Sustainability and environmental policy

The Wilton Carpet Factory is set within a rural conservation area straddling three shallow, chalk-bedded rivers that are home to ducks, swans, salmon, trout, water voles and otters. This area has been designated a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) so represents our ethos to be safe, clean and protective of an environment which Wilton Carpets is proud to be part of.

The company’s Environmental Policy is subject to regular reviews to identify new opportunities to re-use, recycle and reduce waste and the use of chemicals. We hold the Environmental Management Strategies ISO 14001 certification.

What we do to help

• ISO14001 Certificate
• We work mostly with natural yarns such as wool and all pile yarns are 80% wool / 20% nylon or 100% wool. We use very few chemicals and, apart from water soluble, non-toxic latex, none are used in the manufacturing process.
• We ensure all our suppliers meet not just the highest quality and service standards but have environmental integrity.
• Latex effluent generation is minimal and treated prior to disposal – as regulated and monitored by the local water authority.
• All our packaging can be recycled and much is biodegradable. This includes our incoming packaging and the packaging used for delivering our carpets and rugs.
• Our waste is sorted into metal, wood and paper for recycling. Most of our waste is trimmed yarn which is recycled into products such as underfelt.
• Incoming packaging materials are sorted for recycling and biodegradable goods; or returned to the supplier for re-use.
• Where practicable, our bought-in materials are from recycled sources.
• We operate at the highest level of energy efficiency in our industry – as reported by the Carbon Trust. We continue to follow their advice as we upgrade and maintain our plant and buildings. ‘For the woven carpet industry, the guide indicates a best practice energy consumption of below 4.5m kWh per year when producing 200,000m2 of carpet per year, at 1.5m kWh per year, Wilton is way below this figure.’ The Carbon Trust.
• No hazardous waste is generated in direct manufacturing.
• We are compliant with all COSHH (Control of Substances Harmful to Health) requirements – the safety procedures and risk assessments includes environmental aspects.
• We are compliant with with all asbestos legislation and management requirements.
• We are compliant with WEEE (Waste Electronic & Electrical Equipment Directive).
• We are compliant with REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals) regulations 2007.
• We are compliant with regalatory body regulations, ie Environmental Agency and the Water Authority etc.
• All of our processes are both externally and internally audited on an annual basis.