Sustainability or Greenwashing?

Always keen to keep up with regulatory changes, our Managing Director Marc Kemp and Office Manager Andy Hills, recently attended an event hosted by the Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with their Patrons Borenius and Metsä Group.

Held at the Leonardo Royal London St Pauls, the event consisted of two keynote speeches, as well as a panel discussion moderated by Lord Justice Snowden.

Sustainability and associated topics are top-trending subjects, on all platforms, across all organisations. However, what does sustainability really mean? What is required, legally or ethically, how is it achieved and how do you sort out the “buzz” from the reality?

Aksu Tuominen from Borenius gave an insight into the Green Claims Directive, the Proposal for Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

The second keynote speech was provided by Maija Pohjakallio and Kalle Ikonen from Futures Supplies’ partner Metsä Group. They focused on the practical experiences against the background of recent regulations, also shedding light on current EU deforestation regulation and nature restoration laws.

The insightful speeches lead to an interesting and insightful panel discussion on how the topics affect the ongoing concerns of businesses with panellists were Kalle Ikonen and Maija Pohjakallio from Metsä Group, Casper Herler from Borenius, and Andrew Griffiths from Planet Mark.

You can find out more about out sustainability initiatives on our website at www.futures-supplies.co.uk

Making a Real Difference, Right Here Right Now!

Futures Supplies were delighted, on 22nd January 2024, to be awarded the Green Mark Level 1 accreditation for our environmental performance and commitment to sustainability.

The Green Mark Sustainability certification process assesses, audits and certifies a business’ impact on the environment and wider community. It provides an internationally recognised environmental certification, endorsing a company’s environmental credentials through a journey of independent certification.

Futures Supplies have been able to demonstrate through this certification process, to both our clients and employees that we are conducting business, to a recognised international environmental standard.

Mariana Kit, Green Mark’s Customer Support Executive commented ‘I would like to say a big congratulations on achieving Green Mark Level 1! You had a fantastic submission and scored 100% across the board which is an amazing achievement’.

Congratulations to Andrew Hills our Office Manager for his work on this exciting project and to all the  team at Futures Supplies who work tirelessly on improving our environmental credentials to help provide a better and more sustainable future for us all.

You can find out more about the Green Mark Certification here – greenmark.co.uk/our-approach/

Bee Kind!

Our Managing Director, Marc Kemp was delighted to be invited to visit the beehives at the Bee Urban site in Kennington Park by Hive Cleaning who we have been in collaboration with, though their sponsorship program, to support this worthy project.

Bee Urban is a social enterprise that aims to work with communities to improve the environment for the benefit of us all. Focusing on responsible urban beekeeping, horticulture and community growing. It’s not just about bees, people are vital to Bee Urban.

Community engagement and volunteering is important to the project, providing opportunities to contribute to the locality, be creative and reduce social isolation.

Our friends at Hive Cleaning are a B Corp certified, ethical office cleaning company who are committed to making a positive impact on the environment. As part of their efforts, Hive Cleaning have pledged to sponsor a beehive for every new cleaning contract they are awarded. 

Futures Supplies are delighted to sponsor this worthy project as of one of our key sustainability initiatives.

Let’s Bee Sustainable!

We’re thrilled to announce that Futures Supplies has teamed up with the wonderful Bee Urban project, in partnership with their main sponsor, Hive Cleaning, to support one of our many sustainability initiatives. 

Our friends at Hive Cleaning are a B Corp certified, ethical office cleaning company who are committed to making a positive impact on the environment. 

As part of their efforts, they have pledged to sponsor a beehive for every new cleaning contract they are awarded. 

Bee Urban, is a social enterprise focused on responsible urban beekeeping, horticulture, and community growing, it’s a fantastic initiative that we’re proud to be a part of. 

To learn more about Bee Urban’s inspiring projects and volunteer opportunities, please visit their website at The Hive.

