Rayovac has the Longest standing history of pushing the boundaries of technology. Our mercury-free product was set against a changing landscape in terms of environmental, legislative and technological developments.
Environmental Policy
Maintaining a clean environment and conserving out natural resources are important issues that affect us all. The individual parts we play are critical to preserving our natural resources.
Rayovac has established its market leading position over many years; this has been achieved by actions taken by our company, Energizer brands UK Limited, and its predecessors to ensure continuous investment in people, research & development, productivity and smarter processes. We are reducing our consumption of resources and reusing assets where possible.
Intelligent Disposal
We dispose of resources intelligently, recycling those that can be utilised in a different form. This is an area in which we constantly seek to improve. Our search for new ways to preserve the environment is continuous.
Queens Award 2011
Rayovac gained a Queens Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category in 2011, recognising our commitment to product development and pushing back the boundaries of hearing aid battery technology with the launch of a new high performing mercury-free battery.
World's first mercury-free hearing aid battery
In 2017, our company achieved an ambitious target to become the world’s first fully ‘mercury-free’ hearing aid battery manufacturer, paving the way to a more eco-friendly future. Since the conversion to mercury-free products, RAYOVAC® has continuously invested in research, development and the manufacturing process, to enable the global switch to the highest quality mercury-free products.
Mercury is a heavy and toxic metal – removing it from hearing aid batteries means less harmful ingredients are used in the production process, and this in turn reduces the amount of environmental exposure to mercury.
Active Core Technology
In addition, RAYOVAC® have developed Active Core™ Technology , which offers hearing aid users longer lasting*, high quality performance throughout the life of the battery. Active Core™ Technology is the RAYOVAC® brand’s most powerful technology platform yet, offering device users the longevity and power needed to cope with the demands of the hi-tech devices on the market, without the need of mercury. This means that batteries last longer*, and subsequently, less batteries are used, reducing the environmental impact further.
* Based on ANSI/IEC tests for sizes 312 and 13.
Packaging
We mostly use local suppliers for our packaging materials, such as shipping boxes, to minimise the impact of transporting these materials to our UK factory. For suppliers from further afield, our company utilises consignment stock systems such to ship large quantities of supplies from overseas in one go, helping our suppliers to minimise their own footprint.
In addition, our battery packaging materials, including the dial card and plastic components, are all recyclable.
Waste and recycling
Our company not only works to provide a greener environment, but we also ensure that our neighbourhood is as clean as it can be. We regularly review the processes within the factory to ensure we create a clean and safe environment for our local community.
Our company arranges for waste to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way, and provide every department within the factory with recycling facilities to ensure waste is correctly disposed of. Waste recycling has improved as the result of worker commitment and awareness of recycling initiatives.
Alongside this, we are constantly reviewing these arrangements to ensure we are meeting the requirements of both our Environmental and Health and Safety Objectives.
Our company is subscribed to a scheme called ‘Battery Back’, which collects batteries at recycling points around the uk and recycles them on the company’s behalf. The company worked very hard with ‘Battery Back’ in the early days to raise awareness of the new legislation with both consumers and customers. Removal of mercury from all products has enabled a significant increase in waste being recycled via ‘Battery Back’.
The company’s success comes from its people, both internal and external, working together to ensure processes are lean, products are exceptional and customer service is consistently best in class.
The company is ISO14001 accredited, meaning it has been judged to be an environmentally friendly organization with an active management system.
Sustainable Relationships
The majority of our suppliers also hold ISO14001 certification. At the beginning of our relationship with a new company, we ask for evidence of their environmental policies before any work is secured. We also look favorably upon suppliers who are members of the Ethical Trade Initiative.
To ensure our environmental policies are sustained, they form part of our regular reviews with suppliers, and we also work collaboratively with them to create an annual environmental action plan which is monitored and reviewed quarterly.
Factory Initiatives
- Air Vent Systems – A system called a catalytic oxidiser neutralises any solvent emissions from the plant.
- Conversion of this system from electrical power to gas – This has significantly reduced electrical energy usage in the factory.
- Lighting – Many of the existing lighting systems are on timers to reduce energy usage and we have also changed the light bulbs to LED systems, which provide an overall lower energy consumption
- Air Compression System – The installation of this state of the art machine has resulted in a significant reduction to energy usage.
- Building management System – We have a system which allows us to regulate humidity and temperature throughout the building, helping to minimise the heating energy waste.
Cycle2Work
Our company also participates in the Cycle2Work scheme to promote a healthier lifestyle for employees by offering them the opportunity to purchase a discounted bike which can be used to cycle to work or in the employee’s own leisure time. This allows them the option to not only reduce emissions when travelling to and from work, but also within their free time outside of work.