Brad Taylor, Sales Rep - Hayley PPE
Brad has worked at Hayley for 7 years. In that time, he has had roles working in the stores and the Hayley PPE office in Halesowen. He is now a Sales Rep, working with customers to identify their PPE requirements and suggest relevant solutions from our market-leading supply partners.
Bollé® is a name that has been associated with quality safety eyewear since 1936, with the company beginning production of glasses and goggles for industrial protection in the year 1950. Now, Bollé Safety-branded eyewear is sold in more than 80 countries worldwide and worn by around 15 million workers.
The Bollé Safety brand is committed to innovation, and a major driver of this innovation is the belief that ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) is a core pillar by which to develop the business and its product offering. As a result, the Research and Development department at Bollé Safety work relentlessly to develop more environmentally sustainable materials, processes and products, without sacrificing quality or safety standards. In fact, the company has an ambitious aim to become a ‘Certified B’ corporation by 2023, an accolade awarded to those who meet rigorous social and environmental performance levels.
At Hayley Group, we serve countless customers who have, over recent years, required us to support them in reducing their environmental impact. Here, I wanted to examine the main ways that Bollé Safety are actively supporting a more eco-friendly and sustainable future.
1. Manufacturing processes
Bollé Safety strongly believe that their own future and the future of the environment are deeply interconnected. The company’s dedicated “Manage Our Impact” plan was formed to improve the management of emissions, materials, and use of harmful chemicals across their manufacturing and distribution processes. Bollé Safety aims to measure, reduce, and then offset their emissions to a point of achieving carbon neutrality, by developing low-emitting materials for use in their products and encouraging the use of low-carbon energy sources across their manufacturing partner network. By actively contributing to projects that help to offset carbon emissions, such as tree planting exercises and investing in technologies that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, Bollé Safety helps to shrink their carbon footprint.
Secondly, Bollé Safety are taking steps to reduce waste created as a biproduct of manufacturing their safety glasses. For instance, much of the plastic waste from the injection moulding process is now reused to create colourful and unique furniture, rather than being discarded. Thanks to improvements in injection moulding, the associated CO2 emissions have also been reduced by 50% for each pair of glasses produced.
Finally, Bollé Safety have set-up a global Restricted Substance List (RSL) that includes heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, and phthalates that can have a negative impact on land, air and water environments, as well as human and animal health. As a result, all materials on this are now banned from Bollé Safety products. Formerly chemical-based coatings used on the lenses of Bollé Safety glasses are now entirely water-based too, a great example of a reduction to the reliance on potentially hazardous substances.
2. SOLIS GO GREEN
SOLIS GO GREEN is the ‘posterchild’ product of the GO GREEN range from Bollé Safety; a range with its focus keenly on environmental sustainability. The products’ predecessor, SOLIS B-Green was launched in 2014 and was the very first eco-framed safety glasses product to meet EN166 standards. Now, SOLIS GO GREEN is the next generation in eco-friendly safety eyewear. With its nylon frame made from recycled fishing nets, and retaining its EN166 compliance, the quality and safety of the product has been unaffected by the unique and innovative use of reclaimed materials.
3. Eco-packaging
Since 2015, all Bollé Safety products have been packaged in recyclable BPA-free plastic. However, as part of their drive for environmental sustainability, the company has also introduced its innovative eco-packaging. 100% recyclable and producing 30% less waste overall, the new packaging is entirely plastic-free with its outer box made from recycled cardboard and the product wrapped in silk paper. To go the extra mile, user instructions are printed in vegetable- based ink directly onto the box, rather than on a separate piece of paper or card.
The eco-packaging has been thoroughly tested in real-world conditions to ensure that glasses get to the customer in top notch condition. The silk paper protects lenses without sticking to them, with the cardboard outer packaging robust enough to guarantee protection and product longevity.
Eco-packaging is available across a wide range of Bollé Safety products including SOLIS GO GREEN, RUSH+ and RUSH+ SMALL, NESS+, SILEX+, SILEX+ SMALL, ULTIMATE and, COBRA with strap, and the SUPERBLAST GOGGLE.
4. B-Clean product range
B-Clean by Bollé Safety is a complete and efficient cleaning solutions range. Alcohol and silicone-free, its water-based formula provides perfect cleaning and protection for Bollé Safety glasses and goggles, with a low environmental impact. The range was revamped in 2020 and features three different sizes of spray bottle (500ml, 250ml, 50ml) for cleaning, a 500ml anti-fog spray bottle and all-in-one anti-fog kit, premoistened wipes and tissues, as well as a selection of dispensers.
Contact your local branch to enquire about Bollé Safety eyewear. Use our branch finder tool to find their details here.
This article features in Issue 8 of Maintenance Essentials magazine.