A Guide to: Sustainability

Sustainable Products from Workplace Interior Shop

Our modern world is a hub for progression and adaptation. This has never been more important given the climate crisis we currently face. Across the board, construction companies are constantly innovating and growing in order to tackle their own environmental impact, such as aiming for carbon neutrality and minimising waste. 

At Workplace Interior Shop, we are proud to be partners with a variety of forward thinking, green conscious manufacturers, allowing us to supply our customers with responsibly sourced materials across all of our sectors.    

Here are just a few examples of sustainability initiatives and future friendly products! 

Insulation: Kingspan

Kingspan define their work as a relentless pursuit for better building performance, whilst being ‘Planet Passionate’ in everything they do, with emphasis on achieving a circular economy (the idea of eliminating waste and continually using resources over and over).

In order to achieve this level of sustainability, they ensure that environmental, social and economic parameters are considered in every operation of their business. Their commitment is evident in their actions. Kingspan participates in the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) which is a global disclosure system that enables companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their environmental impacts. Through this, Kingspan achieved CDP A List in 2016 and 2017, and A- in 2018.

At Workplace Interior Shop, we supply a range of Kingspan Insulation. This is not only produced in an environmentally conscious environment, the installation of appropriate insulation can have a huge impact on a building’s thermal efficiency, reducing energy use and CO2 emissions.   

Dry Lining: British Gypsum 

British Gypsum manufactures a wide range of construction materials. Their products are high quality and trusted by us, making up a notable portion of our dry lining solutions. British Gypsum have a 4 pronged strategy, designed to reduce their impact on the environment. This covers energy management, reducing road transport, water usage and responsible sourcing. 

Their actions are evident in their results. British Gypsum’s building energy consumption is managed by the Saint-Gobain Care:4 (Company Actions for the Reduction of Energy by 4) program and, as a result, Energy performance Certificates (EPCs) have been completed for 5 of their buildings. They are also legislated under Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme Regulations (EU-ETS), CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

British Gypsum have become the first plaster and plasterboard partition manufacturer to achieve a BES 6001 ‘Excellent’ rating for their UK manufactured Gyproc plasterboards, Glasroc specialist boards, Thistle plasters, Gypframe metal products and Gyproc Cove. Finally, the vast majority of their products are now certified to the highest level in terms of responsible resourcing to BES 6001.

From Stud & Track systems to Plasterboard, we supply a range of British Gypsum Dry Lining products across our site. 

Suspended Ceilings: Ceiling Tiles 

Many Ceiling Tiles are manufactured using eco friendly building materials that can be recycled again at the end of their life. For example, Mineral Fibre Ceiling Tiles are manufactured using a variety of recycled and natural materials including recycled newsprint, clay, perlite, starch and fibreglass, with different quantities of each being used depending on the characteristics and performance of the tile. 

Despite the materials being recyclable, it is believed that hundreds of thousands of square metres of Ceiling Tiles are sent to landfill each year, representing a significant loss of valuable resources and waste of the energy, water and materials that went into making them.

At Workplace Interior Shop, we encourage all of our customers to recycle at every opportunity. The table below outlines where you can recycle your Ceiling Tiles (sourced from FIS): 

Fire Protection: ROCKWOOL

ROCKWOOL places significant emphasis on sustainability. Using naturally occurring, sustainable materials, they aim to make a positive impact on both the natural world and consumers. 

Rock is one of the most abundant raw materials on the planet. ROCKWOOL have developed their technology, allowing them to use waste from other industries as alternative raw material. They also prevent thier building products from becoming waste by making recyclable, long-lasting products and offering a recycling service. The beauty is, stone wool can be recycled again and again into new stone wool, a very important element of their “circular” business model.

ROCKWOOL also works hard to support communities through local initiatives as well as global work led by the ROCKWOOL Foundation. This is their very own non-profit organisation which controls around a quarter of all ROCKWOOL International shares.

All of this work is supported and evidenced by internal sustainability reporting as well as independent, external accreditations and awards.

At Workplace Interior Shop, we supply a range of ROCKWOOL Fire Protection products. Browse our range to find: 

• Boards, Barriers & Sealants
• Electrical Fire Protection
• Intumescents, Wraps & Collars

Partitioning: Glass Partitions

Glass is an abundant raw material, meaning investing in glass partitioning is a sustainable choice! Glass is fully recyclable, meaning it can be recycled in closed loop over and over again. The amount of solid waste produced by the glass industries during manufacturing is extremely low, with almost all waste glass being put back into furnaces to serve as raw material. 

