Waste container manufacturer, Straight plc, has had 70 of its products recertified to the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction Label, after they delivered between 19 and 45 per cent reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the past two years.

Products from Straight, which include kerbside boxes, food waste caddies and a range of other waste containers, were originally certified with the label in 2011. This followed auditing and lifecycle analysis under the PAS 2050 standard established by the Carbon Trust and Defra as a way to measure ‘product greenhouse gas lifecycle emissions’.

As part of the 2011 certification process, Straight committed to ‘long term reductions’ in the lifecycle emissions of its products meaning that all previously labelled products would be subjected to further assessment every two years. Lifecycle analysis includes emissions relating to the production, transportation, preparation, use and disposal of products.

According to the latest assessment, previously certified Straight products have delivered between 19-45 per cent reductions in CO2 emissions since 2011. The savings have reportedly come about through increased use of recycled material at the company’s Hull manufacturing facility, along with certain ‘energy efficiency savings’.

Jonathan Straight, Chief Executive of Straight plc, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have delivered such a significant reduction in the emissions associated with much of our product range. This demonstrates that we are serious about our commitment to the environment and has exceeded our expectations. It demonstrates the transformational benefit of controlling our own manufacturing operations”.

Looking forward, Straight plans to put forward a number of additional ‘newly launched products’ for certification.

The news follows on from Straight’s admission to the Social Stock Exchange – which connects the public financial markets with publicly-listed businesses with ‘strong social and environmental purpose’ – earlier this year.

In light of its admission to the SSE, Straight said it would focus on a broader range of environmental and social issues, including:

• reducing the organisational carbon impact;
• reducing the carbon footprint specific to key products;
• increasing the percentage of recycled materials used in products;
• 100 per cent use of renewable energy in manufacturing;
• reducing energy use relative to each kilogramme of plastic processed;
• increasing collection facilities for recycling;
• reducing water consumption; and
• reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

Find out more about the products and services offered by Straight Plc or read more about the Carbon Trust’s certification schemes.