the environment

As a paper based products company, for over 100 years, Benders has always appreciated the natural cycle of sustainability and selected suppliers on this basis long before environmental concerns came to the forefront of businesses and the public's attention.

Our main suppliers for years have practiced sustainability as they recognised the need to provide for future generations. One of our principle regions for board supply (Scandinavian countries) now has over 50% more trees that they did 50 years ago. Certificated sustainable raw material supplies are only used in our cup products.

Benders also innovated in the use of water based inks in paper cup printing, over fifteen years ago and remain one of the few suppliers that can boast this benefit for customers.

We recognise the need to recycle as much as we practically can and have for over 5 years enjoyed a recycling rate of factory waste over 95%.

However we believe we can do more. We have agreed with the board of Directors and Investors to establish the best Environmental credentials available over the coming 3 year period, building on the good work already achieved, we will add the following credentials;

1)      PEFC/FSC Chain of Custody Accreditation by Q3 2010

2)      Clear Carbon Footprint data for all products by Q4 2010

3)      Increase our proportion of energy purchased to Green sources to 50% by Q1 2012

4)      Carbon Neutrality by Q4 2011

In addition we will consider Environmental conditions when making all future business decisions with the aim of reducing the energy content of our products on an ongoing basis and increasing the source % of energy via sustainable means significantly. Initially we are looking to reduce the energy content by 10% by Q4 2012, measured on a per 1000 cup basis.

We want to provide customers with 100% sustainable options for all of our products wherever this is practicable.  However, as these options are often more expensive, we will continue to provide value for money alternatives until cost and performance parity can be reached. Providing customer choice has always been a cornerstone of our business.

As a key member of an industry wide group promoting paper cup post use recycling we will continue to explore all options on the sustainability/recycling spectrum and provide clear guidance on the pro's and con's of each option. In this way we believe our customers can further rely on Benders as a "voice of reason" within what is an important but still developing area of business.