Glass partitioning is also a smart investment for its design qualities and functionality. From fire rated glass to acoustic insulation, curved panels to banded partitions, glass offers a versatile solution. Architects not only use large glazed areas for their energy-saving properties, but also because they facilitate natural light flow in buildings which can enhance living and working conditions. Not only does this save energy expenditure, it also contributes to occupants’ well-being and improved health conditions.

At Workplace Interior Shop, we supply a selection of Frameless Glass Partitioning systems. Our range includes:

• Single Glazed Partitioning
• Double Glazed Partitioning
• Banded Glass Partitioning 

Flooring: Interface

Due to their sustainable business practices, Interface has achieved a 74 percent reduction in the global average cradle-to-gate (from raw materials through manufacturing) carbon footprint of their carpets since 1996. On top of this, they have reduced the intensity of market-based greenhouse gas emissions at their carpet manufacturing plants by 96 percent during that same period.

Interface are also highly conscious of waste. Each year they divert more than 10 million pounds of used carpet from landfills to create a carpet tile backing, made with 90 percent recycled and bio-based content. For Interface, these measures are part of a larger plan: to eliminate their carbon footprint entirely, becoming a carbon negative company by 2040. Browse our range of Interface Flooring to find your next sustainable solution. 

At Workplace Interior Shop, we are committed to helping our customers achieve their sustainability aims. Recycling is just as important as sourcing sustainable building products. Follow the links below to find out where you can responsibly recycle you unused Carpets and Raised Access Flooring: 

• Carpet Recycling: Carpet Recycling UK 
• Raised Access Flooring: rmf 

Lighting: LED Lighting 

Quality LEDs have an expected lifespan of over 50,000 hours compared to just 1,000 hours for a typical incandescent bulb, eliminating the need to replace bulbs and reducing waste. Switching to LEDs can save you money too. They are much more energy-efficient than fluorescent tube lighting and use much less wattage to operate. In comparison to incandescent or old traditional lights, LED saves about 70% of energy, resulting in substantial savings in the long run. In addition, LED’s do not create heat like traditional incandescent bulbs which means that the office air-con doesn’t need to waste energy battling against this extra heat source.

Overall, LED lighting is a future friendly lighting solution. Redacted maintenance and running costs mean less energy is needed which will ultimately have a positive impact on your companies energy consumption and carbon footprint. 

At Workplace Interior Shop, we supply a wide range of LED Lighting solutions. 

Decorative: Wall Panels and Coverings

Decorative furnishings can often be the biggest source of waste due to changing trends and styles, meaning functional pieces may be thrown out for an updated, trendy alternative. However, manufacturers such as Soundtect and Allsfar offer eco conscious products which have been made from recycled content.

Soundtect produces a range of ‘decorative’ items which not only look impressive, but are highly functional and sustainable, such as their Acoustic 3D Wall Panels. A large portion of their products are third generation products. This means they began life as plastic bottles. The PET bottles are firstly turned into exhibition carpets for events around the world. Once they have fulfilled this purpose, Soundtect takes the waste product and carefully re-layers the carpet fibres to create highly-efficient, acoustic felt panels. The business now supply award-winning acoustic panels across the world which represent the very foundations of the circular economy. 

Allsfar also offer impressive decorative solutions. From Wall Coverings to Acoustic Textured Panels, their products are manufactured with the earth in mind. Allsfar products are made from recycled, eco friendly materials and that can be themselves recycled and upcycled:

• All products are made from up to 60% recycled PET
• Very low energy manufacturing process
• Each 1200mm x 2400mm panel is made using the equivalent of 280 waste plastic bottles
• No formaldehyde binders
• Low VOCs 
• 100% recyclable at end of life

Furniture: Metalicon

We supply a wide range of Metalicon digital accessories as part of our furniture range. This includes Monitor Arms & Stands and Desktop Power & Cable Management. As a Manufacturer, Metalicon is committed to reducing the world’s plastic waste problem. A staggering 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year, meaning something needs to be done to protect marine life!

Since 2018 Metalicon have been focused on eliminating plastic from their product packaging. The majority of their product packaging is already made using recycled paper-based materials which can also be recycled again. By 2023, Metalicon aims to provide completely plastic free branded packaging. 

Buy With Confidence!

We have only scratched the surface of sustainability across Workplace Interior Shop. With so many sustainable building products (and manufacturers), we want our customers to buy with confidence, knowing they are investing in long lasting, quality products. 

Can’t Find What You’re Looking For?

Our product library is constantly growing and evolving! If you can’t find what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will do our best to source it for you. Alternatively, if you need help planning your next office renovation or office build, our fantastic sister brands offer bespoke design and planning consultancy. Visit Gravity Office Interiors for interior design services, or Contract Interior Systems for total office refurbishment and fit out.