We are all too aware that as a manufacturer, Paula Rosa Manhattan has a carbon footprint. So we are determined to work across all areas of the business to mitigate this wherever possible. 2020 was a tough year in many areas of manufacture, but that didn’t distract us from keeping a firm eye on our production methods, materials and general energy consumption. We have now finalised the calculation for our 2020 energy usage and carbon emissions and submitted it to Ballingslöv, our parent company, for inclusion into their sustainability report for 2020.

2020 certainly had its challenges. Despite that, we reported a fantastic 31% reduction compared to 2019 in CO2 emissions generated from the production of our kitchens. Like many businesses in 2020, there was some time when we were closed and we were not producing anything. But even taking that into account, our manufacturing carbon emissions per unit fell by an impressive 23%. We achieved this reduction with initiatives such as the introduction of the new energy-efficient forklifts, as well as using green electricity for all our heating.

Now that 2021 is well underway, and there is positivity on the horizon, we continue to look forward into this year and beyond. Our new sustainability focus is on how we can have not only a carbon neutral production facility but also one that produces zero carbon. And we have kicked it all off with a new factory heating and cooling system, which was completed in February. Phase two is the installation of six electric vehicle charging points.

These steps indicate the momentum being gathered by the Paula Rosa Manhattan sustainability pledge.

Future plans include developing our onward energy strategy, which will involve generating our own energy through solar PV or wind turbines, as well as exploring ways to make our distribution fleet greener. All ways to further improve our overall carbon emissions.

Our focus on sustainability extends throughout the entire company and to our suppliers. It was important to get our workforce on board as they have a direct effect on our emissions, and so we produced The Little Book of Sustainability which we launched with an inter-departmental scavenger hunt. This book is now sent to all our suppliers so they can join us in our efforts to become more sustainable. It is, of course, produced in as eco-friendly a way as possible, printed on responsibly sourced paper from FSC®-certified forests and produced with carbon balanced production processes.