Hardware solutions firm Southco has been commended at the International Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) awards, which recognise best practice in the field of corporate social responsibility.
Southco scooped the prize following the introduction of a new recycling initiative at its manufacturing facility in Farnham, UK. In a bid to become more environmentally friendly and responsible, Southco introduced a programme which saw recycling levels reach 99%, up from 65%, within 18-months. This initiative enabled Southco to substantially reduce its environmental footprint and therefore, its reliance on landfills.
The introduction of a more rigorous progress for separating waste materials based on material type helped ensure waste materials could be managed, re-used and disposed of as sustainably as possible. The presence of various skips allowed materials to be sorted and disposed of systematically. This approach allowed Southco to achieve a 100% recycle rate for each type of metal scrapped from production processes, ensuring that scrap metal can be re-used in the manufacture of new Southco products.
A ‘waste champion’, Adrian Fostekew, was also appointed to promote the sustainability agenda and provide information around best practice in disposing of waste. Furthermore, Southco closely monitored waste levels, compiling a detailed monthly report which allowed it to identify areas for ongoing improvement.
Carl Roberts, Operations Manager at Southco’s facility in Farnham, explained: “We take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously at Southco. To have gained recognition for our activities in this area is hugely encouraging and is testament to the great work being done to promote sustainable business practices within our business. There is always room for improvement and we are keen to identify opportunities to minimise our environmental impact. For instance, we are currently researching ways to reduce electricity by investing in LED lighting.”
Southco recently grew its captive hardware line with the new tool-free access 4C Wing Knob.