Following their commitment to operate as normal following the COVID-19 outbreak, Rock Fall have announced the creation of a brand new, senior position at Rock Fall as a Materials Technologist.
The role – which will involve steering Rock Fall product development into new, existing and sustainable areas – has been filled by Cathryn Widdowson. Cathryn is a prominent person in the field have previously sourced materials across the world in China, Vietnam and Netherlands for major brands, including Clarks.
Cathryn will work alongside their Senior Team, supply chain, factories and partner component manufacturers with the aim of making Rock Fall “the sustainable safety boot brand” by 2022. This follows the brand’s commitment to sustainable business practices, with their 2020 Sustainability report released in January of this year.
Some examples of Rock Fall’s sustainability include increasing the amount of styles produced using LWG accredited upper materials and only 20% of finished footwear currently being manufactured using Leather Working Group accredited materials. LWG manufacturers have an average energy use reduction of 48% and water consumption reduction of 35% so any increases in this production have a notable effect on the eco-credentials of a manufacturer.
Important next steps include changing materials to be sourced from recycled sources and increasing the amount of material that can be recycled at end of use, as well as removing plastics where possible.
Summarising their plans, the Rock Fall Senior Management Team commented, “Cathryn is something of a coup for Rock Fall and strengthens our product design and sourcing team. She joins Rock Fall with a wealth of experience and industry contacts to bring our aims closer to a reality. We have a hard-earned reputation for innovation and for prolific levels of new developments in safety footwear, these sorts of positions enable our company to stay at the forefront of the industry.”
For more information, please visit www.rockfall.com.
