Fortress, a safety solutions business based in Wolverhampton, UK, is focused on becoming a leader in sustainability in its industry.
The company has been looking at ways to reduce its carbon footprint to become a more sustainable business and to help its customers reduce emissions in their supply chains (sometimes referred to as Scope 3).
The team realised that a big part of its environmental impact comes from the manufacturing and shipping of its products to customers globally.
Fortress prides itself on the robustness of its products, as customers need them to work in rugged industrial environments which are subject to lots of wear and tear. Many of its products are made from an alloy of zinc, which is extremely heavy and difficult to recycle. The team set about finding a more sustainable solution that would reduce the company’s carbon impact and pass on carbon savings to its customers too.
Fortress knew that changing the material to a more sustainable metal could have a huge impact. Moving to a recycled material that was also lighter to ship would deliver a significant carbon saving both to its own operations, and to its customers.
The team began designing a new casing for their flagship Amgard product range using recycled aluminium. It is a lighter metal that, crucially, is 100% recyclable forever. After rigorous testing to ensure it met Fortress’s high safety standards, they have designed a new aluminium casing that is 90% lighter than the original and just as durable.
Fortress predicts that the new aluminium products will save over 360,000kg of CO2 every year, helping to reduce supply chain emissions for other companies.
Fortress Managing Director, Jo Smith, says:
“Using recycled aluminium is far better for the environment, and it also makes our products significantly lighter. That’s good news for our customers and good news for the environment.”
Fortress will now manufacture a far more sustainable product, reducing the environmental impact of its product and its shipping, and passing on carbon savings to its customers.
Find out more about Halma’s approach to sustainability.
