Environmental Vision

Every day, we strive to be a progressive and environmentally responsible company, from including environmentally responsible products in our range to managing our own environmental impacts.

is your library using sustainable products?

SUSTAINABLE SHELVING

All Raeco shelving is manufactured and assembled in Australia.

Manufacturing in Australia means Australian standards of sustainability and emission levels are met. Employee standards and salaries are to Australian rates.

Greenhouse emissions are further reduced due to decreased freight requirements.

The steel used in Raeco shelving is 100% recyclable. At the end of its life, it can be recycled an infinite number of times, saving energy and raw materials while diverting from landfill.

OUR SHELVING SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

LIFETIME WARRANTY: Longest warranty on shelving
AUSTRALIAN MADE: Made to Australian standards, supporting the Australian manufacturing workforce
DURABILITY: Reducing your Libraries environmental impact
QUALITY MANUFACTURE: Fit for purpose in commercial environments, safer for your staff and visitors

SUSTAINABLE furniture

Avoid “fast furniture”. What is ‘fast furniture’? Similar to fast food (inexpensive, low in nutrients, leaving you hungry shortly after consuming) and fast fashion (cheap, imported clothing with low durability and quality, ending up in landfills due to being non-recyclable, and often produced under poor working conditions), fast furniture is typically imported, low in quality, and often manufactured under substandard working conditions, offering only short warranties.

Designed primarily for domestic use, fast furniture may not meet the durability standards required for commercial environments like libraries, potentially exposing you and your staff to health and safety concerns and liability issues.

Unlike fast furniture, which tends to last only 1-2 years, Raeco sustainable furniture includes a robust 10-year warranty.

When choosing furniture, it’s crucial to compare ‘Apples with Apples’. Avoid the “false economy” — both financially and environmentally — of opting for “fast furniture”.

OUR FURNITURE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

10 YEAR WARRANTY: Ensuring environmental and financial benefits through longevity
AUSTRALIAN MADE: Made to Australian standards, supporting the Australian manufacturing workforce
COMMERCIAL GRADE FABRIC: Minimum 50,000 Martindale rubs for enhanced durability and longevity
QUALITY FRAMES: Fit for purpose, timber frames secured with glue, heavy-duty screws and nails for lasting strength

SUSTAINABLE ESSENTIALS

Many environmentally conscious libraries have already switched to Bioguard80®, collectively contributing to the removal of over 10 metric tonnes of toxic microplastics from our ecosystems.

Bioguard80® applies, looks, and protects exactly the same as regular book covering — except that at the end of its life, it can be placed into landfill or compost environments to fully biodegrade.

Our active biodegradable ingredient results in a slight texture to Bioguard80®. This texture does not affect the level of protection for your books. It makes it easy for you, your team, and your visitors to identify which books in your collection are covered in Bioguard80®.

Bioguard80® is the only book covering in the world that is certified to be FULLY biodegradable. Some coverings promote themselves as ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘sustainable,’ or even as ‘biodegradable’ — however, these often leave toxic microplastics as they are not certified fully biodegradable.

Always ask to see certifications of any book covering product that makes “environmental claims”

Sustainability Vision

TO PROVIDE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR PEOPLE THROUGH THE PRODUCTS WE SOURCE AND THE WAY WE CHOOSE TO OPERATE, TO PROTECT OUR PLANET AND CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

OUR INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

Recyclable packaging including the use of cartons with a recycled content
Recommending “repurposing” of packaging via school and library art programs
Purchase product and supplies locally wherever possible
Maintain an ongoing focus to reducing furniture packaging

Accreditations

Raeco is committed to minimising its impact on the environment and have established a range of Environmental Policies and is GECA certified.

The steel used in Raeco shelving is 100% recyclable and can be recycled an infinite amount of times, saving energy and raw materials each time it is re-processed as well as diverting the product from landfill.

GECA

GECA provides an independent tick that indicate products and services are better for the environment and reduce their impact on human health.

All Raeco shelving systems are GECA certified. Through our partnership with the GECA, we continue to develop and expand our range of products to provide you with greener choices.

ISO 14001

Raeco is certified to ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management Systems.
This international certification specifies the requirements for our environmental management systems.

ISO 14001 helps Raeco achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and interested parties.