tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,2010:5e81f94412857f2685c54f0fcdf01a60 ScriptSite 2010-03-18T11:05:06Z Remarkable Eco Solutions http://www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T11:05:06Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

An iceberg the size of Luxembourg has broken off from the Antarctic continent, and is steadily drifting north, said The Guardian. The vast block of ice, which is estimated to contain enough fresh water to sustain a third of the world's population for a year, became detached after being slammed into by another, even bigger iceberg. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:20:02Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  At the start of a new year and indeed a new decade it is crucial that we look at what has been achieved in the past ten years with regards to halting Global Warming and Climate Change.   Sadly, if like me you read the newspapers and watched the television news reels relating to the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit, there is no doubt that you will be aware of the chaos and disarray that emerged from the summit.    Analysing what was agreed at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, it was concluded that to avoid a climate change of catastrophic proportions the global temperature must not rise above 2C which will require a cut of 50 per cent of greenhouse gasses by 2050. China however, was not happy with this so, an alternative agreement was issued stating that ‘deep cuts’ would be made in accordance with science.     Also removed in favour of a more lenient approach was a legally binding target on greenhouse gas emissions which applied to rich nations, these will now set their own targets, which must be submitted by February 2010, developing countries have also been asked to reduce emissions for the first time.   To finance the whole operation it was agreed that an initial £6 billion would be made available by the richer countries to assist the poorer countries to protect themselves against drought and floods over the next three years and Britain has promised to be a major contributor towards this. It is planned that by 2020 the world will allocate up to $100 billion a year through a ‘Copenhagen Green Climate Fund’ which will also assist the developing world to halt deforestation and introduce greener technology. So, how committed are we to all this and is the Copenhagen Accord legally binding? The answer is no it simply is a political agreement but it does appear that there is a hard core groundswell of good intent by a number of countries in the West and we have to hope that they will not be deflected from their good intentions by other financial and political influences. Not only do Governments have a part to play but citizens and businesses need to do all that they can to ensure that future generations will be encouraged by the actions being taken now.  Have the last ten years made a difference, I do believe they have we are now all more aware of the damages which have been caused by careless waste disposal and greenhouse gas emissions, and if we continue to do our best to recycle our waste and to reduce our emissions, the final result  could indeed be massive. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:20:38Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  The Remarkable recycled pencil is still our best selling product. Buyers like this product because of its design and quality and its environmental pedigree as it is manufactured in the UK from UK waste. Thus the carbon foot print is negligible when compared to similar imported products.   In 2010 we will be adding a number of new products to our existing portfolio and once again we will be manufacturing these products in the UK from UK waste.   We will continue to do our utmost to encourage other UK companies to investigate what opportunities exist to recycle their waste into sustainable products. We cannot stress enough how environmentally and economically healthy it is to convert more UK waste streams into UK manufactured products. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:21:17Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Remarkable (Pencils) Ltd is introducing three new products to the market place   The Eco Baron Pen This is a click action pen manufactured from UK recycled packaging; the Eco Baron is available in white plastic containing black ink as standard and can be printed in up to 4 spot colours.   The Eco Ciak Pen This is a lidded ball point pen manufactured from UK recycled packaging; the Eco Ciak is available in white plastic containing black ink as standard and can also be printed in up to 4 spot colours   The Biodegradable Drinks Bottle A 500ml sports drink bottle manufactured in the UK from biodegradable plastic it is available in a clear or matt finish with a choice of lid colours. These bottles may also be printed in up to 4 spot colours. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:22:03Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Summer is over and we are now looking forward to Christmas and hopefully the continuation of an economic recovery in 2010. There is a significant percentage of the population of the West which has seen a significant downturn in its standards of living but life continues and generally speaking for most of us it is still a fairly good life.   To some extent, the economic crisis has occurred at a time when we were becoming more and more conscious of the risks that exist to the planet and the damage that has been done to the natural world especially during the twentieth century.   