Fitted furniture manufacturer Symphony Group has unveiled what it calls its “most ambitious sustainability strategy to date”, setting a clear outline for the company’s net-zero future.
According to the company, its new 2025 strategy will introduce several new initiatives and measurable targets, which include joining the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), pioneering circular economy product design, and continuing to ethically source materials.
In addition, Symphony has also committed to using REGO-backed electricity by the end of this year, reducing carbon emissions. The company will also use 100% recycled chipboard in selected ranges, commit to sending zero manufacturing waste to landfill, and use exclusively water-based paints on its paint-to-order ranges.
Symphony also says it has formed a new ESG (environmental, social and governance) committee, heat-mapped its timber supply chain country of origins for risk, and says it will strengthen supplier agreements in line with the Ethical Trading Initiative.
To support these ambitious targets, the business has recently invested in its green infrastructure. Covering more than 800,000 sq ft, both Symphony’s factories and offices at its Barnsley headquarters incorporate BREEAM standards, and have biomass boiler systems, eliminating the need for gas across the site.
Symphony Group also revealed in 2024 that it had hit its target of converting at least 75% of its company car fleet to hybrid or electric vehicles one year ahead of schedule, which has had the added bonus of improving fleet efficiency, the company says.
“We’ve always believed that doing the right thing for the environment and for people is just good business, but this new strategy takes things up a level,” commented Symphony Group’s sustainability analyst, George Burtoft.
“It’s about being even more transparent, more ambitious and making sure sustainability runs through every part of our operation – from the way we build kitchens to the way we partner with suppliers.
“Signing up to the SBTi is a big step forward – it means we’ll be measuring ourselves against science-based targets, not just good intentions. We know we can’t tackle the climate challenge alone, but by working closely with our customers, housebuilders and supply chain, we can keep moving the industry in the right direction, together.”
In related news, Symphony Group – which says it is the largest kitchen manufacturer in the UK – announced earlier this year that international holdings group W&R Barnett had acquired a majority shareholding in the company, with a view to strengthen its position even further in the market.