Rebecca East

Through relentless research, review, and challenging convention, we are proud to announce that Showcase has achieved Planet Mark Year 2 Business Certification.

The Planet Mark Business Certification is an internationally recognised sustainability accreditation that acknowledges continuous progress, encourages action, and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals.

Our Planet Mark journey has been eye-opening and inspiring in equal measure. Over the past year, we have invested in educating our teams and adopting a more sustainable approach to all aspects of our business, including:

• Reduced waste emissions by approximately 90% by creating more waste weights and disposal routes, resulting in no waste to landfill over the past year.

• Reduced emissions associated with water by 42% and paper by 41%.

• Reduced emissions associated with commuting by approximately 20% and increasing the number of our employees travelling via bicycle by an impressive 118%.

Whilst we are exceptionally proud of our collective efforts, by no means are we stopping there. For 2023-2024, we are aiming for a further 5% decrease in our Carbon Reduction Target, as well as our Carbon Reduction per Employee.

In this crucial #DecadeofAction, measuring our own carbon footprint has been a critical step in reducing our impact on the planet and society.

Our involvement with Planet Mark has also helped protect an area of endangered rainforest thanks to Cool Earth; a charity working alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation. Our pledge goes directly towards supporting the Asháninka community in Central Peru.

Through our commitment to Planet Mark, we’re also helping the Eden Project – an environmental educational charity building relationships with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work together towards a better future.

We thank everyone who has contributed to our Planet Mark award, and those who continue to play an important role in our sustainability commitment.

We strive to have a responsible, positive impact through our community. Please join us in this movement for change. Together, we are a collective force for good.

The Client

The Museum of Power is a transformed Water Pumping Station, spanning seven acres and is situated Langford, Essex.

The museum exhibits an impressive array of mechanisms which have powered Britain’s finest autos and locomotives throughout history. It promises an immersive experience, inviting visitors to step back into the history of Britain’s finest Mechanical Engineering, free of charge, and to witness its progress from experimental beginnings to its exceedingly impressive breakthroughs over time. The museum runs educational visits for more than 30 local primary schools a year and hosts various community-based events.

Project Overview

In early 2023, the museum secured a bid with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to commence its ‘Powering Forward’ project. The bid allocated funds to the museum, allowing them to make improvements to the building structure. This required the museum’s closure for a set period, with extensive building works promising a vastly improved visitor experience.

Both Showcase and Renovo were approached with the request to plan the museum’s interior office space on a voluntary basis. This workspace was comprised of Administration and Management Suites. Attracted by the charitable aspect and the opportunity for both companies to collaborate again, willingly offering their services without cost to the client.

Services

Showcase utilised their Design Team to create a variety of options for the client, with each choice varying in visual aesthetic, but refusing to compromise on the maximisation of space planning. Meetings took place with the client throughout the design phase to clarify finishing details before final sign off. This focused the coordination of furniture delivery to coincide with the completion of the building works.

Sustainability was at the forefront of every decision made throughout the planning stages, using a re-use strategy was implemented to source furniture. Renovo utilised legacy furniture donations, quickly and efficiently, from clients, themselves eager to responsibly get further use from their unwanted furniture.

As like all projects, The Museum of Power was planned and handled with precise due diligence. A comprehensive survey of the site was performed before the Renovo team were ‘all hands on deck’ for delivery and installation. Throughout each stage, organised communications were upheld with the client from all parties.

The project was completed on-time, allowing for the museum to triumphantly re-open to the public in October as planned. The client’s workforce smoothly transitioned into their new and improved offices.

Showcase and Renovo were delighted to receive praise ahead of the museum’s re-opening, including the client’s gratitude of the furniture donations and the efficiency of the project’s implementation.

Both Showcase’s Emma Boreham and Renovo’s Danny Rutter jointly express their gratitude for the opportunity to help a local cause: “Showcase and Renovo are grateful for the privilege to, once again, aid a local beneficiary. It’s wonderful to engage and help people in the local community with our services. We are looking forward to visiting the museum in the near future with our team. As always, we are on the lookout for similar local projects to support moving forward.”

