About us Our businesses Investor centre RNS news Contact us Corporate responsibility The Board is committed to corporate responsibility and sustainability, and the furtherance of the many and various ESG factors is an integral part of the DNA of the Group. The Board promotes the success of Norcros for the benefit of its shareholders as a whole. HomeInvestor centreCorporate responsibility In doing this, the Board takes regular account of many things, including the interests of all employees, the importance of positive relationships with suppliers and customers and the significance of environmental, ethical and social factors affecting the Group. We recognise that management of these matters is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our businesses. We are focused on providing sustainable value creation whilst committed to operating in an ethical, entrepreneurial and responsible manner with the highest standards of corporate governance. Our commitment to uphold the highest level of corporate responsibility, including our supply chain, extends to the priority of minimising our negative impact on the environment and developing a rigorous ESG reporting framework. We are further positioning our businesses and products to benefit and pursue growth opportunities emerging from ESG trends and developments. Our businesses will have a positive impact on the local communities in which they operate and we empower our businesses to support local charities and community projects. We offer our employees a safe and positive working environment within an open, transparent and entrepreneurial culture and de-centralised operating model. Our ESG principles Committed to operating in an ethical and responsible manner Upholding the highest levels of corporate responsibility and governance Minimising our negative impact on the environment Providing our employees a safe and positive working environment Pursuing emerging growth opportunities from ESG trends and developments Having a positive impact on the local communities in which we operate Engaging with suppliers who uphold minimum ESG standards Building a rigorous ESG reporting framework Our ESG building blocks Norcros considers the following as the “building blocks” of a responsible and sustainable business: Environmental Products Social – people Social – community Governance Suppliers The rest of this page looks at each of these in detail. Environmental Sustainability Care for the environment and sustainability are at the forefront of all our activities and products. The Board recognises that the Group’s activities do have an impact on the environment. We seek to manufacture all our products in a sustainable way and many of the products themselves contain environmental features – for example, our taps and showers encourage water and energy saving and our tiles and adhesives use recycled products where appropriate. Environmental impact Norcros is committed to minimising this impact by continually improving its efficiency in terms of energy, water and material consumption. One particular area of focus across the Group has been taking steps to reduce plastics, particularly packaging. We also have rigorous programmes to seek to ensure compliance with all environmental legislation and requirements relating to our operations and our products. Energy efficiency The Group aims to minimise its carbon footprint. Its greenhouse gas emissions and energy use are reported on in detail on pages 79 and 80 of the Annual Report 2021. Whilst there has been a significant decrease in overall emissions compared to last year, this has to be considered in the context of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced the Group’s energy consumption markedly, particularly in the early months of the year. In the context of the overall growth in the activities of the Group, relative to revenue, emissions have fallen by 24.9% year on year. Examples of the principal measures taken to improve energy efficiency are given on this page, and also include the introduction of electric vehicles and the promotion of the energy-saving benefits of our products. Johnson Tiles UK “Green policy” for the last 20 years Recycling For the last 20 years, Johnson Tiles has had a continuous “green policy” with pioneering initiatives. Every aspect of the business is subject to a strict environmental policy, which also includes its suppliers. Each year, Johnson Tiles recycles 14,000 tonnes of ceramic waste, grinding it and then adding it to the standard ceramic materials, to create a new tile body. Recycling this waste saves 16,800m3 at landfill, and an estimated 235,000 miles of HGV journeys per year. Packaging Second-hand pallets are used and if damaged, they are repaired wherever possible. Pallets beyond repair are sent for chipping and recycling. This saves 1,250 tonnes of virgin timber, approx. 10,000 trees, per year. Plastic shrink-wrap has been replaced with recyclable corrugated card and the polypropylene strapping used for production boxes has been substituted with a new sugar cane product for pallet stabilisation. Energy and water By re-using 32,000m3 of water per year (30% of the total factory usage) and removing water from another part of the production process, Johnson Tiles can save an additional 2,100m3 of water per year. In 2001, the new single fired production plant was re-sited, dropping the annual energy consumption from 195 million kWh of energy to 130 million kWh, while raising production from 53,000 tonnes of ceramic tiles in 2001 to 56,000 tonnes by 2019. This is an energy saving of 35% per tonne of ceramic tile, equating to 68 million kWh per year. By speeding up its kilns, using automatic light sensors and re-using kiln exit heat, consumption has been cut even further, saving around 9% of gas. Johnson Tiles is the only UK tile manufacturer to use the most energy-efficient production process of a single fire. Triton Triton makes stream of changes to improve sustainability Following a successful period of activities to reduce its impact on the environment, Triton Showers has committed to a number of new, bold goals. The ambitious targets include a further reduction in gas and electricity use by 5%, as well as a 20% reduction in packaging.A concerted effort to reduce water usage by 7% has led to the introduction of two new water meters to help identify where the majority of water is being consumed. With production and the lab facility being singled out as key users, plans are now afoot to conserve the resource as much as possible. Further developments to maintain its zero waste to landfill status has led to the purchase of a brand-new shrink wrap machine in 2019 which provides a 3,180kg reduction in material used, thanks to the equipment being able to stretch the existing shrink film two and half times more than the original. Staying with packaging, Triton has pledged to minimise its usage by 20%. As a result, new tote boxes have been introduced to eliminate the repacking of items internally.Not resting on its laurels, Triton has challenged suppliers to remove unnecessary extras, such as tissue paper, bubblewrap and strapping used on the outer boxes. As a result, two out of three suppliers have invested in re-useable plastic containers, which has meant that Triton has seen significant reductions in the amount of cardboard being received from UK suppliers. Norcros Adhesives Consistent investment in manufacturing The problem with the introduction of the new 4 in 1 range, a rapid setting,antibacterial grout for walls and floors, Norcros Adhesives has seen a significant growth in demand for this product.The product has versatility with 15 different colours and the new efflorescence-free formulation helps to reduce the migration of salt to the surface of the grout. The solution Norcros Adhesives has seen a programme of consistent investment in its manufacturing capacity with efficiency and environmental benefits. The latest being the installation of new "Form, Fill & Seal” equipment, to enhance both capacity and speed, as well as the new “blown air” in feed, which transports the powdered materials throughout the production line.It has also seen the introduction of a new ERP and warehouse system, in addition to the new packaging equipment. The result The latest investment has resulted in new efficiencies and improvements in the production process. The new equipment is three times faster and brings with it a number of benefits,i.e. there is no requirement to produce labels for each pouch,saving both paper and operative time, and the machines enable the use of a new high quality bag, which exceeds the standard industry drop-test requirements keeping customers’ displays clean and free of grout dust. Products Social – people Social – community Governance Whistleblowing Norcros plc Ladyfield House, Station Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 1BU © Norcros plc 2018 About us Our business Our history Our strategy Our Board and management Our businesses United Kingdom South Africa Investor centre Key financial information Daily share price Reports and presentations Major shareholders Corporate advisers Shareholder services Corporate governance Corporate responsibility Modern Slavery Act Statement RNS news Email alerts Contact us Site services Sitemap Accessibility Disclaimer Privacy policy Cookie declaration Site by design portfolio