‘Seeing Green since 2020’ with carbon neutral manufacturer Rotpunkt

Rotpunkt, award winning designer and manufacturer of carbon neutral German Kitchen furniture leads the way ineco-luxe interior design on account of its market-leading furniture solution BioBoard Gen2, which has been in production for nearly two years and is available to UK customers.

Made from up to 90% recycled wood, this versatile material is one of the most environmentally-friendly chipboards ever used in the global kitchen industry, becoming a key pillar of the company’s integrated social-environmental policy up to 2030. Not only does BioBoard Gen2 reduce the use of virgin wood in the supply chain, but it also benefits indoor climates by ensuring the amount of formaldehyde released is half that of new chipboard. In fact, all Rotpunkt products are certified to JIS F**** (F4Star) reaching the lowest possible level for formaldehyde emissions possible.

Head of UK Operations at Rotpunkt, Matt Phillips explains, “As sustainability meets luxury design in the 2022 kitchen, we are proud to lead the way with an eco-friendly alternative that does not compromise on quality or design. All KBB professionals know that ‘change is an inside job’ and developing a brand is ever-evolving, which is why we are excited to report huge retail uptake and market support in our mission to become sustainable in every aspect of our business. To paraphrase Henry Ford, ‘Any customer can have any kitchen in any colour, as long as it’s green!’ As a German manufacturer, we have long been aware of the importance of recycling and protecting the environment and in 2017 our founders decided to take action in line with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals – known as the Agenda 2030 – and so this has always been a fundamental part of our corporate responsibility.”

Rotpunkt is laser-focussed on seeing green solutions throughout its supply chain from the factory floor to the end users’ experience in the showroom. The company’s senior management team is continuously working on rethinking processes and questioning consumer habits – to pursue its zero carbon target by using an "avoid-reduce-compensate" approach. Emissions that cannot be avoided or reduced have been off set through sustainability projects since 2019 in partnership with myclimate.

For example, through a joint carbon offset project, myclimate and Rotpunkt are supporting hundreds of families in Kenya with efficient cookers. Currently, 849 Kenyans are already benefiting from a better indoor air climate and more leisure time thanks to less time spent collecting firewood. In addition, the activities have preserved a forest area of 5.25 ha (equivalent to the size of 7 football fields) as a natural CO2 reservoir.

“It is a credit to the imagination and commitment of our global Rotpunkt family that our vision is on track despite challenges in the wake of the pandemic. In 2020, we ensured that all our materials for kitchen production were fully FSC-certified and this year we converted our heating system so that it uses wood waste, having made a complete switch to green energy to promote climate-friendly production across our Bünde and Getmold sites.Our next goals are to ensure that not only are our kitchens manufactured in a carbon-neutral way, but that all our raw materials are zero carbon too. We are investing in our production facility at our Bünde site with state-of-the-art robotics and a photovoltaic system to harness solar power as well as installing of charging stations for electric vehicles,” says Matt.

As the journey to zero carbon emissions gathers pace, so do technical innovations at Rotpunkt. For instance, a new batch production process size at the Getmold site is significantly reducing wastage and the order-shipping team now have the option of using a passive robotic exoskeleton that reduces the physical strain of performing heavy repetitive or overhead tasks. All staff can explore extensive wellness options as part of the company’s employee benefits package –proof that sustainability starts from within.