RBW runs on kaizen, a philosophy of continuous improvement. At its heart, kaizen is about eliminating waste at every level, from our energy consumption to our carbon emissions. It inspires us to seek more sustainable materials, energy-efficient technologies, and smarter production methods, so that our customers can better achieve their projects’ sustainability goals.
More efficient technology than ever before
From the beginning, we’ve embraced the efficient technology of LEDs, which consume a quarter of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs and meet both LEED and Living Building Challenge standards. Today, we’re exploring the use of advanced sensor technology that detects changes in occupancy, motion, daylight, and more, to make sure that the lights are off when not in use.
Fewer, more mindful materials
Significant improvements in our material efficiency came from simple changes in our production methods. By switching from machining to casting, for example, we reduced the volume of Monocle’s aluminum body by 69% and eliminated its material waste. Not only do we use fewer materials, but we’re also early adopters of renewable alternatives. Since 2015, rather than use harmful plastics or EPS foams, we’ve packaged our best-selling sconces in Ecovative foam, a biodegradable material grown from the root structure of mushrooms.
Sustainability starts with us
In partnership with Sustainable Business Consulting, we analyzed our operations and set a goal for ourselves: to reduce our carbon emissions by up to 9% by the end of 2022. As we transition to sourcing all of our materials within a 300-mile radius, our efforts are already underway: By cutting transit distances, we cut our fuel consumption as well.
As of 2021, all orders sent via parcel service ship carbon neutral! We know this is only the beginning and we're happy to offer this capability as we explore ways in which we can further our sustainable order fulfillment efforts.