Ukraine war pressures helped to make Rearo a green beacon

Bathroom and kitchen surface manufacturer Rearo has used supply chain pressures caused by the war in Ukraine to help turn around its environmental performance.
The Glasgow-based producer of high-pressure laminate wall panels and worktops says it has significantly reduced its carbon footprint by sourcing its main raw material from Ireland instead of Russia.
It has also introduced a programme that has helped it to recycle 98.47% percentage of physical waste, a performance recognised by the Scotland Excel Supplier Excellence Awards for Environmental Practices.
Rearo ¬ – which supplies a range of UK businesses, including fast food restaurants, supermarkets, and high street chains – previously sourced birch plywood, the main raw material for its laminate panels from the Sekheza Pulp and Paper Mill in the republic of Karelia, in north-west Russia.

It was forced to look elsewhere following an embargo and sanctions on goods purchased from the eastern European state as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
While the company continues to source some birch plywood from Finland, it has now switched the bulk of its material to exterior grade MDF, sourced from sustainably managed forests, supplied through the Medite Smartply production and research plant in Clonmel, County Tipperary.
It now imports 3,600 panels of MDF from Ireland and 1200 panels of birch plywood from UPM Fibres, at Kaukas, Finland every month, compared with 4,200 panels of birch plywood from Russia prior to the pandemic.

Plywood is the traditional choice for wall panels, made from multiple layers of natural thin veneer that are glued together.
In contrast, MDF is engineered by breaking down softwood residuals into wood fibres, which are then combined with wax and resin to create a smooth surface.
In 2022, prior to the COP26 environmental conference coming to Glasgow, Rearo launched an environmental committee green team, led by support services manager, Daniel Danso.

Part of the move to improve upon its environmental record was led by customers, particularly those in the fast-food industry, seeking assistance with their ambition to become carbon-neutral by 2030.

Danso said: “The invasion of Ukraine by Soviet troops in February 2022 signalled a major change in the way we do business and, while sanctions imposed on Russian exports caused huge logistical difficulties for us at the start, we have turned it into a positive.
“We were already aware, from the Covid pandemic, that there were risks involved in maintaining long, international supply chains, and we knew that in the long term we would have to change.
“The war in Ukraine brought an urgency to the situation that we hadn’t anticipated but, in forcing us to act sooner, rather than later, it has done us a favour.”
Mercer added: “By switching our main supplier from Russia to Ireland, we have massively cut down on transport costs and on the emissions created by transporting large volumes of raw materials to Glasgow.
“We have also switched to a more sustainable product for our laminate panels. Despite issues with supply, quality and sustainability, plywood is still specified on many commercial projects.”
Rearo already had an established relationship with Medite from whom it has sourced a wide range of MDF products over the past 20 years.

Working with the company, and the Irish Forestry Commission, it has now agreed an ongoing contract for the supply of exterior grade MDF for use in its production line, including for its Tradeline waterproof shower panel range for washroom facilities in housing and private care.

Rearo also now uses Medite Exterior MDF boards for its flagship Selkie shower panel range, for the domestic market. Selkie is popular with DIY and home installers and is regularly specified by housing associations throughout the UK, as well as government and privately owned industries.

Danso said: “Even among timber-based products, Medite Smartply is an exceptionally resource-efficient company.

“Its principal raw materials are wood residues, sawmill co-products and pulpwood from managed forests. All its materials are FSC certified, and its timber comes from managed forests, independently verified to ensure their biodiversity, productivity, and regeneration capacity.”

In seeking to achieve Zero Waste Scotland Green Champions certification, the company now recycles around 20 tonnes of waste per month, including paper, packaging, glass, timber, plastic, and textiles.

As well as working towards a digital-first paperless business, Rearo also recently purchased a new high-volume, energy efficient edge-banding machine, utilising low adhesive technology to apply colour matched ABS edgings as environmentally as possible.

Danso said: “We realised we too should have these same ambitions for our own business, to become more resource efficient – reducing our waste and raw materials, energy, and water consumption – reducing our environmental impact.”