These days, more of us are beginning to understand the need to live a more sustainable life. In fact, these beliefs have prompted 85% of global consumers to update their buying habits to specifically look for more sustainable purchases in the past five years. Closer to home, at our Norfolk HQ, we’re firm believers in sustainable development. In fact, we have already adopted a variety of sustainable practices at our HQ. These range from reducing our environmental impact with less waste and sustainable packaging to producing eco-friendly radiators and towel rails.
Our new Modus electric lacquered radiator not only looks super-stylish but provides the perfect heating solution if you’re looking for independent, cost-effective heating in a dedicated room
There will always be more ways in which we can all live more sustainably. So, at DQ Heating, we have been looking more closely at our own sustainable development goals. Read on as our business development manager Jody, explains what we are doing to be more sustainable and our future plans…
This was first clearly defined in a ground-breaking report by the Brundtland Commission for the United Nations in 1987. In short, it’s about “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This report was produced with specific goals to address the global challenges we face. And we are currently aligning our values with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
SDG3 Good health & wellbeing
SDG8 Decent work & economic growth
SDG9 Industry, innovation & infrastructure
SDG11 Sustainable cities & communities
SDG12 Responsible consumption & production
SDG13 Climate action
We are incorporating six key sustainable development goals within our own practices at DQ Heating
Sustainability is ultimately aimed at supporting you and your surroundings without depleting the world’s natural resources. So, it’s all about protecting the natural environment and society as a whole. Sustainable development can therefore help to drive social and environmental change with long-term benefits for all.
At DQ Heating, many of us have young families and we need to consider the future for our children and grandchildren. So, we realise the importance of embracing sustainability in order to maintain our ecosystems and our quality and diversity of life on earth. We have already made a variety of sustainable changes at DQ Heating and we continue to do so. This way, we can adapt to this ever-changing world to benefit existing and future generations.
So far, our sustainable development story ranges from buying products from ethical sources through to the strong, long-term relationships we continue to build with our manufacturers. This, in turn, means you will always benefit from high-quality, affordable heating solutions.
We have fine-tuned our packaging, using Packsize for boxing, to drastically reduce waste without compromising our high delivery standards. As a result, you can now benefit from perfectly packaged products in sizes, which fit our products snugly, in perfect condition. We’ve even updated our packing methods to carefully fit more items into every scheduled delivery to help lower our carbon footprint.
Nearly 100% of our returning radiators and towel rails are resprayed, reused or recycled so we ensure these are not sent to landfill. We even produce our print brochures with a biodegradable laminate on the cover with recyclable PEFC verified paper inside, which is another sustainable development highlight. You can read more in our Sustainability Report 2021 here.
From switching to renewable energy to using recycled aluminium, we’re striving ahead with our sustainable development journey
We are not only committed to producing a wide selection of energy-saving towel rails and radiators. Our sustainable development goals include some of the manufacturing processes we use, too. For example, our in-house powder coating plant enables us to produce colours and finishes on site. So, there’s no need to transport radiators and towel rails to be ‘finished’ further afield, which reduces our product miles. With our state-of-the-art powder coating technology, this also means there’s less waste. At our in-house, bespoke powder coating plant, our powder coating not only provides superior colour retention but it’s non-toxic, too. Compared to some wet paint processes which potentially contain harmful solvents, this provides a far better ecological option.
The bold, green hue of this Tornado T towel rail is just one of more than 300 colours we can achieve at our powder coating plant
Some of our designer radiators feature recycled aluminium, which is infinitely recyclable. This process reduces the energy cost by 95% (less than 1 kWh/kg) when compared to producing aluminium (bauxite) from scratch (14-20 kWh/kg).
It’s also no surprise that electric radiators and towel rails are becoming more popular as we strive to become more environmentally-friendly. And it’s easy to see why – not only can they be stylish, offering superb form and exceptional functionality, but they help to prevent energy waste. After all, you can heat rooms independently, rather than the whole house. In time, not only are energy-saving electric radiators and towel rails helping the environment, but they’re saving you money, too.
Love a contemporary design? Our Vulcano T is one of our many electric towel rails offering style and sustainability, with low water content and brilliant heat output
Ever thought about the most efficient – and eco-friendly way – to heat your home? Our Heat Calculator will help you. BTUs are ‘British Thermal Units’, the unit in which radiator efficiency is measured. Factors such as room dimensions, window size and wall material are used to calculate the required outputs of a radiator, in order to heat your room more efficiently. You can use our BTU Calculator to understand the heat requirements of any room. It’s an easy to use, important part of our sustainable development plan.
We’re here to help customers choose the best heating option for their home, in terms of style, design and efficiency. From vintage-inspired radiators, like our 6 Column Cast Iron design, to sleek towel rails, there are plenty of sustainable options
Sustainable development is all about the short- and long-term goals. We’ve set some achievable and impactful targets for 2023, which will help us pave the way. Highlights include our aim to reduce waste and paper usage, each by 20%. We also plan to increase downloadable brochures and increase sales of recycled content radiators by 100%. At our HQ, there are more eco-friendly changes to come, too. We’ll replace all remaining lights with LEDs and replace hand towel dispensers with hand dryers. After all, every change works towards making the biggest difference.
We will always inform our customers, from interior designers to decorators, if packaging and samples are recyclable when you receive your radiator, such as our Modus made to measure model
We’re not sitting still as we’ve already handcrafted a long-term sustainable development plan for 2030. Bringing zero waste to landfill, operating as a paper-free company and electrifying all cars in the fleet are just some of our goals. Other highlights include sourcing aluminium and recycled aluminium products so they total 50% of our sales. We plan to produce plastic and polythene packaging, which will contain at least 50% recycled content. And, in our office, we will transition to renewable energy so we’re looking forward to a bright, sustainable future!
You can read more about our sustainable development to date and our goals in the future in our in-depth Sustainability Report 2021 here.