Sales and marketing director of British furniture manufacturer JJO Jon Thelwell explains how a Carbon Calculator is the next step in its sustainability journey, and helps future proof KBB retail businesses.

Established since 1868 in Bacup, Lancashire, British furniture manufacturer JJO is a true example of a sustainable business, not only in terms of longevity but lessening its environmental impact.

It has recently launched a Carbon Calculator for use by all its trade customers and to add value to retailers, as it enables homeowners to make more informed choices around sustainability.

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Q: What is the Carbon Calculator and what was the investment?

A: We have invested in bespoke software, developed in associated with the Carbon Trust, that calculates the carbon footprint of each kitchen order to delivery gate.

We had three experts from the Carbon Trust in our manufacturing plant, working out our embodied carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

The whole process took around three months and saw a substantial investment of c.£20,000.

Q: What encouraged JJO to invest in a Carbon Calculator and why now?

A:  We’ve always been at the forefront of environmental and sustainable issues.

We installed a biomass boiler about 15 years ago, which heats three plants.

We have invested in electric and hybrid vehicles, and last year we spent £400,000 on solar panels, to reduce energy bills. So, it’s a continuation of a journey for us.

We started working with the Carbon Trust, last year, and our initial thoughts related to becoming carbon neutral, but it relies on offsetting and we didn’t want to say to the market ‘yes we are carbon neutral but we plant a forest every time we sell a kitchen’.

So, we went down the route of complete transparency, where consumers could see the carbon footprint per kitchen.

Q: Is the carbon contribution of your kitchens what you expected and are you looking at further reductions?

A: It is what we thought. It’s a good outcome because 40% of our power is from solar and the other 60% is from green energy.

We’re got zero waste to landfill because we recycle and have a biomass boiler for the waste.

But it has given us pointers, which we’re working on right now, to further reduce our carbon contribution.

We’ve already got teams looking at how we can improve our packaging and how we can reduce the waste throughout the business.

Q: Have you felt somewhat under pressure by European kitchen manufacturers promoting carbon neutral credentials?

A: Not really, no. The driver is an internal belief about doing the right thing.

We’re on a journey towards Net Zero and it’s about saying to our existing and potential customers that we are a business that does the right thing.

Q: What will this mean for retail and newbuild?

A: We’re ahead of the game in retail.

I’m not naive enough to think consumers walk into retailers and ask what the carbon contribution is per kitchen, but it future proofs their business down the line, if the question is raised.

It is important to new build.  We launched into the contract market about two years ago and we’ve had some good conversations with developers, where they are asking us about carbon contributions.

Q: What has been the reaction so far by your trade customers?

A: In the new build sector, it’s been received really well.

There has been a mixed reception in retail because some retailers are going through tough times.

We can’t deny the market is doing miserable things and some retailers are just about surviving, and therefore sustainability is not at the top of their agenda.

Other retailers are pleased we’re giving them an option to provide their customers an informed choice around sustainability.

The Carbon Calculator is a silent advantage. I can see forward-thinking retailers having it in their pocket and understanding if a customer is asking about where to put recycling bins, then they are interested in green issues, and will be able to use the Carbon Calculator with them.

I see the younger generation being more interested in sustainability and when the market improves, there will be more questions asked about kitchens because it won’t just be about price.

But I would also like to think people look at JJO in a different light now. I think it says we are a powerhouse in the industry.

We are a large business, with a turnover of around £35 million and our profile should be bigger in the industry.

Q: Can you monitor the usage of the carbon calculator and what are your KPIs?

A:  Yes, we can monitor the hits on the website and the number of times we are asked to give a carbon summary on each kitchen.

We can also monitor every transaction where users have researched the Carbon Calculator.

We haven’t set any KPIs yet. We want to see the level of enquiries, have some good, detailed conversations with our key accounts, and then we can set key KPIs going forward from January 2025.

Q: What’s next for the Carbon Calculator?

A: I would like to do the same for the bathroom and bedroom side of the business. It should be an easier process as we’ve been through it before, we manufacture those in a different building, and the product range isn’t as broad as kitchens.

I think bathroom trade customers will be more receptive, as they are further ahead in the sustainability journey, due to changes in water regulations and all the work the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) has done.

I think the Carbon Calculator will gain a lot more traction next year.

Q: What’s next for JJO business?

A:  We’ve got some exciting product launches to come in the New Year, in all three sectors –  kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms.

Without giving the jewels away, in terms of kitchens, they’ll be more colours on slab and additional woodgrain MFC doors.

The kitchen market has polarised, with a decline in the middle sector, with top-end and value kitchens (£10,000 and under) doing well.

So it is the value sector that we are going to focus on.

Watch out, too, for a number of new bathroom designs.