Sustainability
WINNERS at the
2008 and 2009 Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Network Awards
"Sustainable Design and Innovation" 2009
On Thursday 10th September 2009 the annual Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Awards were held in Tauranga. Devan won the Sustainable Design and Innovation Award - which now takes pride of place next to last years Emerging Small and Medium Sized Business Award.
This award recognises an organisation whose sustainable design and/or innovation has a proven economic, environmental, and/or social benefit(s) and that the design and/or innovation is contributing to sustainable development in New Zealand.
Our newly upgraded design on our Wastewater Treatment System was what put us in the running, and ultimately won us the 2009 award. For more information on our new design, please click here.
"Emerging Small and Medium Business" 2008
On Thursday the 4th September 2008 the annual Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Awards were held in Rotorua. Devan won the title of Emerging Small and Medium Sized business award. There were some high calibre companies competing for this award but our sustainable initiatives including our comprehensive recycling programme in the factory and offices and also changing to fully recyclable resin bags were factors in winnnig this award. More recently, Devan developed what we understand to be the first for our industry in Australasia, a Product Stewardship Programme called the Tank Take Away Programme. Devan is also developing social sustainability initiatives and last month we launched a wellness policy that was developed by staff for staff to enhance health and wellbeing of all employees.
During the last quarter of 2005 Devan Group teamed up with Tauranga City Council Zero Waste Management Team to implement waste reduction initiatives.
The following waste reduction iniatiatives have been implemented:
- Changing from a non-recyclable resin bag to a fully recyclable plastic bag.
- A recycling scheme for office paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans and glass.
- Toner cartridges sorted for recycling.
- Copper wire is sorted for recycling.
- Obsolete computers collected for recycling.
- All shrink wrap is recycled.
- All polyethylene offcuts are recycled.
These initiatives have saved the company over $8000 a year in land fill charges and has resulted in a 465% increase in recycling tonnage. Devan Group's aim over the next year is to further reduce waste to landfill with the ultimate aim of zero waste to landfill.
The Tank Take Away Programme
The latest in sustainable business practice from Devan is the Tank Take Away Programme. The new initiative is based on a Product Stewardship model, where the company has decided to become more responsible in the manufacturing of plastic products. Product Stewardship initiatives are where companies take care for their products through their lifecycle, from the point in manufacturing to the time they are disposed of. Devan has extended this idea one step further, where we are taking responsibility not only for our own plastic products, but also those of others in our industry. The programmes main goals are to help customers dispose of old redundant water tanks with limited hassel and in a responsible manner. The tanks will then be broken down and recycled by Replas Limited where the re-ground powder will be distributed to other companies to be manufactured into other products such as fish bins, bin liners etc.
Visit the Tank Take Away Programme page or call anyone of our specialist sales team to discuss further.
Devan Plastics' Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy
Our core business is the manufacturing of water tanks, wastewater treatment systems, septic tanks and other plastic products by rotational moulding. Devan Group recognises the importance of the environment and sustainability, and is committed to ensuring our business and our employees undertake responsible environmental and sustainable practices. One of our core values is sustainability.
Devan Group is committed to environmental and sustainable business practices in the following ways:
Customers are the cornerstone to our organisation and we will treat every customer with respect and courtesy coupled with a positive and friendly attitude.
Reduce, reuse and recycle cardboard, paper, plastics, aluminium cans, glass bottles, toner and ink cartridges and copper wire.
Where possible, purchase environmentally friendly products from companies with strong environmental and sustainable ethics.
We will educate and train our staff on Devan’s environmental and sustainable policies and practices and require all Devan employees to act in an environmentally responsible manner.
Ensure our environmental and sustainability polices are communicated to key stakeholders i.e. staff, owners, customers, suppliers and the public.
We value and respect our staff and encourage their input and ideas. We provide staff with a safe working environment with robust health and safety policies. Devan’s Wellness Policy enables our staff to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle.
We will strive to continuously improve our environmental performance and practices throughout the company with regular reviews of the company activities and procedures.
Creating products that can be recycled. Devan’s Product Stewardship Tank Take Away programme is an example of caring for the environment.
Complying with all environmental legislation and regulatory requirements.