Our Approach

As a sustainable company, we are constantly working to find better and better ways to protect resources and the environment. At Robert Kime our approach to sustainability focuses on:

• Ensuring a more efficient use of natural resources in our operations
• Reducing negative impacts on the natural resources we use to make our products

At Robert Kime, we have increased the use of recycled and recyclable office consumables and have open talks with our suppliers regarding their work, sustainability practices and delivery options using recycled and recyclable products as well as natural and sustainable materials.

The long-lasting impact

A core value at Robert Kime is to make high-quality products with a long-life span. We will endeavour to restore items, rather than replacing and disposing of older items. Repair services for many of our products are provided and encouraged, including antiques and reproduction furniture. Our new products are intentionally designed and made to last in order to be passed on to the next generation.

We are committed to sourcing and making our products responsibly and we work closely with our suppliers to make sure they respect human rights, engage in reputable working conditions and work with us to improve sustainability across our supply base.

Our aim is to work within a sustainable production and consumption model, offering our customers the products and services that they have come to expect, while respecting natural resources and the need to protect and sustain them. We are committed to improving our understanding of the direct and indirect impacts our work has on natural resources, as well as our dependence on them.

In summary, we are committed to promoting a more environmentally conscious sustainable production model.

How we make our products

Purposefully, we do not have a large carbon footprint at Robert Kime. Many of our products are made locally or within the UK.

We source materials from suppliers where environmental standards are well controlled and certified and we work with all of our production partners to minimise the waste that is sent to landfill and to minimise the usage of electricity and other fuels within the production process.

Whether restoring or producing products we use traditional techniques, making use of natural materials. For instance, our craftsmen use hand tools to build up each layer of our upholstered pieces, using horsehair, jute and sisal instead of environmentally damaging polyurethane foam.

At every level of our operations, we look to minimise waste. Fabric and wallpaper excess is not thrown away but is used either in the sampling department or for in- house packaging.

Packaging - How we package our products

We use packaging to protect our products through their journey to the end client.

Choosing the right materials is crucial so that products are not damaged and will arrive safely at their destination in perfect condition.

Our aim is to choose the most sustainable packaging solutions for our products. This is a challenging task and truthfully, commercially available materials are lagging behind our desire for an almost 100% recyclable packaging.

We use eco-friendly loose fill chips for packaging. They are 100% biodegradable and made from GM-free starch. The chips are also suitable for both domestic and municipal composting.

To minimize plastic use, when transporting our furniture in the UK we use our own 100% cotton, reusable protection furniture covers.

We will always try to recycle boxes where possible on incoming and outgoing goods, and we recycle incoming packaging where it cannot be used again. We shred paper to be used for packaging wherever suitable.

We welcome input from packaging companies and industry experts who can help us to understand best practices on sustainability as we seek to continue to lower our carbon footprint by investing in greener materials and processes.