The phrase ‘charity begins at home’ is often used and could be dangerously prophetic if we are not very careful. Whilst our standards of living may seem to be falling and cost of living rising, it could be very tempting to forget that in the ‘developed world’ we still enjoy luxuries that can only be dreamed of in the ‘third world’.   There is no doubt that we do rely on the labour and resources of the less wealthy parts of the world in order to assist our standards of living and economies generally. In a time of recession, it is easy to forget the situation of those living and working thousands of miles away in order to keep our imports as cheap as possible, but isn’t this just a short term placebo which will undoubtedly harm us all in the long term?   We can’t afford to ignore those principles of sustainable development and recycling if we want to ensure the future prosperity of ourselves and generations to come. I suggest our target should be to continue to act as if our resources are not unlimited, conserve what we can, recycle what we can and work to improve the conditions of those we purchase from so that when the world economy does improve, we are all able to benefit from the upturn, but continue to embrace ideals which protect us all.   ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:22:49Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Sustainability and sustainable development are often pitched as the environmental Nirvana. Has the ‘disposable culture’ morally self destructed, opening up a sustainable society that will be the environmental panacea to our next eco-generation. Will the struggle between the sustainable management of resources and the drive for economic development result in the hairiest of balancing acts.   One definition from the World Commission on Environment and Development states that it is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their own needs” and this is very telling. For years we have simply used the world’s resources as if they would never run out but everyone now knows that this is no longer the case.   We have to consider our ever growing populations and dwindling resources so that we can try to bond environmental protection with economic growth hoping that each will complement and reinforce the other in the process.   One good example of sustainable development is the Forest Stewardship Council which has introduced one of the key initiatives of the past decade promoting responsible forest management that embraces social, environmental, economic, cultural and spiritual values, which will help sustain future progress in this area.   The FSC standards have proved to work across continents and their setting process is democratic and transparent offering plenty of opportunities for all those wanting to become involved.   Consumers can participate by ensuring that they look for the FSC label in the products that they buy, but this is only possible if companies are prepared to take an interest and become FSC certified.   To achieve certification and the right to use their logo, companies are expected to adapt their management and operations to comply with FSC requirements. By applying global uniformity to their rules FSC believe that they are able to achieve a positive and long lasting impact which will benefit us all. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:23:32Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Bulletin editor Mark Whitehouse talks to Edward Douglas Miller, who heads up an award-winning company which – in just a few short years - has blazed an eco trail whilst developing a business model of which he is fiercely proud.   Edward Douglas Miller is a man on a mission. By turns passionate and engaging, he is the brains and energy behind a Worcester-based company which is – in every sense – Remarkable.   Remarkable – the company which Edward has been running for around 15 years – is housed in stunning premises near the centre of Worcester. The company has been blazing an eco trail since its inception and its home very much reflects its values. Edward and his 30-strong team have taken a former railway servicing yard and put an enormous amount of effort into cleaning the brickwork, refurbishing and developing the building so that today it houses the Remarkable factory. All ornate brickwork, sweeping archways and space a-plenty wherever you look, it suits Edward’s company down to the ground (and below ground too if you include their extensive storage area). At its simplest, Remarkable is a recycling company, using the sorts of materials millions of us discard every day and manufactures them to sell to consumer and corporate markets.   Edward will willingly and lovingly talk enthusiastically about the machines he has helped invent as he takes visitors around the hugely impressive premises. It’s difficult to pigeon-hole him – businessman, inventor, entrepreneur, scientist – but he’s in no doubt about what his company fundamentally stands for.   He started the business in the mid-1990s, operating out of a London bedsit. “Recycling was just not seen as an exciting concept back then,” he says. “We were bringing out emotively driven products as a start-up business. Our earliest products were designed to tug on the emotional heartstrings and create interest in recycling.” The first product was the Remarkable pencil, which took plastic cups and turned them into pencils. Put like that, it sounds simple, but Edward’s role was complicated and vital. He came from a scientific background, working with Sony, and understood how to re-engineer polymers through the process which converted plastic cups into the graphite core and “wood” of the pencils. He was also instrumental in developing much of the machinery which would enable Remarkable to do this. The pencil is still the company’s flagship product today – iconic in the promotional field – and its success has given Edward immense satisfaction.   “The pencil, made from a plastic cup, came out of an office environment and would go back into an office environment. But that process brought so many more messages with it; people learned to write and communicate with it, the products were being sent to Africa to teach people in schools – all with a direct link to people throwing away plastic cups in offices.”   It was the beginning of a journey which today sees Remarkable manufacture almost five million pencils each year.   The company quickly gained recognition and plaudits in the late 1990s as it picked up ground in the marketplace. A host of awards were forthcoming – Recycled Product of the Year, Environmental Product of the Year, and Inventor of the Year amongst them. In 1999 the pencil became a “Millennium product” – which meant in effect that the whole business was taken to be an exhibit in the Millennium Dome. “Tony Blair used Remarkable as an example of British industry when he opened the Dome,” says Ed. The company made 3.75 million pencils in the Dome and quickly grew from a small operation to an exhibitor with more than six million visitors. Edward sees this period as the real “launchpad” for all that Remarkable stands for. “The money we made from the Dome experience really catapulted us to expand our offering and lines, to improve manufacturing processes, the tooling, and printing kit, as well as enabling us to develop a colourful retail range. The sheer exposure of being able to talk to people about recycling was exhilarating. “It was obvious that people were concerned about the environment, and they could see us using materials again and how that lessens your impact on the environment.   “There is an accessibility to our products. We can be a vehicle of interaction for people who want to effect change – an access point for them to do that, because often people have fears and want to make a difference but don’t know what to do.”   A period at a new factory in London was followed by the move to the 35,000 sq ft Worcester premises in 2004. The company had grown and evolved, particularly in the fields of retail and office products, as well as the education market.   That expansion means the company now has a range of production lines and processes in place, enabling them to recycle a wide range of products. And none of them is anything less than innovative; for example using tyre dust to produce rubber covers for stationery products.   The move to Worcester was also a logical one, as a lot of Remarkable’s recycled materials come from Birmingham, and Edward wanted to be as close as he could to those sources.   “We have never been about buying stuff in from China and flogging it; I don’t believe in it. It is not what our core values are about – we communicate environmental issues in the best possible way and we get a lot of brand loyalty from that because people enjoy what we do.” Edward is always looking for opportunities to help other businesses tackle environmental issues.   “We can be a solution to a recycling problem. If companies have a waste stream they want to recycle we can actually turn that into a product and get them to use their own waste to promote themselves,” he says.   A classic example of that was Remarkable helping Sony recycle PlayStation 2s into pens promoting Sony.   “To continue to do such work, it’s important we have an excellent standard of people. Ultimately, I’m there to help the team progress and the business to progress, but along the way I like to encourage people to think about what they’re doing and work out how what they do affects them and those around them.”   In a world of increasing environmental concern, Remarkable is all about providing choice and sparking thought and debate. Through that approach, it challenges people to think about the world around them and how they go about their business. To do so as a successful ongoing concern and to cut across so many sectors is testimony to how far the company has come in such a short time.   Now that truly is Remarkable. ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:24:09Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  In July this year leaders of the G8 group of major industrialised countries met in l’Aquila Italy to discuss climate change as one of the many topics in their agenda. It seems fitting that they met at the scene of a devastating earthquake!   An initial proposal was put forward at the summit for an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; sadly this proposal was discarded within hours of its submission. Russia claimed that the target was impossible to meet and Canada said that the goal was “aspirational”.   The summit later agreed to aim for halving greenhouse emissions by 2050, the final resolution was however sketchy and lacking in detail.   This later figure falls well short of the target set by the European Union in March 2007, which called for a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2020.   The question of how the climate targets were to be financed was also left unanswered, decisions on this would be discussed at the G20 summit being held later this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   United Nation’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was said to have commented that a “unique opportunity” for progress had been missed by the G8 resolution on climate change.   In view of the above we must ask ourselves the question what effect is the current economical climate having on our attempts to arrive at a binding decision on the limitation of greenhouse gases. It is fair to say that the track record to date has been dismal. With the latest summit setting a new overall low in universally avoiding accountability for our performance or indeed lack of it in this area.   