From a chance meeting in the North East BIC in Sunderland, a partnership was created which led to the launch of a new type of workstation, designed and manufactured in the North East. Founders of Green White Sice Ltd, Dave Green and Michael White, explain how they’re building sustainability into their manufacturing process.

How did your chance meeting lead to the launch of a new product?

We all met at the North East BIC and formed Green White Sice Ltd back in 2018, when one of our team got talking to a small business owner at a networking event, and we spotted the opportunity to create our UNIO workstation.

This person wanted his staff to be able to work in a healthier and more collaborative way, and they’d tried to build a sit-stand workstation themselves by putting together parts of other furniture. With our backgrounds in engineering, furniture and ergonomics, we made use of the North East BIC’s Innovation Fund to create the UNIO - a smart, ergonomic, and electric adjusting desk that allows you to change position from sitting to standing at the touch of a button.

And how did you start thinking about sustainability and carbon reduction?

We started by talking with Sharon Lashley, an environmental specialist from Climate Action North. She helped us think about our carbon footprint and produced some recommendations for us to follow.

We learnt a lot and we can talk with more confidence about the sustainability of our product.

How has sustainability been built into the product? 

Working with Climate Action North, we began thinking about our suppliers, and how your supply chain impacts your product’s carbon footprint. 

It was important to us that our materials for the UNIO are all sourced from the UK. In fact, nearly 90% of our product is made from steel, and our steel supplier is just four miles from us, in Washington, and the other main parts are manufactured in Hull.

We’ll always be conscious of where our materials are coming from and who’s producing them as it helps keep our carbon footprint small and it helps with manufacturing as well - if we have a question or an issue, we only have to go a few miles up the road to get it sorted.

We’ve also designed the UNIO so that it has a life cycle way beyond what you’d expect from a standard workstation. The various panels are replaceable and can be updated and reused, creating a circular economy and reducing waste.

What’s been difficult in your carbon reduction journey? 

We need to protect our products when they’re transported and plastic bubble wrap isn’t a sustainable solution. We’ve looked into corrugated cardboard and other cardboard options but they weren’t suitable. However, it looks as though new types of paper wrapping are becoming available and we’re talking with local suppliers about trialling these.

Does sustainability have business benefits, as well as environmental benefits? 

Yes, because it’s something that appeals to the customers we’re targeting. Customers want to know the origins of what they’re buying and, if we weren’t investing in the sustainability side of the business, I think it would definitely result in lost orders in the future.

What’s your advice for other manufacturers who are starting to think about reducing their carbon emissions? 

Every business needs to think about sustainability in order to move forward. It’s such an important part of the process and, without it, you’re just not going to sell as many products.

Ready to take the next step on your net zero journey? Take a look at the resources in our Net Zero toolkit.