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Reasons to Be Cheerful Part 3
Mike Parczuk at Sternfenster says there are a considerable number of factors that are affecting positivity but there are many parts to the factors that...
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Sustainability All Included
Energy efficiency and sustainability are often seen as the two sides of the same coin, with both being flagged by homeowners as key features when buying new windows and doors, says Mike Parczuk of Lincoln based trade fabricator Sternfenster.
“Yet, when it comes to selling new products, energy efficiency tends to be an easier sell,” he says. “Whether you have specifiers wanting the low U-values required for newbuild properties or homeowners reducing their energy use, how energy efficient a window or door is, is often more important than how sustainable it is.
“But you can’t really discuss one without the other. Part L of the building regulations is designed to reduce carbon emissions and most households will already be doing their bit to reduce their impact on the environment.”
Sustainability journey
It is this mindset that underpins Sternfenster’s sustainability strategy, which earned it a shortlisted spot in the G23 Awards. Parczuk says he wants to use Sternfenster’s influence as a national fabricator to provide the tools to customers and suppliers so they can plan their own sustainability journey.
He says: “Key to our success, since we started mapping out our strategy in mid-2022, is the commitment to do the best we can at every stage. It isn’t about creating a nice story to tell but to help improve the image of the industry – and to ultimately drive sales of energy efficient and sustainable windows and doors.”
Solar
One headline development is a recent £400K investment in photovoltaic panels, which will provide more than a fifth of the energy that the fabricator consumes. The new PV array is estimated to produce 490,000kWh per year, offsetting 115,000kg of carbon in the process.
The new panels will join the PV array Sternfenster already has in operation. Together they will produce around one third of all the fabricator’s electricity needs.
“To put our new investment into context, it is the equivalent of planting 11.5K trees or driving 852,000 fewer miles per year in your average family saloon,” Parczuk asserts.
Environment impact
Before the new solar panels were installed, Sternfenster measured its current impact on the environment. It found that 100% of its manufacturing waste is recycled; 100% of post-consumer waste is recycled; 24% of the aluminium it uses is from recycled resources; 20% of its current fleet is electric; and it had made a 7% overall reduction in carbon emissions in 2022.
Measurement
“The key to a successful sustainability strategy is measurement,” says Parczuk. “How can you determine how successful your investment in sustainability is if you don’t measure its effectiveness?”
The company then set itself a set of sustainability goals, which included a commitment to reduce carbon emissions at all stages; completely move to energy efficient lighting and heating; work with sustainable supply partners; increase the use of green energy; increase the use of electric vehicles; promote energy saving products to reduce CO2; and help customers follow a similar sustainable journey.
Since the company already works with its suppliers to develop energy efficient products – its Styleline windows achieve a WER of A as standard, for example – Sternfenster is developing initiatives with companies such as Deceuninck, Smart Systems, Saint-Gobain Glass and Edgetech to work together to place greater importance on the environment and communicate this to the end user.
The company also introduced a buy-back scheme through Starglaze (its retail arm), where frames are recycled via its downstream partners.
These initiatives are supported by a dedicated sustainability landing page on its website, developed to simply and effectively communicate Sternfenster’s commitment to sustainability and which provides the foundation for its continuing sustainability story.
Making it real
“As one of the largest trade fabricators in the UK, our operations affect many corners of the glass and glazing industry, from raw materials, through suppliers, used by us in manufacturing, distributed across the UK, which are then installed by our customers and relied upon by homeowners,” Parczuk says.
“We know that not only do we have to make energy efficient products (which reduces energy use over their lifetime) but we must ensure that our operations are run as efficiently as possible (including partnering with likeminded businesses) and that we educate our customers – providing them with the tools to improve their operations.
“When you talk about sustainability, you don’t say things because people expect you to say it. Like any message connected to your brand, it needs be there for a reason.
“And, ultimately, I think we've got a real opportunity here to make the world a better home for all of us.”
Pictures: Sternfenster’s Mike Parczuk says the company has many sustainability credentials including £400K worth of solar panels on its factory roof.
Article written by Mike Parczuk, Sternfenster
09th April 2024