Managing the impact on our environment

Published - 26th Jun 2015

At Haworth Castings, we take our responsibilities towards the environment very seriously and we are committed to working in the cleanest and most sustainable way we can.

Recycling sand

One example of this is our recent investment in a state-of-the-art sand reclamation facility. As well as assuring the best quality of sand castings for our customers, this new facility offers significant environmental benefits.

Before the introduction of sand reclamation, we were purchasing and disposing of over 2,000 tonnes of sand each year, with three skips of contaminated sand being sent to landfill every week. Using our new sand reclamation facility, we recycle 100% of sand and waste is minimal.­

The sand is passed through a thermal cleaning area in which the heat removes all the residual chemicals, including the binding resin. The reclaimed sand can then be recycled back into the sand casting process.

As well as the obvious environmental benefits, this recycling also delivers significant cost savings as we are not affected by fluctuations in sand and waste disposal prices. These savings can, of course, be passed on to our customers – which helps to keep the costs down.

In addition to sand reclamation, many of our other raw materials, such as metals, are reused in the casting process and only a minimal amount is sent off for scrap.

Managing our emissions 

In addition to waste management, we also strive to manage our emissions responsibly. Our facilities are inspected every two years by independent auditors who run checks on our emission levels.

The auditors report back on their findings to our local council (Test Valley). If the council is satisfied that we are meeting legislative requirements, we are granted an ‘authorisation to operate’ licence. Representatives from the council also regularly inspect our facilities to verify that we are meeting the requirements of our licence.

Meeting the sustainability challenge

Operating in a sustainable way can be a challenge for any business that deals with potentially hazardous materials and chemicals. However, we appreciate that managing our impact on the environment delivers many environmental, quality and cost benefits. Sustainability is embedded in the way we work and we keep our work processes under constant review to deliver continuous improvement in this area.

We also work closely with the local council and community to ensure that any concerns about our activities are addressed promptly and effectively – helping to play our part as a responsible business in the local area.

Using cutting-edge technology and drawing on over 60 years of design expertise, we offer expert knowledge and skills to meet all your aluminium sand casting and gravity die casting needs. Contact us today at sales@haworthcastings.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1794 512685 to find out more about our services.