A Gloucester-based manufacturer of kitchen furniture demonstrated its green credentials last week when it held an environmental awareness event to mark the official launch of its new £1.1 million biomass facility. The state-of-the art burner runs on wood waste generated by Premiere Kitchens – a subsidiary of Markey Group. On average, the company creates approximately 2,350 tonnes of unavoidable wood waste each year in the form of extracted chipboard dust and residual off-cuts. Previously, the majority of this would have gone to landfill, but thanks to the introduction of the new boiler, it’s now being used to generate all the heating and hot water required for the firms 8.5 acre site at Hardwicke.

Director Paul Markey said: “We take our environmental responsibilities seriously and we’re always striving to think and work greener. Our new biomass facility has a key role to play in reducing our carbon footprint and it’s exciting to think that we’re helping boost Gloucestershire’s green credentials by generating our own eco-friendly energy.”

The biomass facility was officially opened by Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) Deputy Technical Manager, Dr Asli Tamer Vestlund. FIRA is heavily involved in a campaign to reduce the amount of virgin timber burnt to create biomass and encourage the burning of waste wood to create energy.

Commenting, Dr Tamer Vestlund said: “It was an honour to be involved in the opening of Markey's biomass facility and they should be commended for their efforts to reduce their environmental impact.”

Commissioned by UK-based Indusvent Limited, the new system, which features a 2.1 megawatt hot water boiler manufactured by Danish-based Justsen Energiteknik A/S, has been designed to integrate seamlessly with existing extraction and waste handling equipment. Burning is automatically controlled to maximise efficiency and results are monitored both locally on site and at the manufacturer’s premises in Denmark.

Since installing the biomass facility, the site has been able to dispense with its mains gas supply. As a result, the company anticipates reducing its carbon emissions by more than 1,020 tonnes per year – the equivalent annual gas usage of 638 average size homes.

But it’s not just the biomass facility that’s helped the company to establish a greener reputation. In the last five years, the company has recycled more than 200 tonnes of cardboard and paper – the equivalent of 132,000 pizza boxes and almost 50 tonnes of plastic – the equivalent of 168,500 footballs.

Paul Markey concluded: “As a business we’re committed to sustainable solutions and we hope others can benefit from our expertise. Who knows, in future we may even be able to generate enough green energy to power our surrounding community.”