Why we care and what we're doing
The textile industry has a significant environmental footprint, with an estimated 180,000 tonnes of textiles sent to landfill in New Zealand each year.¹ As a retailer of soft furnishings, we’re part of that industry, and even though we're a small player with a team of just 21, we still believe we have a responsibility to do what we can to reduce our impact.
We don’t have all the answers, but we’re committed to making better choices: reducing waste, finding new uses for materials, choosing more considered products and working with our suppliers to do better.
This is our journey so far.
Independent verification with Toitū Envirocare
To help guide us, we’ve developed an Environmental Policy with practical goals for reducing our impact. We’ve also partnered with Toitū Envirocare, wholly owned by New Zealand Crown Research Institute Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, which has helped more than 400 organisations improve their environmental performance.
Working with Toitū, Lahood has achieved Toitū Enviromark® Gold certification. This means our Environmental Management System (EMS), including our goals, processes and practices, has been independently audited against recognised New Zealand and international best practice and is reassessed annually. Importantly, the certification is about how we manage our environmental impact - not a claim about our products.
Within the approved EMS framework, below are some of the initiatives we've introduced during the last 12 months , alongside our everyday recycling of cardboard, paper and general plastics.
Unused blinds for South Auckland homes
Unused blinds, shutters and roman blinds that would otherwise sit in storage are instead donated to Accelerating Auckland, an Ōtara-based charity supporting local families. So far we've redirected more than a tonne of product this way, rather than to landfill.
Giving fabric a second life
Over the past year we've redirected around 800kg of fabric from landfill. 300kg of discontinued curtain samples and fabric remnants from our showroom has gone to the West Auckland Resource Centre, where local schools put them to use in classroom craft projects. We also donate roughly 500kg of new, unused curtain fabric and off-cuts each year to Habitat for Humanity.
Recycling metal from blinds
When used blinds need to come back to us, we now strip them down ourselves so the aluminium and tin components can be recycled rather than dumped. So far we've redirected around 500kg of metal to Auckland recycling facilities.
Composting for good
Food scraps and coffee grounds from our kitchen no longer go to landfill. Instead, around 250kg a year is composted at the Morningside Urban Market Garden at Eden Park - an initiative that helps migrant and refugee women build food-growing skills and supply fresh produce to local cafes and markets.
From plastic to post
Soft plastic from our showroom, warehouse and office teams is now collected separately and sent to Future Post, who recycle it into fence posts. We've sent around 80kg so far, with a larger collection point for our installers' packaging waste coming soon.
Thoughtfully sourced fabric range
We don't manufacture our fabrics, but we can be considered about what we offer. Our Eco-Friendly Curtain Range features fabrics meeting at least one of three standards:
- 50%+ recycled content,
- 100% natural fibres such as linen, hemp or wool, or
- OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification for safe, responsibly produced textiles.
We’re continuing to review and expand this selection as more options become available. It doesn’t represent every product in our range that may meet one or more of these criteria, but it provides a starting point for customers who want to make a more thoughtful choice.
Eco-friendly blinds, coming soon
We're developing similar criteria for our blinds range, so you'll soon be able to choose more thoughtfully produced options across blinds, as well as curtains.
We’re only getting started
Achieving Toitū Enviromark Gold certificaiton is an important milestone for Lahood, but we see it as the beginning rather than the destination. Toitū means "to sustain continually" and reminds us that there will always be more we can do. We’ll continue measuring our progress, looking for practical ways to reduce waste and working with our team and suppliers to improve.
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, and we’ll keep taking the next step, one change at a time.
Thank you for coming with us.
¹ https://www.oneplanet.nz/households/textiles/
What our customers say
1/3
Friendly and helpful consultant and the installation team were great also. We love the shutters we have had installed and are very happy with the final look. Thank you.
Tessa, Auckland
Love dealing with the staff at Lahood. Friendly and listen to what I think I want. Always get the call back if required.
Fiona, Auckland
We had a great experience with Clay and the folk at Lahood. Our renovation took quite a bit longer than expected, but Lahood delivered as and when needed, were very easy to contact and deal with and the installation team are great. Over all one of the positives of the whole experience. Absolutely recommend Lahood.
Craig, Auckland
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