Reducing our carbon footprint – our allies
Like the companies that are part of the global materials division of Broadview Holding (Broadview Materials), reducing our carbon footprint is a key component of our sustainability approach. We are convinced that improving our environmental footprint is not only the right thing to do, but it is also essential to the continuity of the brand.
The road to reducing the carbon footprint implies different milestones.
It starts with the replacement of the most impactful inputs, it proceeds with the improvement of our products and processes efficiency. Another landmark is related to the products’ composition. We believe in “do more with less”, guaranteeing the quality of our products while using less resources. Along this path, durability plays an important role too. By extending the lifespan of our products, we reduce the use of resources and the associated environmental impact.
So, even though we still have an impact, we are actively working to reduce it.
In this journey, the nature of our products represents a meaningful ally in our mission to reduce our footprint. Our products’ content is made of a combination of bio-based renewable materials (approx. 55% wood fibres), resin and metal. The impact of metals cannot be decreased apart from sourcing materials with higher recycled shares. However, the wood-fibre component has a lower environmental impact than traditional fossil-based materials and can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, forest and crops absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere during their growth and continue storing it once harvested. This means that the carbon sequestered thanks to the photosynthesis is kept in the wood-based products for their whole life-time, thus contributing to mitigating climate change. To exemplify, a piece of furniture made with our materials will store carbon until it is replaced.
Durability plays an important role
As the sustainability performance of products is evaluated throughout their entire lifetime, durability is one of the major features of sustainable products.
The central aim of a circular economy is to maintain the function and value of products, components and materials at the highest possible level and to extend the lifespan of such products. Maintaining a product’s value for as long as is sensible avoids the use of resources and the environmental impacts associated with creating a replacement.
The real metal surface layers of the Homapal products are protected by a thin epoxy, UV, or anodised coating. These protective layers of the finish are resistant to household solvents and chemicals and, in addition to the typical properties of metal as well as to the underlying hard-wearing laminate, allow to extend the product surface durability. This results in products with a longer lifespan, thus limiting the need for their replacement, and, consequently, reducing the use of resources and the production of waste, and the associated environmental impact.
