RBW Sustainability

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.

Committed to transparency
We are dedicated to continuously improving the sustainability of our fixtures. Recognizing transparency as a cornerstone of responsible consumption, in 2022 we acquired Declare listing and became LDC Red List Approved for our Crisp, Dimple and Ripple sconces. Started by the International Living Future Institute, Declare is a transparency platform and database that offers a comprehensive look into materials used in products, allowing specifiers to quickly identify sustainable options that align with their projects' needs. By embracing initiatives like Declare, we aim to promote responsible manufacturing processes.

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.

As residents of RBW Factory, we want to see our community grow as our business grows. This means investing locally; we spend 60% of our expenses in the area and perform 70% of our manufacturing in-house. We envision RBW Factory as a space that fosters creativity and supports designers—overall, we think it’s a pretty great place to work.

Great benefits
Exceeding manufacturing industry standards, RBW offers a living wage of $20.50/hr. To full-time employees no monthly cost health insurance plans through United health care in addition to generous benefits after their first year. These include our 401K 3% contribution, profit sharing plan; up to 12 weeks of paid time off; and 12 weeks of partial paid parental leave for new parents, including adoptive parents. We also provide access to a holistic range of wellness resources, including financial management tools, behavioral health counseling, partner benefits and more.

Room for growth
We pride ourselves on our employee retention, especially all of our former interns who’ve grown into full-time roles. At RBW, we encourage our employees to advance within our team, providing enhanced training courses in communication, tech, leadership, and management skills.

Being committed allies
The bedrock of our company culture is celebrating the diversity and inclusiveness of our team, including the women who hold 40% of our leadership positions, and the race, sexuality, and gender expression of each individual. We maintain firm policies against harassment and discrimination, and guaranteed safe spaces to gather, organize, and support one another. Our promise to our employees is to uphold a safe, positive work environment at every level.