Sustainability has long been a core value for Stormtech, but with each passing year, it’s one they entrench further within their business, and their ethos as an organisation. We sit down with Troy Creighton, Stormtech CEO, to talk all things sustainability.

Troy, what does sustainability mean to Stormtech?

Stormtech has always had a strong focus on excellence, both in terms of our products and processes, and we’re continually working to ensure that focus is a centralised company value. To us, it’s pretty clear that sustainability is not just about the environment, it’s something that makes great business sense too. Too often businesses take the low-cost, low-effort option which just results in something that is barely up to standard, with a pretty shocking lifespan to boot. But, while the set-up costs may be higher, sustainable is almost always cheaper overall.

You mentioned products that only just meet the standard, talk to us about Stormtech’s approach to compliance, particularly where sustainability is concerned.

To us, sustainability standards are the absolute bare minimum that need to be achieved in order for an action or product to have an impact. And following on from that, if we really want to push things forward, standards need to be exceeded every step of the way. We dedicate significant time and resources to having our products recognised and certified under the various sustainability frameworks to ensure builders and specifiers have full peace of mind when specifying Stormtech.

And what are some of those certifications?

We have all the regular certifications that any specifier would expect to see, but of note recently was the achievement of GreenTag HealthRATE™ Platinum certification for three of their most popular products. This certification for the Slimline Composite uPVC Channel and Stainless Grate, Slimline Stainless Steel Drainage System Series and Slot Drain, uPVC products, puts them in the ‘world-leading’ category, and gives designers and specifiers a strong attestation as to the material toxicity of these products. This helps them to reliably consider how Stormtech drains will contribute to the overall sustainability profile of their project.

But more broadly, we continue to commit to voluntary sustainability initiatives and achieve stronger certifications wherever possible to ensure that you can be confident that when you use a Stormtech product, you’re doing the right thing for the environment.

Troy, talk to us about how Stormtech approaches sustainability from a material perspective, and what your considerations are when manufacturing products.

The use of sustainable materials is key for us, so we invest a lot into R&D to ensure we evolve where we can and continually update our processes to get more from our materials, and adopt an approach of whole-of-lifecycle custodianship.

Our drain grates are mostly made with marine-grade stainless steel, which means they’re not only 100% recyclable, but they don’t decay, and stay serviceable and reusable for thousands of years. We also recycle and reuse all our offcuts to achieve a zero-waste outcome.

The other common material we use is PVC, which - as a plastic - obviously has some inherent sustainability concerns around it. But PVC is an incredibly long-lasting and durable material, which makes it ideal for drains. We’re also a signatory to the Australian PVC industry’s voluntary Product Stewardship Program, and by embracing the voluntary commitments made under Product Stewardship Program, which means we’re committed to addressing the environmental issues associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of PVC products in Australia.

So, where to next for Stormtech?

Well, when it comes to sustainability, our approach is that our job is never done. As new technologies and processes emerge, there will only be more opportunities to increase the sustainability profile of our products, and our business. And it’s our ethical duty to stay up to date with the latest developments and integrate them into our business. And as I said before, by doing that, we’re not only helping the environment, we’re suring up the long-term future of Stormtech as a business. So by making these choices, we’re building a business that’s simultaneously successful and makes us proud. We’re showing that profit and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive, and our journey is just getting better and better.

Architecture & Design Team

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