Why buy British?

Sep 30, 2024|

Bisley is a proud, British manufacturer, with over ninety years’ experience in creating and designing steel and wooden furniture for both commercial interiors and the home. We’re proud of our independence, drive, energy, and capabilities, which allows us to produce whatever you need, in the volumes you need, wherever you might need it.

Our headquarters is based in Newport, South Wales, having relocated from Bisley, Surrey in 1988. Today, our beautifully crafted products are manufactured in our factory and then shipped from our headquarters and transported to be enjoyed across the world. We also have Bisley owned subsidiaries located around the globe taking the brand multinational.

We often use the phrase that our furniture is Made for Life; this is true of our products, and we also take that ethos into every part of our manufacturing processes and company culture. We create furniture that lasts a lifetime; made from the highest quality materials, using the latest innovative technologies and processes with minimum impact on our environment.

We are extremely proud of our British roots and heritage. Here are some reasons why we believe you should buy British!

Supporting the UK economy and European subsidiaries

When you buy British, you not only support the UK economy, but you also support a sustainable economy, it benefits the local community, its businesses, and nurtures valuable individual skillsets and experience.

According to Made in Britain, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting British manufacturers of every size by helping everyone to identify British made good, a recent study was conducted into British manufacturing, where it was found that there is a growing desire among people living in the UK to buy locally. The study also revealed that “… over 90% of shoppers said they would be willing to pay more for British-made goods.”

Although incorrectly, there’s a general perception that buying locally means more expense, despite feeling that products that are made in Britain are better quality. According to Made in Britain, 77% of those asked said that they if they knew a product was made in the UK, they would believe it be “of good quality”.

At Bisley our products are found to be competitively priced even with furniture manufactured in the far east, and of a much higher quality.

Supporting UK employment

The Bisley team is made up of a team of 360 in the UK and another 100 across the world – our subsidiaries are based in France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Dubai and North America. We employ locally, and actively try to create a supportive and accessible environment where individuals can learn and develop, becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

As a result, we have incorporated TWI training (Training Within Industry) to simplify and create safer working methods and practices for employees, as well as providing skills for staff improvement and efficiency in the workplace. We heavily invest in our staff and over the past year have provided over 30% of our employees with professional development training which has ranged from NVQs to degrees. Staff are at the heartbeat of everything we do, and we aim to create a happy, supportive workplace where everyone feels valued, with over 30% of the current workforce having worked here for more than 20 years.

We understand how vital it is to continually develop our team, so that we can continue to design and create innovative furniture.

Carbon footprint and the environment

Of course, buying locally reduces our environmental impact and carbon footprint. Buying products made here in the UK, naturally reduces the amount of distance it needs to travel to arrive as its destination, less fuel is needed, and there’s less touchpoints involved in the process.

We know that the time for action is short, and companies such as ours have a critical role to play. Taking accountability is crucial to meeting these aims. Targets help us to identify how much and how quickly we need to reduce emissions to reach these goals, avoiding the potential environmental catastrophes of exceeding the temperature threshold (1.5C) associated with not meeting the targets.

Continuity of quality, design, and lifecycle

We have continued to successfully implement a Green Design protocol, enabling our design team to consider the environmental properties of each new product, from its inception, testing, the finished product, and its delivery. The design protocol encapsulates material selection, build quality, and product reuse at the end of life.

We design our products with the user’s possible future needs in mind and our Product Design team works to incorporate interchangeability of parts to further extend the life of our products. The high level of modularity designed into our products allow for ease of upgrading and retrofitting of new interior fitments to breathing new life into the product for years to come, relating back to our core message - Made for Life.

Guaranteed end of life recycle scheme

All process waste at our manufacturing site, including steel and wood offcuts, is captured and segregated for appropriate disposal and recycling, with 100% of general and wood waste being recycled or diverted from landfill. We aim to become zero to landfill by 2030.

We are proud to announce that we have developed initiatives with the British Heart Foundation and Clearabee, which will provide all our customers with the opportunity to give unwanted products a second life, contributing to making a positive difference to the environment. We also provide ongoing donations to St David’s Hospice, generated from the sale of scrap metal to recycling firms.

Find out more about Bisley’s high-quality, British-crafted products here.

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