SentriLock, the Cincinnati-based lockbox, showing service, and experience management solution, has long put sustainability at the forefront of its manufacturing and operations. Company founder and CEO, Scott Fisher recently talked with REALTOR® Magazine about how Sentrilock puts sustainability into practice. The company, founded in 2002, is a subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS®.
What do you mean when you say SentriLock has a longstanding commitment to sustainability?
Our product has always been about reducing impact on the planet. It’s simple: SentriLock lockboxes reduce agents’ trips to pick up and drop off keys, and therefore carbon emissions. Features like our One Day Codes and FlexCodes let non-members participate in reducing extra trips, too.
Every SentriLock lockbox since our launch has had a user-replaceable battery providing exceptional product life, in many cases exceeding 15 years. We want you to be able to use your lockbox as long as possible.
How does sustainability factor into your business practices or influence the materials used in the manufacturing?
SentriLock’s business philosophy is innovation. We design and build new devices to delight our customers with the latest technology as well as drive out waste. Our new SentriGuard lockbox is the pinnacle in our product sustainability efforts, with highly reusable and durable materials such as stainless steel and recyclable plastics and the ability to completely disassemble the internal components. The three R’s—repair, refurbish, recycle—are key to our business sustainability practices.
When customers are ready to upgrade their lockbox, they can feel good knowing that SentriLock often refurbishes old lockboxes for a second life in other markets. Lockboxes that can’t be refurbished are either harvested for repair parts or sent to a recycler for recovery of their reusable materials.
Has user demand played a role in driving sustainability?
Our customers have shared that our recycling program is a key differentiator in the lockbox market and is of growing importance to their business values. They recognize there isn’t one silver bullet to addressing climate change; it’s going to take looking at everything.
How do you plan to improve on what you’re doing?
We’re striving for a future where we can build new lockboxes from recovered components and significantly reduce the need for raw materials and the energy needed to produce them. A pleasant side benefit is keeping pricing in check in a world where material costs are rising rapidly.
Learn more about how sustainability efforts can save money and conserve resources, and give your business an edge.