Sustainability of Joinery Products

Gowercroft Joinery's Sustainability Commitment

Our products and manufacturing process will be carbon negative by 2030.

Gowercroft's Sustainability Milestones

2009: Adoption of Accoya Timber
Introduced Accoya timber for its 60+ year lifespan, low maintenance needs, and environmental certifications.

2010: Wood Shavings Initiative
Repurposed wood waste as cattle bedding, later converted to fertiliser and heat, eliminating landfill waste.

2013: Installation of Biomass Heaters
Installed biomass heaters to utilise wood waste and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

2014: Introduction of Red Grandis Timber
Selected Red Grandis as a fast-growing, sustainable alternative to exotic hardwoods with a 50+ year lifespan.

2014: First Use of Vacuum Glazing
Pioneered Pilkington Spacia vacuum glazing for historic windows, combining modern efficiency with traditional aesthetics.

2019: Transition to LandVac Vacuum Glass
Upgraded to LandVac for superior U-values (0.4 W/m²K) and enhanced durability, further reducing energy consumption.

2021: First Life Cycle Assessments
Partnered with Derby University to prove our products’ carbon-negative lifecycle and identify areas for improvement.

2021: Biomass Heating System Upgrade
Enhanced biomass heating for greater efficiency and lower emissions.

2023: Energy-Efficient Compressor System
Installed an inverter compressor, cutting factory CO2 emissions by over 20,000 kg annually.

2023: Transition to Electric Company Cars
Began replacing traditional vehicles with electric cars to lower transport-related emissions.

What Does Sustainability Mean to Us?

Environmental Sustainability

Economic Sustainability

Social Sustainability

How Do Our Products Lead in Sustainability?

Life Cycle Assessments

Cradle-to-gate

Cradle-to-gate only assesses a product until it leaves the factory gates. This means cutting out transportation, installation, usage and disposal phases.

Cradle-to-grave

This includes everything in cradle-to-gate, but also transportation, installation, usage and disposal.

Cradle-to-cradle

Cradle-to-cradle is often referred to within the Circular Economy. It builds on cradle-to-grave, exchanging the waste stage with a recycling process that makes it reusable for another product of similar value/quality.

Carbon-Negative Products

Measured in Kilograms of CO2 Equivalent (kgCO2e); a balanced overview of contribution to climate change gases for a given product.

(Global Warming Potential)

Product Design and Development

(CAD drawing)

What is 1000kgCO2e?

121,643
Smartphones

3,500km
Travel by Aeroplane

9,600km
Travel by Car

71,500km
Travel by Train

How Do Our Products Lead in Sustainability?

Refuse: Not using slimline glazing because of unit breakdown or oak because it swells/warps

Rethink: Re-evaluated product designs (e.g., integrated glazing bars, vacuum glass) for greater efficiency.

Reduce: Highlight reductions in timber waste, energy consumption, and single-use materials.

Repair: Timbacare programme extends product life indefinitely.

Recycle: Recycling of timber waste and your sustainable packaging solutions.

Repurpose: Materials are creatively reused where possible e.g offcuts to make paint sample examples.

Recover: All joinery products brought back from sites across the U.K. are fully disassembled; with glass and ironmongery recycled.

Our Future Sustainability Plans:

Solar Panels: to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources and lower our carbon footprint.
Local Rewilding Project: restore natural habitats and promote biodiversity.
Energy Use Tracking and Whole Business Carbon Footprint Assessment: Tracking large machine power usage, air quality, dust in the air, humidity, light levels, and temperature. Collaborating with Ulster University to reach Net Zero for our manufacturing process.
Eco Gates: to optimise the use of extraction fans and machinery, reducing energy consumption and improving air quality.
Frontier Range Development: to achieve PassivHaus and EnerPhit standards.