Rothley Makes a Commitment to a Sustainable Future

In an industry notably slow to react to consumer trends, Rothley are making changes across the company and adapting quickly to drive their business in a sustainable and ethical way.

With the importance of sustainability and ethical processes in all aspects of business becoming more apparent, Rothley have developed The 'Rothley Promise' to ensure that these priorities are at the forefront of everything they do. They have begun by implementing new methods of production, reviewing their packaging to reduce landfill waste and ensuring a secure and ethical supply chain.

Greener Production

Chrome plated materials have been a staple in the hardware industry for many years, but often people don’t realise how harmful the chrome plating process is. Hexavalent chromium plating, which uses chromium trioxide as its main ingredient, poses the most significant health hazard. It is a hazardous air pollutant and a human carcinogen, even single exposure to it during the manufacturing process can result in irritation of the skin and upper respiratory tract (hse.gov.uk). Rothley is committed to reducing the use of these harmful techniques while still retaining the attractive mirror finish of chrome plated tube and accessories. 

Since the original factory opened in 1826, tube has been one of their core products. The popularity of their chrome tube shows that the striking mirror finish remains very popular across multiple industries which drove the search for a material with a similar finish, similar mechanical properties but with a less environmentally damaging manufacturing process. Their newest range of tube, Endurance, is made from stainless steel and is available in attractive brushed or polished finishes comparable to the original chrome tube, but remains inert throughout its lifespan and can be recycled at the end of its life. Their new “Krome” twin slot shelving and brackets are coated with a silver mirror finish paint which closely resembles a chrome finish without the harmful effect on the environment and the negative health implications of the manufacturing process. 

They have also introduced the option of having biodegradable sleeves on their products where requested. Every year approximately 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide with a very small percentage being recycled, meaning many end up in landfill where they take many years to degrade. Their new packaging means the life cycle of the packaging is massively reduced, as it has a compostable life of only 1 1/2 years (subject to certain conditions).

Ethical Supply Chain

In 2019, Rothley invested in two new sites; the first being their global supply chain office and more recently their manufacturing plant in China which is capable of supplying the global market. They now have the capability to offer our customers immense supply chain flexibility to fit the ever-changing market conditions, without affecting quality or performance of our products. They can now exercise control over the whole process from material sourcing through to delivery into their customers to ensure that effective and ethical processes are followed at all stages.

The factory and sourcing office is co-owned and managed by a highly experienced team who have decades of experience in high efficiency hardware production. The management team operated as a subsidiary of a large UK company with the highest ethical, safety and environmentally responsible standards. The management team’s business in China operated as a wholly owned British foreign enterprise (WOFE). The most recent factory established and managed by their team was recognised with a regional award for outstanding employee welfare and training, whilst being the most efficient and cost effective manufacturer in its sector. 

The Rothley Promise ensures that they are providing high quality products through a reliable and ethical supply chain, while implementing more environmentally friendly processes wherever possible.

Please feel free to get in touch with their team to discuss new products and how they can help.

Contacts:

Simon Cox, simon.cox@rothley.com

Rachel Wharram, marketing@rothley.com

Source: A Sponsored feature on behalf of Rothley Tube.

For all the very latest news and intelligence on the UK's largest home improvement and garden retailers, sign up for the Insight DIY weekly newsletter.