Environmental Policy

Whitecroft Lighting Ltd aim to reduce our affect on natural resources and the environment, whilst trying to recycle waste and utilise recycled materials through a programme of continual improvement, developments to provide our customers with effective service, and efficient lighting solutions.

Whitecroft Lighting is committed to complying with all applicable environmental legislation and other known requirements.

Environmental Management System - ISO 14001:2015

Sustainability

Whitecroft Lighting operates in a sustainable way by creating lighting solutions best adapted to customer requirements, with the least possible impact on the environment including consumption of natural resources. Whitecroft Lighting contributes to and takes responsibility for the furtherment of sustainability, which it also requires of all suppliers in its chain.

Through our environmental management system we are continually reducing our use of natural resources, whilst optimising recycled materials, avoiding waste generation and increasing recycling. As a responsible manufacturer we carry our company values and policies into our supply chain so that our customers can have confidence in the fact that all our lighting solutions are manufactured using only environmentally safe materials and processes.

Energy Saving

The best contribution we can make towards an ecologically sustainable society is to manufacture energy efficient light fittings. To run an efficient business we have the same challenges as our customers to reduce our energy usage and operate within a framework that examines the life and environmental impact of the materials we use day to day to manufacture our products. 

Customers can take full advantage of the investments we have made to design and develop highly efficient fittings that deliver more light and are more durable through their operational life. Energy efficient solutions create better environments for both customers and staff, with less cooling loads for air conditioning.

The Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme promotes good practice for lighting by specifying the choice of the most efficient lamp sources and control gear and giving it an approved coding of efficiency if it is used in a light fitting of specified efficiency. Achieving compliance by choosing the most efficient lamp and fitting entitles the customer to obtain 100% capital relief in the first year of the purchase of the equipment.

Whitecroft are a registered company on the Energy Technology List produced under the ECA scheme and have a wide range of compliant light fittings that can be used throughout a project.

Climate Change

Whitecroft established our carbon footprint following a report commissioned from The Carbon Trust (ref. CNC85609) in October 2005. Following this we have developed environmental objectives and targets and The Carbon Trust in April 2010 confirmed that we have reduced our carbon output by more than 25%, despite production units increasing by over 10%. Our transport fleet has been replaced to enable us to increase our capacity by 25% without increasing energy consumption, whilst investment in new plant equipment is constantly increasing our energy efficiency. 

Raw Materials

We have a policy of socially responsible purchasing of raw materials from ethical sources. All materials used in manufacture are RoHS compliant and the recycled content of all raw materials is being established and increased wherever possible.

WEEE Directive

From the 1st July 2007, the European WEEE Directive places obligations upon users and producers of electronic and electrical equipment to handle their waste more carefully. It will no longer be allowed for users or producers to dispose of waste electronic and electrical equipment in landfill sites, it must be recycled in a controlled and traceable manner. The European Parliament has set targets for Member States to recover increased amounts of waste by recycling materials and reducing environmental pollution. The UK government have passed legislation (Statute 3289) which is enforceable from the 1st July 2007 for businesses to comply with the WEEE Directive. 

WEEE Regulations

The legislation is different between B2C (Business to Consumer) and B2B (Business to Business) routes to market. For B2C, businesses are required to join or operate a "take back" scheme. For B2B, businesses can make their own arrangements as appropriate (3289, Regulation 9). Whitecroft Lighting only supplies luminaires to other businesses which is covered by the B2B regulations of the directive.

To comply with the legislation all producers of WEEE must have joined a registered Compliance Scheme by the 15th March 2007. Whitecroft Lighting chose to join a compliance scheme operated by ElectroLink, a division of Wastepack who are a leading operator in waste management and have an established infrastructure for recycling waste.

To minimise any costs and risks which are incurred by our customers and provide best value and service, we propose not charging a "WEEE Levy" at the time of purchase. We believe it is not practical or fair for customers to pay for disposal as much as 30 years in advance, and there is the risk of future changes in legislation which could affect the cost and how waste is handled at the time of disposal.

Our method, will embrace Regulation 9 - the alternative arrangement. It will allow two choices for our customers in the future when the luminaires eventually become waste:

1. The customer can chose to appropriately dispose of the waste, via their chosen contractor for example, and may actually recover some cost in later years as commodities become more valuable.

2. The customer can choose to contact the Eletrolink WEEE Takeback Service to arrange for unwanted luminaires to be collected.

Whitecroft Lighting are only responsible for luminaires when they become WEEE, lamps are the responsibility of the lamp brand manufacturer and you are advised to contact them directly to arrange disposal.