Macclesfield firm Gradus has been involved with a mega donation to charity.

Teaming up with international flooring specialist Gerflor, the pair have donated Gradus carpet products to The Salvation Army to help support social projects and to put surplus stock to good use in a sustainable way. 

This charitable initiative is the commitment the business has to its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goal. 

Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) is the trading arm of The Salvation Army and, along with Gerflorand Gradus, are an active member of Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) network. 

Commenting on the donation to The Salvation Army David Collins-Lafferty, Marketing Manager, Gerflor said, "We have worked with The Salvation Army to donate and deliver discontinued carpet that will be sold through three of their donation centres to generate funds for the charity. 

"We have donated two-and four-metre-wide rolls in six various discontinued colours. As part of the donation plan, we also agreed with The Salvation Army that we would cut rolls down to manageable lengths of five linear metres. This supports them with storage and handling. In total we expect to donate around 1,500m2 during the first half of 2024.

"The relationship was developed through the core funder status that we have with the Carpet Recycling UK organisation." 

Commenting on the donation, Richard Shea, the Service Development Manager at the Salvation Army Trading Company said, "Gerflor were keen to do more with extending the useful life of Gradus carpets and diverting more items away from disposal."

The products will be sold for charity nationwide.

"Going forward, the products will be distributed to our 240 charity shops so that they can go on to be reused or repurposed. The profits received from the resale of these carpets and will be given to our parent charity to continue to support the exceptional work they do across the UK."

Richard Shea also said, "Gerflor and Gradus have been a pleasure to work with, reusing carpet is something that they are both passionate about. They were very supportive, with regard to our processes, so that we could maximise the potential and work collaboratively to get these items into our donation centres."

Shea continued by adding, "Both Gerflor and Gradus are well-known and credible brands in the flooring industry, and it's amazing to see their passion about 'reuse' align with ours. Through this exciting new partnership, we will see flooring fulfil its purpose, being reused instead of being disposed of and reducing the gap in furniture poverty, which effects so many people in the UK."

Gradus has over 200 employees. Pictured is their building behind the Park Green Macclesfield Memorial Grounds. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

David Collins-Lafferty added, "Although sustainability has always been an important priority at both Gerflor and Gradus, in 2023 whilst updating the Gradus CSR report to communicate our ongoing results and set our 2025 sustainability goals, we were also evaluating additional ways to increase our corporate social responsibility, one way being that we could help charitable causes with donations of end-of-life but unused Gradus carpet. At this time, we had also joined the Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) organisation. The Salvation Army Trading Company is also a member of CRUK, so a conversation was started to see if we could make donations happen to support such a worthy cause."

David Collins-Lafferty concluded, "As a carpet manufacturer and supplier, we care about the environment and the community. That is why we've worked hard to donate our end-of-life carpets to the charity, where they can be reused for various causes. By doing so, we not only reduce our environmental impact but support social initiatives. We believe that donating our end-of-life carpets is not only a responsible choice, but also a rewarding one."

Richard Shea ended by saying, "Thanks to partnerships like this, we can continue to help raise vital funds to support the most vulnerable in the community. The Salvation Army provide practical help for people in need, such as specialist support for survivors and potential victims of modern slavery, shelter for those experiencing homelessness and so much more. Flooring your home is a life changing experience and we are pleased to be able to make this available in collaboration with Gerflor and Gradus."

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01625 428922, emailing [email protected], or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations. 

To learn more about the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd, visit www.satcol.org or follow them on social media @reuse2repurpose.

The Salvation Army have a premises on Roe Street in Macclesfield.