Green Building Store’s Ecoplus System window and door range* has been awarded a ‘Major Commendation Award’ in the BCE Environmental Leadership Awards at a ceremony presented by Pat McFadden, Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, yesterday in London. The BCE Environmental Leadership Awards are the easiest to enter and the hardest to win. Winners had to overcome a record number of entrants to this year’s awards and meet the approval of the BCE technical panel – made up of distinguished representatives of UK commerce.
Green Building Store’s Ecoplus System has been developed to systematically address issues of environmental impact in window manufacture, including CO2 emissions, resource use (sustainable timber) and health. It has been at the cutting edge of sustainable window design since its launch in 1995. Firstly, it pioneered the use of safer, boron-based timber preservatives in window manufacture in the UK. In 1995, Ecoplus was also at the forefront of the use of low-emissivity double or triple glazing – far in excess of the requirements of Building Regulations. In 2005, Ecoplus was the first range of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 100% certified timber windows and glazed doors to be manufactured in the UK.
Green Building Store, and its sister company Green Building Company, have a combined workforce of 30+ employees. It supplies sustainable building products throughout the UK, specialising in sustainable windows and doors and water-saving sanitaryware. As well as private residential customers, Green Building Store’s clients have included: National Trust, Forestry Commission, Scottish Seabird Centre, Slough Ice Arena, Magdalene College Cambridge and Dewsbury Bus Station. The company is also now becoming a specialist supplier of Passivhaus products, designed for ‘low carbon homes’ requiring minimal or no heating, and Green Building Company is about to embark on building work for a Passivhaus home in West Yorkshire.
The Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards aim to represent all that is innovative and cutting edge environmental sustainability in the context of modern business practices. They are awarded only to those businesses that can actually demonstrate that they are making a real difference to their impact on the environment without affecting their ability to make a profit and develop the business for the future. Green Building Store’s Director Chris Herring said: “Green Building Store is committed to doing everything we can as a company to help tackle climate change. Buildings contribute to 40% of the UK’s CO2 emissions. Our BCE Environmental Leadership Award recognises the efforts we have put into improving the environmental performance of windows and doors and will help us renew our efforts to improve buildings’ carbon footprint.”
* NB The Ecoplus range has now been superceded by the PERFORMANCE range of timber windows and doors
