How Sheldon Turned its Manufacturing Facility into a Thriving Ecosystem of Native Plants and Animals
Managing a manufacturing facility in Australia comes with the responsibility of protecting the Country it sits on. At Sheldon, that responsibility is woven into daily operations. Our Central Coast furniture manufacturing hub sits alongside bushland that many native species call home, and thanks to years of hands-on conservation by our team, that bush is thriving.
Sheldon’s furniture manufacturing facility in Somersby, NSW.
Creating bird and insect boxes
When Sheldon’s manufacturing team aren’t creating joinery solutions for our workplaces, they’re looking for ways to support and grow the surrounding bush areas of the factory. Recently, they designed and built a suite of bird and insect boxes to expand nesting and shelter options for native species including parrots, owls, thrushes, rosellas, kookaburras and native bees.
How we did it:
Design. Our in-house designers and CAD technicians collaborated to develop a family of nest box types sized for different species and behaviours, from small cavity nesters to larger parrots and owls.
Machining. Using our CNC equipment, we machined components from sustainably sourced Australian timber.
Assembly. Our joiners assembled the box components in our workshop, ready for install.
Installation. The team mounted boxes at varied heights and aspects in trees around the factory to mimic natural nesting opportunities. Insect hotels were placed low to the ground, including one adjacent to the pond, a known hotspot for native bees.
Who’s moved in?
The trees surrounding our facility already host a colourful array of Australian birds, and the new boxes will support even more. Regular sightings include Eastern Rosella, Red-browed Finch, Grey Shrike-thrush, Superb Fairy-wren, Eastern Yellow Robin, Australian Barn Owl, King Parrot and Kookaburra. Beyond birds, we’ve installed possum boxes that are now home to local Brushtail Possums, one of Australia’s most abundant marsupials.
Water is life, so we also created a native garden and pond in the outdoor break area. Not long after the pond went in, emerald-spotted tree frogs and dwarf tree frogs began using the habitat, an early sign that our micro-wetland is working as intended.
Other activities have included planting native trees along boundaries to extend habitat corridors and leaving outside areas undisturbed wherever possible to preserve ecological balance.
How this ties into Sheldon’s wider ESG strategy
Sheldon’s nature and wildlife conservation at its central coast manufacturing facility is part of Sheldon’s wider ESG management plan and goals. In the built environment, we’re known for delivering workplaces through a circular economy model (enabled through internal divisions). Our co-curricular environmental initiatives to support flora and fauna “close the loop” of the circular economy, supplementing our low impact approach to fitouts with activities that directly contribute to the regeneration of Australia’s native landscape and resources. By designing for durability and reuse in our fitouts, and designing for habitat in our backyard, we reduce pressure on natural systems at both the project and place scale.
Sheldon acknowledges biodiversity's vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and enhancing human health and wellbeing. Recognizing the intrinsic value and global significance of Australia's unique wildlife, Sheldon applies a cautious and proactive approach to maintaining the biodiversity surrounding our operations and assisting external organisations with land regeneration around Australia. Sheldon’s objective is to enhance our understanding of nature and biodiversity in the areas where we operate and to implement suitable protection, management, and enhancement measures in those places.