Dolphin Sustainability

SU STA I N A B I L I T Y COMMITMENT

MOVING TOWARDS A CYCLIC CRADL E T O CRADL E ECONOMY

A: WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY - THE CRADLE-TO-GRAVE ECONOMY

Currently almost all industrial production is conducted on a ‘cradle-to-grave’ basis.

This follows a linear path incorporating the removal of resources from the ground, converting them into products, and then expecting that at the end of their useful life, these products will be entirely discarded – ending up in landfill, recycled or incinerated.

Regulations about recycling are leading to some improvement in the way waste is managed, but products are still generally designed for their useful lifetime, not for their ability to biodegrade or to be reformed into new products.

Dolphin Solutions Ltd. prides itself on the sustainability processes already put in place to support environmental management within the linear cradle to grave system.

These include the following:

Integrated management system accreditations

1. ISO 9001: A globally recognised accreditation which specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization:

a) Needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

b) Aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to the customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

The system is audited annually to ensure that standards are maintained.

2. ISO 14001: A globally recognised endorsement which sets out the criteria for effective environmental management. The system is audited annually to ensure that standards are maintained.

a) It maps out a framework that a company or organization can follow to set up an effective environmental management system.

b) It provides assurance to company management and employees as well as clients and other stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

Sustainability systems

We are committed to our products having minimum impact upon the global environment and considering the end users’ wellbeing. To that end, we fully support clients and projects which look to achieve sustainable building standards including BREEAM, WELL, SKA, LEED and most recently NABERS.

Dolphin products can contribute to water and energy efficiency, noise reduction, sanitation and hygiene credits across the applicable sustainability certifications.

Our team of washroom experts are able to advise on the key credits/areas that can count towards certification by specifying the right washroom products for installation. We are always happy to discuss any unique project sustainability and building performance consider-

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)

Dolphin Solutions’ products support efficient water consumption and therefore the potential water savings by meeting the defined flow rates of BREEAM which reflect the highest performance levels set out in the standard.

WELL (Promoting wellness in a building environment)

Washrooms are featured in a number of the WELL concepts including Air, Water, Nourishment and Community. Dolphin Solutions’ products contribute to WELL’s scoring with hygiene being a focus for almost all of our products and our expertise in accessibility allowing for inclusive and compliant design.

SKA (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) environmental assessment method)

Dolphin Solutions manufacture and supply a wide range of low flow and shut off taps which meet the criteria for Ska rating. Our water management software, the Dolphin Inform App provides additional points for this rating by analysing, reporting and communicating meaningful water management information to achieve water use savings. Dolphin hand dryers meet all the Ska rating criteria for energy consumption, nominal power output, drying time, motor speed and standby power level.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

LEED’s ‘efficiency first’ approach to water and energy consumption defines performance criteria within buildings which Dolphin’s products conform to as standard. Our products contribute to points across the categories for Water Efficiency and Energy and Atmosphere. Water – Provides hydration and sanitation, ensuring control of drinking water, as well as supplying soap dispensers and high-quality water to prevent the spread of bacteria during hand washing.

NABERS (National Australian Built Environmental Rating System)

NABERS focuses solely on energy performance and although it complements BREEAM, it’s a simpler and more relevant standard to work towards if your focus is on operational energy and the resulting carbon emissions. NABERS measures and rates the actual energy use of the workplace, rather than the design performance which only suggests what optimal performance could look like. NABERS is being introduced in the UK to close the ‘performance gap’ between how much energy a building is designed to consume and how much it actually consumes.

In Support of Sustainability

1. Dolphin Solutions Ltd Products (Steel)

All our steel products contain a minimum of 60% recycled material and are 90% recyclable. (Hot air dryers and sensor taps require disposal complying with WEEE regulations).

2. Used Cardboard and plastic packaging: 100% re-used in despatch process or baled and recycled using waste transfer professionals.

3. LCAs

Life cycle analysis methods have been developed in order to help reduce the carbon footprint generated primarily by the procurement process.

4. Energy usage

This is monitored and analysed on a monthly basis against output/consumption targets. Energy Consumption is measured through the calculation of a figure representing GP generated by £1 cost of electricity.

Recent improvements have included the installation of low consumption LED lighting and the use of multi cavity tooling to reduce the number of machine cycles required per production run.

5. Energy Usage – Current development

We have recently finished installing a solar energy farm on our factory/warehouse roof to contribute to our energy requirements. Once this has been fully commissioned, we can start analysing the reduction in fossil generated energy and the effect on our GP/Energy cost equation.

6. Supplier Code of Conduct

We ensure that potential suppliers can demonstrate support for sustainable development, long term economic planning, environmental protection, ethics, human rights and labour rights.

7. FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)

This Chain of Custody Certification[)assures our customers that the timber (MDF) cabinets in our fitted behind mirror Alavo and Superloo systems originate from forestry managed in a responsible and sustainable way. All MDF panels are 100% recyclable..

8. Carbon offset against shipping emissions

This shipping broker initiative enables us to compensate for the carbon emissions produced by the global transportation of our goods with pro-rata financial contributions towards selected ecological projects such as re-forestation and wind farm development.

9. “OneClick” EPD generation software

Environmental Product Declarations, or EPD’s are documents which transparently communicate the environmental performance or impact of any product or material over its lifetime. It is therefore unsurprising that they have rapidly become the “go to” requirement for many project development specifiers, civil engineers and architects. They also earn credits towards the achievement of LEED, BREEAM & NABERS certification.

Dolphin Solutions Ltd have recently purchased a user licence for the highly respected “OneClick” software based EPD generation system which, after a period of consultancy and instruction will allow Dolphin Solutions Ltd to research and compile Environmental Product Declarations in preparation for third party verification and publication, further enhancing the sustainability credentials of Dolphin products.

B: WHERE WE NEED TO BE –THE CRADLE-TO-CRADLE ECONOMY

Consumers and the environment are now demanding a better alternative to the linear take-make-use-dispose economy, and the only valid response is for companies to seriously begin considering what happens to their products after they are used.

Ideally, once a product is discarded, all of its component materials should biodegrade or be reused to create new products.

This is the cradle-to-cradle approach. A properly functioning cradle-to-cradle design process eliminates waste by creating products with materials that are safe and can be used again in new products.

Converting from cradle-to-grave to cradle-to-cradle is a difficult but necessary paradigm shift to reach a more circular economy, requiring manufacturers to think in cycles rather than in a linear way.

C: FIRST STEPS

As a first stage we can consider providing an end-of-life product collection service.

This would entail Dolphin Solutions arranging the collection of our no longer required items and arranging the refurbishment and re-sale or the recycling of said items.

We would initially consider this on a negotiated contract by contract basis.

CHRIS BROOKS

Compliance Manager

Dolphin Solutions Ltd

Reviewed 16/11/2021