UK furniture manufacturer and retailer HSL has achieved carbon-neutral certification from the Carbon Trust.
The Carbon Trust is a global climate consultancy driven by the mission to accelerate the move to a decarbonised future. In 2019, HSL made a pledge to decrease its impact on the environment by reducing its carbon footprint and become a carbon-neutral organisation by 2025.
The 55 year-old, family-run business has reached this milestone three years ahead of target, with the support of the Carbon Trust. The process involved measuring its carbon footprint, developing a carbon reduction plan and investing in carbon offsets. HSL has implemented a range of initiatives across the business, including replacing lighting across all its showrooms with LED alternatives by the end of 2023, and recruiting an environment and sustainability manager to lead the delivery and execution of Mission Zero, its environmental strategy.
HSL has also purchased new company cars to replace legacy vehicles with either fully electric or plug-in hybrid alternatives, which will ensure that all company cars will be a minimum of plug-in hybrid or, wherever possible, fully electric, by the end of the year.
HSL says conversations with third-party partners to increase the proportion of renewable materials within its furniture ranges are ongoing. Since achieving carbon-neutral certification, HSL has set out several additional measures that have been or will be implemented in 2023 and beyond, including packaging reuse in its logistics operations.
To complement the brand’s carbon-neutral achievement, HSL has also won the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Sustainability Partner Award, which recognises the exceptional contribution and support that a company or organisation has made to help the BHF raise funds alongside achieving sustainability goals. Since 2015, HSL has helped to divert 7620 items of furniture from landfill and into BHF stores.
Guy Critchlow, CEO of HSL, comments: “I am immensely proud to be leading a business dedicated and committed to driving positive change, and here at HSL we will continue to seek opportunities to reduce the company’s carbon emissions, both in our operations and throughout our supply chain. We know that we must continue to make purposeful changes to not only our supply chains, but to every aspect of the business, to make a significant difference. We look forward to continuing this journey throughout 2023 and beyond with great gusto.”
Lydia Burrows, environment and sustainability manager at HSL, adds: “I’m hugely proud of our efforts so far, and I hope that our achievements will encourage and motivate companies big and small to take action. There is still work to be done, but we’re certainly moving in the right direction.”
