Handicare reduces its environmental impact while helping a charity to make a difference
Independent living aids manufacturer, Handicare Accessibility, has enabled a Birmingham-based charity to deliver craft resources to local families as part of its sustainability programme to reduce environmental impact.
Handicare provides charity Birmingham Scrapstore with its clean orange and blue foam to recycle, which has been used for a variety of craft projects by schools including den building, model and print making.
As a result of the pandemic, Birmingham Scrapstore secured funding to support more than 1,800 families across Birmingham by providing crafting resources for them to make, and the Handicare foam has formed a key part of these craft packs.
Recycling waste forms a fundamental element of Handicare’s sustainability programme to ensure zero waste goes to landfill. The work with Birmingham Scrapstore is just one of many initiatives to help meet the manufacturer’s objective of using 80 per cent sustainable materials in its products and 80 per cent of materials will be recyclable by 2030.
Richard Whitehouse, Handicare UK Director of Operations, said: “As a UK manufacturer and part of a global group operating throughout Europe and beyond, our sustainability challenges are many and varied, but we’re focused on our goal to reduce the impact of our activities, including production operations and service journeys.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been working closely with our customers, partners, suppliers and employees to identify the sustainability topics that matter most to them.
“We’ve already achieved significant improvements to efficiency at our Kingswinford production site where the focus is on reduced emissions, energy use and waste handling.
“And with production and purchase of our products also impacting the environment, two of our sustainability topics for the coming decade focus on reuse, recycling and sustainable material.
“It has been fantastic to work with Birmingham Scrapstore and know that not only are we reducing our environmental impact, but we are also helping a charity to make a difference.”
Phillipa England, Scrapstore Project Worker, said: “As a charity that is passionate about play, providing high-quality play opportunities for children and young people across the city, we have loved thinking of different ways to use Handicare’s clean scrap.
“We have been recycling Handicare’s clean orange and blue foam in the Scrapstore for the last two years and the schools love using it for a variety of projects.”