The Hygiene Bank Charity Evening

Futures Supplies are delighted to be a headline sponsor for the ‘The Hygiene Bank’ Charity evening in partnership with our client, the award winning commercial cleaning and facilities expert, Cleanology.

The Hygiene Bank believe that basic hygiene is not a privilege and their vision is that one day everyone living in the UK will have access to essential hygiene products. With a mission to bring communities, businesses and thought leaders together they hope to tackle hygiene poverty providing access to products and being a voice for change. Futures Supplies are delighted to be part of this exciting event.

You can find out more and how you can help support The Hygiene Bank here https://thehygienebank.com/get-involved/

15 Years of Carbon Neutral Supplies

Futures Supplies & Support Services Ltd has long been at the forefront within the cleaning industry for its environmental credentials and commitment to sustainability and the company is proud to celebrate 15 years of Carbon Neutral status in 2022

Scientific consensus states that carbon emissions must be reduced to avoid catastrophic climate change. Businesses have an important and essential role to play in meeting reduction targets and carbon offsetting enables businesses like Futures Supplies to play a part in the climate change battle.

In partnership with Carbon Neutral Britain, Futures Supplies is delighted to have achieved its Carbon Neutral status for the 15th consecutive year. This accreditation positions the company as an industry leader with one of the strongest and most credible approaches to climate change.

Since 2006 Futures Supplies has demonstrated Its commitment to reducing CO² in accordance with leading edge quality assurance standards. As a result of this reduction process coupled with offsetting the unavoidable emissions associated with their business, Futures Supplies carbon footprint is reduced to net zero.

Marc Kemp, Managing Director says “We are proud to be taking a net zero position on emissions by measuring the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with our business, reducing them at source, and then offsetting any unavoidable emissions by purchasing carbon credits. To ‘balance out’ our emissions, we use our carbon credits to support projects throughout the world. We are currently supporting the Carbon Neutral Britain Climate Fund™”.

The South London based business was one of the first in the cleaning industry to gain certification to BS EN ISO 14001 and has won numerous awards for its ‘green’ initiatives including a coveted ‘Green Apple’ award. Its continued commitment to sustainability, confirms it as a pioneering and ground-breaking business.

Award Winning and Carbon Neutral FUTURES SUPPLIES was established in 1995. The company is a family run, independent distributor of washroom, cleaning, janitorial and associated products.

Its ethos is to deliver service, quality, value, reliability, with a commitment to environmental sustainability, using the most up to date technology and innovation. Committed to integrity and transparency in the way the company operates, how the company supply goods and services and in its business partnerships, its aim is to provide an exceptional customer experience.

26 Years of Service Excellence!

As we celebrate 26 years in business, we thought it would be fun to share a few interesting facts and milestones with you.

We are a family business that was started in the original owner’s garage back in 1995! After renting premises for 10 years in 2005 we decided we were here to stay so we purchased and moved into our very own self-contained, purpose-built offices and warehouse in South London.

Members of the CHSA, the Cleaning and Hygiene Suppliers Association since 1997, Futures Supplies successfully achieved 100% compliance to the Distributor Accreditation Scheme.

To ensuring that our customers can have confidence in the quality of goods and in the provision of our services, we have been independently certified since 1997 for our Quality Management System to British Standard ISO 9001

The company’s Manging Director, Marc started working in the business in 1998. Working through all aspects of the business, and following 20 years’ experience at the sharp end, he became the natural successor to drive the company forward and lead the young dynamic team when in 2018 his Mum retired.

After surviving the dreaded Millennium Bug our premises survived a substantial fire in 2000 which started at a neighbouring National Tyres site. Continuing to trade without any break in service, we went on to achieve our first £1million in annual sales.

In 2004 the company ethos, to effectively tackle and improve its environmental, social and economic impact on the community, saw it provide its first work experience placements to disadvantaged young care leavers.

We won our first business award in 2005 for ‘Best Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility’ and have gone on to be recognised with over 30 accolades including numerous sustainability awards as well as Best SME!

