  • Have LED lighting throughout the premises
  • Some motion sensor lighting installed
  • Receive renewable gas and electric & have energy management monitoring in place
  • We have installed Biofuel Heaters creating a sustainable heating source