Raw talent

Sustainability was one of the founding pillars of Rawside, a Brixton-based commercial furniture design and manufacturing company. Co-founder Richard Gann reveals how the team cemented their carbon-savvy credentials

It was spotting a gap in the market for nonformulaic office furniture that led Richard Gann and Liz Close to establish Rawside in 2014. From a small workshop in Wandsworth, the duo began designing and manufacturing commercial furniture for small and medium sized businesses that didn’t want to conform to the identikit office set-up.

‘From inception, we were very keen to focus on sustainability,’ says Richard. ‘And still, whether we’re working on initial designs, selecting materials or in production, it’s the thread that runs through every step of our process.

‘I’d previously worked in design and was shocked at how frequently I witnessed people getting rid of furniture that was only five or ten years old. Our aim is to create items that you only need to buy once in a lifetime.’

The business grew and, in 2018, tendered and won the opportunity to be furniture supplier to multinational co-working-space provider The Office Group. Although the underdog among those pitching for the contract, it secured the deal thanks, in part, to its solid sustainability credentials. As a result of that springboard, Rawside now has a clutch of larger clients, sells through a network of architects and suppliers, and has moved to a roomier HQ in Brixton to keep up with demand.

‘It’s important that, as we grow, we don’t lose sight of those important values upon which Rawside was founded,’ says Richard. ‘We want to feel proud of the products we sell.’

Despite sustainability always having been at the heart of the brand, the requirements of bigger clients resulted in Rawside needing to cement its eco credentials in a more formal and visible way. Following a recommendation from a friend, Richard and Liz sought the guidance of Blue Marble to help them do just that.

‘The larger organisations want you to have recognised certification,’ explains Richard. ‘As we’re always looking to improve, we also saw the process of carbon auditing as an opportunity to explore how we could become carbon neutral.

‘We really liked Blue Marble’s approach as their methodology was easy to follow. The amount of effort and admin that goes into gathering all the information could seem overwhelming, but they make the process simple and stress free.’

The Rawside team were already using offcuts to heat their factory, but one of the suggestions from Blue Marble was to make briquettes from sawdust which could be used as a heat source and also sold on. Other carbon-cutting solutions included installing solar panels, harvesting rainwater and reducing energy consumption.

‘The measurements we used to calculate our baseline carbon output identified the quick wins, which helped us make an action plan,’ says Richard. ‘That was just the beginning – we’re now working with Blue Marble to look at the carbon footprint of each of our products.’