What are Guildford businesses doing to create a greener and more sustainable future?
Beauty Brands
Jo Malone
Jo Malone source 100% renewable electricity for our manufacturing facility, Whitman Laboratories. Through their parent company they have been members of RE100 since 2017, which aims to accelerate the use and supply of renewable energy globally. Currently, the Solid Scent Duo Palette is their first refillable cologne product and their Townhouse Diffusers can also be replenished with refills available to purchase in select markets. Their target of having at least 75% of their packaging recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable by 2025 has been met early. They are proud that as of March 2022, more than 87% of their packaging is either recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable.
Rituals
As a B Corp-certified brand, Rituals offer refills for their body creams, fragrance sticks, car perfumes, handwashes, day and night creams and serums. By choosing one of their refills instead of purchasing a brand-new product, consumers are helping reduce packaging, which means less waste. They commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in intensity by 2030, versus our 2021 figures, and achieving Net-Zero by 2050.
Lush
Lush's passion is to get rid of packaging when designing a product. They use as little packaging in the shops as possible and give you the choice to go completely naked; they mean the products, not yourselves. About half of their products can be taken home with no packaging. We save nearly 6 million plastic bottles globally from selling shampoo bars alone.
Professional Services
Leaders Office
All of Leaders furniture is either recycled or upcycled. 100% renewable energy fuels and 100% FSC–certified wood is used in the office. Their carpet is made from 65% recycled materials and they plant a tree for every move!
Howden Insurance
As a company Howden have a fundamental belief that a great business takes care of people, communities and the world around us, now and in the future. One of the ways they do this is through their independent corporate foundation. The Howden Foundation is a registered charity with a mission to protect people against the social and economic effects of climate change. With an approach that mirrors their own DNA, the Foundation funds entrepreneurial and innovative solutions that will save lives, reduce poverty and address underlying inequalities.
Zero Carbon Guildford
Zero Carbon Guildford’s objective is to help the borough of Guildford reach carbon neutrality by 2030. Our vibrant town centre hub is at the centre of their mission to help residents achieve this goal. ZERO hosts a wide range of events, installations and exhibitions, talks and workshops, and lots more to help drive engagement in climate action.
Independent Businesses
Biddles of Guildford
"Stationary doesn't have to cost the earth" - David Goddard, Manager of Biddles
Biddles made a decision to cut plastic waste back in the 90’s. They have always offered a range of recycled alternatives and in the early 2000’s they started a Printer cartridge recycling scheme. They offer a small discount off replacement cartridges and recycle 200+ cartridges a month, cartridges that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. They have started on a programme of switching from fluorescent tube lighting to LED lighting and had individual thermostats fitted to their heating units.
Kerrera Craft Beer and Gin Bar
Kerrera's German and Belgian bottles come in crates with deposits that they get returned when they send them back. This stops them not only going to landfill but to other recycle schemes that might not be able to use them or process them. The crates and bottles are sent back to the brewers to be cleaned and refilled for a complete system. Some of their gin bottles can be sent back to suppliers to be refilled, and some have even been made into glasses. All of their kegged beers are economical as they come in returnable kegs containing around 50-80 pints per keg that get sent back to the brewers to be refilled. Everything else is either in bottles or cans so no plastic is used.
Art & Grind
Art & Grind keep their carbon footprint as low as possible by using local vendors for all of their food and beverage ingredients, including local independent bakers, locally roasted espresso beans, and milk products. All of their raw ingredients including hot chocolate, chai and espresso beans are Fairtrade and responsibly sourced. They offer their used coffee grounds to anyone who would like to add a boost of nitrogen to their soil. Their packaging (including for our espresso beans) is all recycled, their cups and lids are biodegradable and from recycled materials.