In keeping with our growing commitments to developing our social values, we are pleased to announce that Showcase, alongside Showcase PSR and Renovo, are proud sponsors of our local Emergency Services Football Teams, including: 

• Essex Fire Service Open Age Football Team 
• Essex Fire Service Veterans Football Team 
• Cambridgeshire Fire Service Football Team 
• Hampshire Fire Service Football Team 

It is a joy to see our branding emblazoned on the stellar teams’ kits, worn by exceptional players, both on the pitch and in their respective workplaces. This sponsorship serves as a testament to the Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Hampshire Fire Services for the unhindered support they show our local communities, which we are extremely thankful for.
 

Many thanks to Ongar Fire and Rescue services for kindly inviting us for an action-packed visit to meet the crew and gain insights from inside their station (and fire engine!). Though our team may look like naturals in their fireman’s gear, rest assured they will not be quitting their day jobs!   

Showcase, Showcase PSR, and Renovo highly anticipate the seasons of triumph that lay ahead. Our teams look forward to attending future matches together and sharing our unwavering support.  

Earlier this month, the Showcase group embarked on an incredible journey to Porto from the 15^th – 17^th June, to attend our highly anticipated annual Summer Conference. The two days spent in the vibrant city were nothing short of exceptional, leaving us all with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. The conference itself proved to be a resounding success, not only in highlighting the progress made in the first half of the year but also in celebrating the remarkable achievements of our fabulous teams.

Behind the scenes, the organisers worked tirelessly to ensure that the Summer Conference would be a rewarding experience for our hard-working teams. It was considered a rejuvenating celebration at the year’s midpoint before we resumed our efforts for the remainder of the year. It is no secret that the key to our success is our motivated and engaged team. So, no effort would be spared in creating an experience that would have a lasting and gratifying impact on our members.

The picturesque city of Porto provided the perfect backdrop for this transformative journey. As soon as our teams arrived, they were greeted with a warm welcome and an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation. The conference agenda was carefully crafted to include a variety of activities and sessions that would not only inspire and educate but also foster a strong sense of camaraderie among our employees.

In addition to the conference sessions, our team members had the opportunity to participate in thrilling team-building activities. From exhilarating go-karting races to tuk-tuk tours exploring the vibrant streets of Porto, and even e-biking adventures throughout the picturesque city. These activities were not only fun but also served as a catalyst for building and strengthening relationships within our teams. The shared experiences and moments of laughter created an even stronger strong bond among employees, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment in which relationships, both new and pre-existing, would flourish.

Beyond the professional development and team-building aspects, this remarkable expedition provided a well-deserved break for all members of our teams at Showcase Interiors, Showcase PSR Portsdown, and Renovo. Taking a step back from the daily routine and immersing ourselves in the vibrant culture and beauty of Porto allowed us to recharge. It was an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, celebrate the milestones we’ve reached, and come together to prepare for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

As we return to our respective roles with renewed energy and a sense of purpose, we are eager to continue working alongside our valued clients to deliver exceptional results. The connections and relationships formed during the conference will undoubtedly contribute to our collective success.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those in attendance who made this trip to Porto a truly remarkable experience. Each and every person played a crucial role in making this event unforgettable.

As we bid farewell to Porto, we carry with us the memories, lessons, and newfound inspiration to excel in the months ahead. The Summer Conference of 2023 will forever hold a special place in our hearts and will serve as a reminder of the remarkable things we can achieve when we come together as a team.

Until next year…!

The Showcase Christmas staff gathering finally arrived on the 9th of December after months of planning and anticipation. With the addition of our newly acquired Portsdown team, the number of attendees skyrocketed compared to previous years, resulting in all the more Christmas spirit!

Teams from Showcase, Portsdown PSR, Renovo, and Showcase AVI gathered at the stately Hanbury Manor in Ware to enjoy a day of celebrations; sharing each company’s accomplishments throughout the year at the annual Showcase Christmas Conference; competing against their peers in tumultuous team challenges; and, of course, enjoying fantastic entertainment and the excellent company of colleagues during the evening meal.

Throughout the conference, participants were divided into teams to engage in various interactive tasks. To start, teams were challenged to complete a puzzle of our projects throughout the year, using communication skills to guide a blindfolded team member to place the pieces in the correct place.

