WALLPAPER manufacturer Graham & Brown has pledged to only use renewable energy in a bid to slash their carbon footprint.

Chief executive Andrew Graham MBE said switching their electricity to a renewable supplier by 2022 would cut the company’s carbon footprint by up to 30% inside two years.

Graham & Brown, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has reviewed its entire energy policy after Nelson-based Businesswise Solutions became their new energy broker.

Andrew said: “Even for a big manufacturer like us we were unable to truly understand our energy cost until we joined forces with Businesswise Solutions.

“When it came to buying paper, ink and machinery we were all over it but buying energy was a bit of a dark art.

“What Businesswise Solutions has done is open up the market and make it transparent and educate the customer. Everything is data-driven.

“By April 2022 all the electricity that we buy into Graham & Brown will be from a renewable source. It’s a massive win for our carbon footprint."

Mr Graham said the latest measure builds on the company’s track record of protecting the environment.

He continued: “Sustainability is very important to us. We put in a heat exchange system 20 years ago which was ground-breaking.

“We were one of the first manufacturers to go to water-based inks. We’ve been working with our paper suppliers for over 30 years. As part of managed forest scheme for every tree that is cut down for our supply chain the suppliers farmers in Germany or Finland plant three trees in its place

“All of our paper is FSC accredited. We led that environmental push and as we look forward we want to lead another step change and do even more.”

Andrew said manufacturers are traditionally high energy users and Graham & Brown was no exception, with their highest energy usage coming from the gas for the oven and electricity for some of the print station and robotics used for packaging.

Dean Cockett, co-founder and director of Businesswise Solutions, said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with Graham & Brown. We’ve put in a series of controls to simplify the way they buy and use their energy.

“Currently they purchase energy from a brown source. That could be a coal-fired power station for example. From 2022 we’re purchasing 100% renewable energy. All the electricity they use on site will be wind-powered and that will significantly reduce their carbon footprint.”