Value Our Materials

Every Material Matters

Every material enters the manufacturing process with value already embedded within it. Resources, skills, energy and time all contribute long before a product reaches its final destination. Recognising that value shapes the way we think about materials throughout our business.

Waste Prevention 

Our first priority is always prevention, which means preventing unnecessary waste through thoughtful planning, efficient manufacturing and careful product development. Our Make with Purpose ethos across manufacturing presents exactly that, and through this ethos our teams have developed initiatives such as Wind to Length and setting targets for Right First Time; precise calculation programmes and an approach designed to manufacture only what is needed.

Keeping Materials in Use

When materials can no longer fulfil their original purpose, we look for opportunities to keep them in use through reuse and recycling before considering any other disposal route. This approach has led to practical initiatives across our business. Waste wool fibre has become the foundation of our Wool Felt underlay, while returned handtrials, yarn waste and manufacturing offcuts are recycled into new underlay products at our Recycling Hub, allowing valuable materials to continue contributing long after their first use.

Recovery Processes

We operate with zero waste to landfill across our manufacturing site. Where materials cannot be reused or recycled, they are recovered through a carefully selected local waste to energy facility. Our recovery route was chosen because it is local to our site in Northern Ireland and because it uses gasification which is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly then incineration. 

Valuing materials means recognising that sustainability begins long before a product reaches the end of its life. By continually looking for better ways to prevent waste, recover materials and create new opportunities for valuable resources, we continue extending the contribution of the materials we use every day.