Make carbon savings with glass partitions

What is Carbon Engineering? 

You are probably familiar with Value Engineering, Carbon Engineering is similar but instead of saving money, you are saving carbon emissions. Carbon engineering your office design involves incorporating sustainable practices and materials to minimise carbon emissions and environmental impact. We recognise that our clients are looking for more sustainable solutions to enhance the environmental performance of their projects. Our glass partitions offer the ideal reusable, low-carbon, high-quality solutions to enhance the sustainability of your design. We will outline how you can make significant carbon savings with glass partitions whilst also meeting your bespoke design requirements. Here are some of the ways you can align your design with Carbon Engineering principles by specifying glass partitions:  

How can you make significant carbon savings with our glass partitions? 

1. Lowering carbon emissions through material selection

All our award-winning glass partitions are made from Hydro CIRCAL aluminium. We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure that we are using aluminium with the highest recycled content available and the lowest carbon footprint. By adopting Hydro CIRCAL we can guarantee our clients the high-quality glass partitions they expect made with low-carbon aluminium. Made with a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, Hydro CIRCAL guarantees a CO₂ footprint below 2.3kg per 1kg of aluminium produced, compared with the European average of 8.6kg. This is a massive 60% reduction and also makes Hydro CIRCAL the lowest carbon footprint of any aluminium commercially available today.  

As one of the only UK manufacturers using Hydro CIRCAL in their products, we are proud to offer our clients bespoke solutions which can help make significant carbon savings on every project. By adopting CIRCAL in our products, we have proactively minimised the carbon emissions associated with our products. As a result, this decision highlights just one of the ways you can Carbon Engineer your fit-out with our glass partitions.  

Sustainable materials don’t stop just with our products 

When it comes to sustainable material selection, we have gone beyond our products. All our packaging has been carefully chosen to reduce our carbon impact even further. From FSC™ cardboard to plant-based biofilm, we have made huge strides in reducing the carbon emissions of our packaging. 100% recyclable, our environmental packaging innovations have allowed us to eliminate single-use plastics throughout our packaging. These sustainable developments in our packaging alongside the introduction of Hydro CIRCAL, mean that before our glass partitions are delivered to site, they have made a significant carbon reduction to the project. 

2. Reusing glass partitions, reducing carbon emissions

Modular in nature and designed with reusability in mind, our products offer innovative sustainable solutions for today and the future. Completely reusable, our glass partitions and doors lend themselves perfectly to Carbon Engineering. Firstly, our clients can specify systems that are designed and manufactured with significantly less carbon emissions. Furthermore, they can also reuse their systems in a new design, minimising or even eliminating the carbon impact in the future. Developed with our clients and the environment in mind, we offer several initiatives to enhance the environmental performance of any project:

Glass partition Reuse Service: the smart way to Carbon Engineer

The Reuse Service enables clients to incorporate previously installed Optima glass partitions and doors in their new design. Reusing our glass partitions provides our clients with a smart way to Carbon Engineer their projects. It also extends the lifecycle of our systems, adding significant value. We have already helped several clients such as Mazars, Carbon Engineer their projects by reusing our glass partitions  

Take Back Service: supporting our client’s carbon-saving goals 

The Take Back Service supports our client’s environmental goals whilst giving us control over the life cycle of our products. At the end of a fit-out’s first life, any Optima products can be assessed for Take Back. We will then assess which products are suitable for reuse and which will be recycled. Suitable products will be demounted and taken back into stock, ready for reuse on another project, re-joining the circular economy. Unsuitable materials will be sorted into the appropriate recycling channels. Hana by Industrious took advantage of the Take Back service whilst designing their London coworking space. We repurposed one of our Adaptable Meeting Rooms from an existing project. The Adaptable Meeting Room was in perfect condition and was seamlessly integrated into their new design. 

By choosing either of these initiatives, the design contributes to the circular economy, building more sustainable spaces for the future. As a result, these services highlight how value can be added by Carbon Engineering our glass partitions and following a circular approach. By reusing our glass partitions and doors, you can save emissions time and time again as our products achieve 2,3,4 or even more lifecycles.  

3. Reducing carbon through sustainable procurement and the supply chain

At Optima we are committed to our Sustainable Procurement Policy, which outlines our dedication to sustainable outcomes through our activities. We recognise our responsibility to carry out procurement in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and we encourage our supply chain to do the same. Therefore, as part of our progress toward sustainable procurement, we operate a supplier Code of Conduct to promote an ethical supply chain. Furthermore, our Environmental Policy promotes the procurement of products and materials from suppliers who can demonstrate aligned environmental responsibility through certification with ISO 14001. By taking responsibility and driving sustainable solutions through our supply chain we can guarantee that we offer the best solutions to assist you in Carbon Engineering your next project. Through collaboration with sustainably like-minded suppliers, we ensure that our glass partitions are manufactured and installed with as minimal impact on the environment as possible.  

4. Environmental Product Declarations and Carbon Calculations 

We are proudly leading the sustainable and environmental agenda with our Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for our entire product range. These EPDs provide a full environmental impact study across an extensive life span. Through third-party accreditation, these EPDs allow us to monitor the impact of our products. As a result, we can provide accurate and verified data to assist you in Carbon Engineering your fit-out. 

Furthermore, in collaboration with Tunley Engineering, we have completed a series of carbon calculations for several of our projects. In doing so, we have calculated the carbon emissions associated with the reuse and take back projects. As a result, we have identified the significant carbon savings each of our clients made by choosing to reuse our products. These carbon assessments demonstrate our commitment to developing the most sustainable solutions whilst also improving our environmental performance as a UK manufacturer. These assessments highlight how you can significantly reduce carbon emissions by reusing our glass partitions and Carbon Engineering your design.  

In conclusion 

Carbon impacts of the built environment are coming under more and more scrutiny. Therefore, clients are looking for more sustainable options to enhance the environmental performance of projects. Carbon Engineering with our glass partitions offers a unique, sustainable way to support our clients and the environment, moving forward.  

If you would like to learn more about how you can Carbon Engineer your project with our glass partitions and make significant carbon savings, please get in touch: Action@OptimaSystems.com