rucomfy are fully committed to being as environmentally conscious as possible and encourage green thinking amongst all our employees. As well as making small changes throughout company habits, we are also committed to reusing and reducing our on-site waste and use of plastic, sourcing all components and fabrics from UK suppliers and manufacturing all products on site.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle...
Where possible we are reusing plastic bags and cardboard boxes and once any of these materials are not needed they are recycled. We have installed a series of recycling bins across the site, ensuring that recyclable materials are disposed of correctly.
All our bagged items were sealed using plastic cable ties, we have now switched to using recycled material. Not only has this change reduced our plastic use, it has reduced our material waste. We are now placing some of our items directly into boxes, instead of bagging them first and we only singularly bagging all other items instead of double bagging them. Our stock is now stored in re-usable fabric bags...made by us!
To minimise waste, we bundle together scrap fabric bags for crafters, have created a fantastic sensory range and any of our items that can not be sold to customers at full price, due to fabric flaws are sold at a discounted price. These items are placed into our clearance as perfectly imperfect… view them HERE
Energy Saving...
From our warehouses to our office spaces we have installed LED lighting reducing our energy use by up to 80% and lowering our carbon footprint. As a company, we use rechargeable batteries for as many devices as possible. In an effort to make us a paperless company, we ensure that as many documents as possible are stored digitally, customers receive online receipts and our advertising is digital.
Supply Chain…
All materials from our fabric to our beans are sourced in the UK which not only ensures the best quality and supports other UK manufacturers it ensuring fewer transportation emissions.
Couriers…
At rucomfy we strive to work with companies that are also environmentally friendly, these include our courier DPD. They have several steps in place as a company, to be more green as a business. Some of these steps include: using alternative delivery methods and transport where possible, engineered and designed vehicles and route planning to reduce CO2 emissions and have also installed LED lighting and Solar PV where possible. Find out more HERE
Our Beans...
Here at rucomfy, one question we often receive is regarding the recyclability of bean bags. As a company who recognises the importance of being environmentally friendly, we understand the concerns of our customers. High quality bean bags, such as ours here at rucomfy, use virgin expanded polystyrene beans, which is top quality and freshly manufactured. One of the most common misconceptions surrounding bean bag furniture is that the filling used is non-recyclable. While the filling material used in our bean bag products is made from expanded polystyrene (EPS), it still can be recycled or reused in a number of ways.
How is EPS Manufactured?...
Expandable Polystyrene is heated up to 100°C and allows the raw plastic material to form into beans and retains a small pocket of air inside. The beans then go through a cooling and drying process. During this manufacturing process no solid waste is created and any leftover material is returned to the production process until all waste material has been used. For the production of EPS, the main energy source is steam produced by the burning of natural gas. The water used to generate the steam is minimal and is reused multiple times.
Recycling Bean Bag Beads...
Even though EPS is 100% recyclable, regular recycling collections within the UK is still not standard practice. Even though most local recycling centres will not accept bean bag filling beads, there are other ways that EPS can be recycled.
Use in your pot plants...
Bean Bag filler is an excellent alternative to pebbles or gravel when used as drainage to your pot plants. Simply line the base of your plant pots and then cover with soil as normal. EPS is light and airy so is ideal if you plan to move your plants regularly as it’s lighter than regular drainage material.
Craft projects...
You can reuse your old bead in your craft projects. Added to old t-shirts or football shirts with the openings sewn shut, makes for excellent cushions for children's bedrooms or even filling up old socks and decorating them can result in fun draught excluders. Another great idea is to re-use the cardboard box your bean bag came in, to build a fort for your child.
Parcel packaging...
EPS is an excellent filling for packages and parcels to prevent any damage during shipping. If you are concerned about the poly bead clinging to your item due to static, you could always fill up old carrier bags beforehand and use those.
Re-purpose into other beanbag furniture...
Over time, your bean bag can become flat and not appear to be as full as it once was and may require topping up or completely replacing the bean bag filling. After purchasing your replacement / top-up bead, you could save your old bead and reuse it in other bean bag furniture you may own. Not only is this a great money-saver but also reduces the amount of waste sent to a landfill.
Another option is to purchase a cover-only bean bag and fill it with your old EPS bead, again saving you money and reducing your environmental impact.
EPS Recycling Centres...
While many local recycling centres will not accept polystyrene products, there are a number of facilities across the UK who now do. To find a recycling centre near you, follow this link.