Drapers Take Steps to Help Companies Reduce Carbon Footprint

07 May 2008

Drapers, which has built up a reputation as specialists in the field of recycling, has been inundated with enquiries from firms as they accept the challenge of reducing their carbon footprint in the fight against climate change.

Recycling officers from firms all over Britain are recruiting Drapers to help the recovery of waste metal to prevent the material being dumped in landfill sites. At its state-of-the-art two-acre site at Raven Street, Drapers re-processes the ferrous and non-ferrous metal, selling it to other industries to be recycled into new products.

Peter Draper, Company Director of Albert Drapers and Sons, said: “Recycling has been at the heart of our business since the company was established in 1922. With our expertise spanning more than eight decades, we are helping companies accept their corporate responsibility and tackle their environmental impact as the issue of climate change takes centre stage.

“We recycle thousands of tonnes of metal, re-processing the material and selling it to industries to be re-used for new products. We find practical uses for metal which would have previously been sent to landfill, removing an unnecessary strain on the environment.”

Drapers was first established by Albert Draper in 1922 and the family firm is now under its fourth generation of owner managers. Each year, it removes and reprocesses thousands of tonnes of metal, from old bicycles and kettles to steam engines and even a former Cold War submarine. Drapers was also given the task of reprocessing Hull’s once-proud fleet of trawlers following their decommissioning after the city’s fishing industry was decimated by a succession of Cod Wars with Iceland.

More recently, Drapers has played a major role as Hull recovers from last summer’s floods. With thousands of households affected, it has been involved in the recovery and recycling of 3,000 extra tonnes of waste, from damaged white goods to cars and steel construction material. Hull Environment Research Institute estimate the floods resulted in the equivalent to four months’ worth being discarded in a single day and Drapers has played a role in reducing the burden on landfill sites.

Mr Draper continues: “We are regarded as experts in the field of recycling and now, more than ever, firms are approaching us to help them minimise their carbon footprint. Clients are coming to expect firms to adopt a greener approach and there is a growing global pressure on industry to accept their corporate responsibility. By reprocessing the material which would previously have been considered waste, we can put old metal to new use and help firms achieve that goal.”