During the second intermission, teams were challenged to compose jingles for each of the businesses using a variety of musical instruments. These would later be performed in front of all attendees, unveiling some hidden talents amongst our teams!

We chose to revisit the ‘o3e Charity Bike Build,’ a staff favourite from previous years, to conclude the day’s activities. This requires teams to compete against one another to construct a bicycle in the shortest amount of time. At the end of the activity, all completed bicycles were donated to charities chosen by Showcase.

After much consideration, we have decided to donate to two worthy organisations this year: Carers in Herts, which provides support and advice to unpaid young carers in Hertfordshire, and ‘Teens Unite,’ which creates inclusive and non-judgmental communities for young cancer fighters and survivors.

Upon finishing the conference, it was time to celebrate at the Masquerade Ball. Fantastic food and entertainment was had by all.

The environment has always been front of mind for Showcase, which has been ISO 14001:2015 certified since 2013. We were always conscious of the potential environmental impacts of our activities as a company, but what we didn’t know was how difficult it is to calculate our carbon footprint, and how confusing the world of sustainability was going to be. Now more than ever, it’s vital to be aware of where wood and wooden products are sourced from, and that we work with manufacturers that have the same ethos as Showcase – in terms of doing the right thing for our planet.

We partnered with Planet Mark as we considered them to be a knowledgeable and insightful group, present at COP26, who could clearly advise us about all things sustainable – and how we could quickly get to be where we wanted to be in reducing carbon levels.

So far, they have delivered: guiding us through our certification, verifying our waste streams, energy and water consumption measurements, looking at the various freight and modes of transportation of products and staff and verifying our carbon footprint. We now (at last) have a starting point to enable us to create an achievable and worthwhile carbon reduction strategy.

My first thoughts were how I could directly and immediately do something good which would offset our carbon and move us towards our initial carbon neutral target. When I heard about a small woodland that was on the market close to home – I thought, always secretly aspiring to own my own woodland: “That’s it! We’ll buy a forest!”

Surely that would be directly offsetting our carbon and contributing to the environment in a positive way? But it turns out that we couldn’t use it as a method of balancing our footprint, and it had to be a verified project to be considered as an offset.

We have now realised that it’s a journey that will take much longer than initially anticipated. We don’t want to do it quickly and hastily. We want to be thorough, and to exhaust every possible way to move the company in the right direction towards our carbon net zero destination.

We have been through a huge learning curve and continue to learn about the world of sustainability. Of course, there is still a long way to go on this journey, and we will do it in the right way as a team, investing in carbon positive products, finding manufacturers with a paralleled passion as us for doing the right thing, and contributing to the circular economy with products that we can be proud of.

How we reach net zero, and what we choose to be the best and right way to get there remains to be seen and won’t be a quick fix as we initially, maybe naively thought. We are on the journey, and until we reach our eventual Carbon Net Zero goal, we will remain Carbon Neutral as we are today.

November 2022 marks the commencement of the 27^th official Conference of the Parties’ Climate Summit (COP), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (06^th November – 18^th November). As world leaders gather in Egypt, the UN Foundation will focus on critical issues ranging from climate finance to ocean and shipping adaptation.

Previous COP Climate Summits have placed an increasing emphasis on the responsibilities of businesses in the face of climate change, and this year’s conference is expected to follow suit. World leaders, representatives from various nations, and interested groups will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with leading companies across multiple industries. Collaboration is critical in shaping the green industrial revolution because change necessitates the coordinated energy, skills, and funds of investors, inventors, employers, consumers, employees, and regulators.

Showcase is conscious of its ethical responsibility to contribute to an improved environment for future generations in the face of a changing landscape of how we live and work. To guide us through this critical Decade of Action, we have recently achieved certification from Planet Mark for our baseline year by reporting our carbon footprint. We are proud to say that we are now certified Carbon Neutral as a company in full compliance with PAS2060. We are thrilled to have involved our stakeholders in the change we have created and to invite them to join us on the journey that our efforts are yet to take us on.

The COP27 will provide valuable insight into innovative technologies and action plans being implemented by nations to combat climate change, which will be revolutionary for Showcase and companies alike in terms of our efforts to tackle climate change.