The only manufacturing plant in the UK of wind turbines announced in July this year that it was planning to shut down its plant as the turbine market in the UK was “not big enough”. Are all these events just coincidences or are they indications that the Eco bubble is about to burst?   Could it be that as the recession beds in, we will revert to form by following the easiest route to market, by going in search of the most cost effective products as opposed to seeking out the most ecologically friendly manufactured ones.     I hope not, companies should continue to work on putting together a genuine environmental policy at the heart of their organisations, in order to help restore a sustainable planet. To continue to maintain sustainability we need to only use those resources of nature that can be replenished naturally. It can be done and we must ensure that we do it. It is worth remembering that one ton of emissions equals one death, so, therefore, it is important that we do not give up at the first hurdle.   With ‘Remarkable’ recognised as a leading UK Eco company, I have set out to boost our existing environmental commitments with a policy to achieve iso 9001 and iso14001 and to further our sustainable ‘wind turbine’ energy supply by building a carbon neutral business. The combination of our current policy together with the nature of our business underlines our commitment as a company to aid in the maintenance and restoration of a sustainable planet! ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:24:49Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Robin Walker conservative parliamentary candidate for Worcester recently visited the Remarkable factory. He met with management and employees at their Worcester headquarters and hailed their success at turning a derelict warehouse into a thriving recycling business, by recycling every day waste into office stationery.   As Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester, Walker is keen to encourage companies local or otherwise to move in to the area to create job opportunities for local people as unemployment is currently a key problem in Worcester.   With the general election now imminent Walker is setting out to meet as many businesses as possible to hear from them what needs to be done to help the economy and support employment in the area.   He stated that “Remarkable’s move to Worcester had been a story of remarkable success. This is a business founded on the understanding that we need to reduce waste and increase recycling and it has set an example in the way that it has used the challenge of climate change to create new business opportunities. Worcester should celebrate the fact that a dynamic business of this sort has moved from London to our city and created new jobs and training opportunities right here.” Remarkable employs around thirty people in their factory.   ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:25:29Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Nowadays you can’t open a newspaper or turn on the television without people talking about climate change or the environment.  Governments have woken up to the fact that we need to protect what we have, and one of the ways in which both companies and households can do this is by looking at how we dispose of our waste.    Each year in the UK we generate about 100 millions of tonnes of waste from households, commerce and industry combined and the effect of this can be devastating!  With so much at stake companies now need to have a genuine environmental policy at the heart of their organisation.   I see myself as custodian of this concept and believe that it is also crucial to the survival and growth of the environmental products marketplace.  One small environmentally friendly idea can build a business and help restore a sustainable planet too!  At Remarkable our first product – the ‘remarkable’ pencil – started life as a plastic drinks cup.  Now we’ve diversified and create notebooks from plastic bottle packaging, a pencil case from recycled tyres and even pens made from a Sony play station.    ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T10:26:05Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

  Eco products are currently big news and the biggest catalyst for this is climate change, people are now aware and genuinely concerned via news stories and seasonal changes that the way in which we dispose of our waste is having a direct impact on our environment.  As a result of this I feel that companies need to have a genuine environmental policy at the heart of their organisations. I see myself as ‘custodian of the concept’ which is why I believe that holding the correct certification is crucial to the survival and growth of the environmental products market place. Our first product the ‘remarkable’ pencil started life as a plastic drinks cup and with the aid of some technical know-how and a little bit of magic the pencil was conceived – evolving everyday office waste into a useful office tool. We as a company are still excited and interested in genuine eco product solutions, asking how and why and keeping our minds open to new ways of waste recycling which is how we worked with Sony to come up with the concept of turning the now redundant Sony play station-2 into pens.  ]]>

Remarkable Eco Solutions Z 2010-03-18T11:09:45Z tag:www.remarkable-ecosolutions.co.uk,:

Recycling disposable products has gained popularity in recent years, fuelled by concern about the environment and climate change.   Published: 7:02PM BST 05 May 2009 ]]>