Sustainability at CNC Creations
At CNC Creations, sustainability and reducing waste are paramount and firmly ingrained into our company ethos.
Since 2012, we have steadily invested in responsible practices to keep up with the increasing demand for our precision panel processing services.
This includes a passionate commitment to the reduction of waste going to landfill, actively reducing energy consumption, and lowering the environmental impact across every stage of production.
Cutting Waste, Not Just Panels
We’ve always been mindful of how much waste we generate and what happens to it next.
Most of our waste comes from wood and panel offcuts, sawdust, and inbound packaging, and nearly all of it is reused or recycled:
- Packaging: Wooden bearers are reused or shredded for our biomass.
- Metal banding: Stored and recycled regularly.
- Cardboard: Reused for packing customer orders.
- Usable offcuts: Digitally managed and stored for future use.
- Non-usable offcuts: Shredded and used to fuel our Biomass boiler.
- Dust and woodchips: Extracted and used to fuel our Biomass boiler.
- Sorting: Colour-coded bins separate recyclables from non-recyclables.
Whilst waste to landfill is unavoidable we are wholly committed to keeping it to an absolute minimum.
Reducing Electricity Consumption
Our commitment to greater sustainability extends to reducing our electricity consumption. So far, this has included the installation of an Ecogate extraction management system and intelligent lighting upgrades.
The Ecogate extraction system has converted our extraction from “always on” to “on-demand”. This ensures more efficient use of electricity along with cleaner air in the workshop.
Our intelligent LED lighting is programmed to provide maximum lighting in work areas with a lower setting in lesser-used, non critical, areas such as storage spaces.
Both systems detect activity and regulate accordingly. Automated gates close extraction on machines when not in use and motion detectors switch lights off in unused areas.
Reducing Natural Gas Consumption
In 2015, we invested in a state-of-the-art biomass and dust extraction system that fuels 100% of the heating requirements for our 17,250 sq/ft office and workshop spaces.
This has removed the environmental impact of heavy commercial vehicles removing waste wood and timber from site and significantly reduced our dependency on gas from heating to just hot water for hand washing.
The system works by extracting the sawdust and wood chips from our various timber panel and wood processing machines and delivering them to a storage bunker.
Instead of gas, the bunker automatically feeds the wood waste into the biomass boiler, burns it, heats an enclosed water system which then passes through wall-mounted, fan-assisted dissipators to heat the workshop and radiators to heat the offices.
CNC CREATIONS BIOMASS & DUST EXTRACTION INFOGRAPHIC
Edge Bander
CNC Machine
Table Saw
Biomass
Wall saw
work bench
Design Office
Hopper
Goods Out
Chipper
Responsibly Sourced Certified Materials
We don’t just cut panels; we cut waste too. If we had to name our compulsive obsessions, customer service and minimising waste to landfill would, in that order, top the list.
From re-using inbound packaging and a focussed waste recycling regime to using wood waste to heat our building to intelligent extraction and energy-efficient lighting, every step of our operation ensures a reduction in waste and energy use.
To further minimise waste and reduce our costs, we operate an efficient off-cut management system. This maximises board yield, reduces panel consumption, and helps to keep the price you pay much lower.
If you would like to learn more about our commitment to environmental issues, please visit our sustainability page.
PEFC and FSC® Certified
CNC Creations are proud to be PEFC and FSC® certified. This ensures that the products we supply come from responsibly managed forests or manufacturers and allows us to deliver a full chain of custody certificate for any project, large or small, upon request.
Many companies offer PEFC or FSC panel products; however, without being fully registered, they cannot provide full certification for your project.
In short, if you are looking for an FSC Certified panel processing company with a full range of services, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service, you’re in the right place.
It’s not just about labels; it’s about trust in the materials we use and the systems we use to deliver them.
Our Ongoing Commitment
We are always exploring and investing in new ways to reduce energy usage and improve sustainability.
Our longer-term plans include solar panels and automated, off-peak forklift charging, ideally a combination of the two.
In short, we’re continuously improving waste management, smarter energy use, and responsible, sustainable sourcing. Our goal is to ensure every project we deliver has less impact on the environment and contributes towards a greener future.
Whether you’re ordering a single custom-cut panel or a full production run, you’re working with a company that considers sustainability and the environment as seriously as it does customer service and precision.