Small changes do really matter when it comes to achieving Net Zero targets – Sally Smith talks to David Tutton, MD of Triton Showers, to find out how the company is going about reaching theirs.
Shower manufacturer Triton Showers has an impressive record when it comes to consistently hitting its Net Zero targets year on year, whilst also seeing its market share increase.
"We are market leaders, and with that comes a certain degree of responsibility," Tutton explains. "We have tried to do the right thing in terms of sustainability for many years. It’s been a key business strategy for us as an organisation to achieve carbon Net Zero."
The initial changes Tutton instigated in the business may seem small – for example using paper cups in the restaurant instead of plastic and changing to low-voltage, energy-efficient lighting throughout head office – but as David says: "Little steps are absolutely the right thing to do as the business progresses, and I believe will definitely lead to bigger changes. We’ve always had a very good programme of recycling as we repair a high proportion of our products by stripping down and either scrapping or regrounding, if it’s plastic or metal, into various components translating into Net Zero to landfill."
The company is also in the process of moving to all electric company cars and vans. "It won’t happen overnight. We have to do it in a progressive way, bringing the carbon footprint down over time," Tutton explains.
"However, although we were making positive changes to the business we needed to set a meaningful benchmark in order to progress more rapidly to our Net Zero target in 2035. We needed to quantify how much carbon we are putting into the environment and to measure how much carbon is involved in all our processes in every aspect of the business."
Triton has engaged 3 external environmental agencies to help them on their Net Zero mission: The Carbon Trust; Planet Mark; and ClimatePartner.
"I would urge any business to engage third party support to formulate a meaningful Net Zero strategy and set achievable targets as well as keeping up to date with any new legislation, packaging changes or renewable energy upgrades that are coming down the track."
These agencies worked with Triton to assess its manufacturing processes to work out how to reduce its carbon emissions over time and set meaningful Carbon Net Zero targets against achievable timelines that are in line with the ‘Science Based Targets initiative’. The SBTi defines and promotes best practices in emissions reductions and Net Zero targets in line with climate science to help the private sector achieve sustainable goals.
Triton Showers first achieved business Carbon Neutral accreditation for the 2021 calendar year, and again for the 2022/23 financial year. The company has received recognition for its commitment to sustainability by winning the Carbon Reduction Award at the BMA Sustainability Awards 2023, and was particularly commended for its targets, quantitative reporting and incentivisation for consumers to change behaviours regarding water use and carbon emissions.
Tutton says he has always had a clear strategy that is well communicated both to employees and their customers.
"We started a campaign ‘Every Drop Makes a Difference’ in 2022 to encourage consumers to reduce their water and energy usage when they are showering. This has proved successful and is still a relevant and pertinent message that we will continue to use in all our marketing tools."
Looking to the future, he has created the ‘Sustainability Six’ – a series of working groups that involve people across the business on a variety of key projects. "We’ve been running them for a year now and this initiative is definitely helping to bring our carbon footprint down. Over the next 2 or 3 years we are working on enhancements to our products and we’ll keep challenging ourselves to do better."
Tutton concludes with a clear message to the bathroom sector: "Businesses won’t survive unless they adapt to this changing world; you can’t just pay lip service to reducing carbon emissions. Just a few years ago we moved to a renewable electricity provider, which seemed a small change at the time but was a meaningful step in our Net Zero journey."
