Award-winning outdoor shading maker talks about its green growth experience

MADE in Britain member Caribbean Blinds has won more than its share of awards. For the second year in a row, the Sudbury-based firm has been shortlisted for both ‘Consumer Business of the Year’ and ‘Family-Owned Business of the Year’ awards.

It has also been taking part in the Green Growth programme from Made in Britain and managing director Stuart Dantzic (left) describes that experience.

How integral do you see sustainable business practices to the future of your business?

Hugely important, we can’t just produce products that create sustainable spaces, we need to ensure the product is sustainable itself in terms of its material content, such as using recycled aluminium through to the energy we use to produce the product and, indeed, raw materials. This will become even more important as sustainability is pushed higher up the agenda for specifiers who want to know the whole chain in relation to the production of a product.

To what extent does your approach to sustainable business set you apart?

Working with UK providers wherever possible and being based in the UK, while our competitors ship in from Europe, helps reduce our overall carbon footprint. Also being a smaller manufacturer than our European competitors means we are able to closely monitor our energy output and make changes, however small to make us as lean as possible.

What are the advantages to doing business sustainably?

From a selling point of view, it shows purchasers we care about our effect and impact on the environment, however, overall, it is about making sure there is a planet here for the future generations of all our stakeholders.

How have you engaged your team members/supply chain/other stakeholders around the Green Growth programme?

Not yet, however, since undergoing the Green Growth assessment, it is something we wish to involve our team in to see where we can make additional improvements.

What advice would you give to Made in Britain members as they progress on their sustainability journeys?

However small, it all makes a difference. You don’t have to spend a fortune to make a difference. Look at small things first such as packaging and waste and work up from there. 

The Made in Britain Green Growth programme is available to members of Made in Britain only. It has been designed to enable and empower a member business to progress its sustainability journey by joining a cohort of more sustainable, more resilient and more competitive manufacturing businesses. Members can access the Green Growth programme here (login required).

By Made in Britain 1 year ago | By Made in Britain

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