Pioneering the use of Eco-Friendly products and sustainable business practices we became CarbonNeutral certified in 2006. Delivering carbon neutral supplies to our customers we are proud to say the net greenhouse gas emissions associated with our business are ZERO.

Since 2007 we have successfully achieved certification for our Environmental Management System to British Standard ISO 14001. This illustrates that Sustainability is at the heart of our business. We are passionate and committed to ensuring that we meet the needs of today without compromising those of future generations, through minimising negative impacts on our planet and our people. We purchased our first fully electric van in 2008!

Early adopters of social media and our first tweet went out on Twitter in 2009!

One of the few independent family business in our industry, we genuinely care about our customers. Our growth has been organic and as a result of consistently delivering high levels of Service, Quality, Value and Reliability with Environmental Consideration through Innovation and Technology.

We still supply our very first customer and have been since 1995! We believe in working in partnership with suppliers and customers, taking into account their individual needs, to deliver the best possible customer experience.

Dan, our operations Manager, and Andy our Office Manager, are brothers and have worked in the business for over 20 years. We think our team are our heroes, operating throughout the Covid Pandemic since March 2020, they are key workers supplying essential services and products to valued customers ensuring they could continue to open and run their businesses.

Happy New Year From Us All At Futures Supplies

It has been a tough year for everyone and as such, never has there been a more important time to continue to support each other.

As 2020 comes to a close, we really cannot thank all our loyal customers enough for your support throughout these turbulent times. Rest assured we will continue to go above and beyond to exceed your expectations in delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Our carefully selected suppliers will continue to receive our full support and we are grateful for your help in what has been one of our most challenging years in our 25 years of trading.

Our heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones from this awful virus. If nothing else this year has taught us all to be kind, think of others and remember business is not just about the bottom line but giving back and standing together to overcome this enormous challenge.

We hope 2021 will bring better times for us all in the meantime all the team at Futures Supplies would like to wish you and your families a very happy New Year and everything you wish for.

Marc Kemp, Managing Director.

Compostable Refuse Sacks & Liners

Futures Supplies now supply a full range of compostable refuse sacks, bin liners and waste caddy liners.

We hope this new biodegradable, compostable range will help support your sustainability aims.

Manufactured from Ecopond® biodegradable plastic, using starch and lactide-based derivatives of plant sources, these products are fully compliant with the European composting standard, which requires more than 90% of the plastic mass to convert into biomass, CO2 and water, with no harmful residue.

  • Made from fully compostable bioplastics
  • Breaks down into water, CO2, and biomass
  • EN13432 compliant

 

 

 

 

Visit Us At The We Mean Business Expo 2017

The We Mean Business Pop-Up Expo offers an exceptional business opportunity. The Expo will showcase Croydon as London’s fastest growing economy benefiting from a mammoth a £5.25bn investment programme. It will also highlight the borough’s status as London’s leading tech hotspot.

Attracting business people from all types and sizes of firms, from start-ups to SMEs and leading corporates and multi-nationals, the Expo provides unrivalled scope for visitors to network, make new connections and do business, either at one of the 50+ company exhibition stands or at the Speed Networking Sessions.

Visitors can also gain a unique insight into the borough’s many business opportunities from leading experts at the programme of We Mean Business Pop-Up Expo Seminars which will run throughout the day. There will be topical discussions on key commercial issues affecting the Croydon, UK and world markets, with speakers offering market insights which no business can afford to miss.

With street food stalls on the forecourt of The Business Xchange Hub in Lansdowne Road offering every from coffees and snacks to breakfasts and lunches, there will be plenty of opportunities for informal networking.

We hope you will come and visit us on the first floor on Tuesday 3rd October, we would love to see you.

Reserve your free place here:-

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/register?orderid=dcf1a8ae9ec611e7b91306542325c18a&client_token=e277b332c3ae4dacb11ee56e9ddf4070&eid=37604045713