Long Service Month: 30 Years of Packaging Evolution with Our ESG Manager Pete
15th Oct 2026
This month, Draper Tools is proud to celebrate our long-serving team members whose dedication, passion and expertise have helped shape the company into what it is today. Having so many colleagues celebrate 20+ years with us is a huge milestone and a true testament to the supportive, friendly and nurturing culture we’ve built together.
To mark the occasion, we’re sitting down with a few of our long-standing team members to talk about their journeys, how the business has evolved and what makes Draper such a great place to build a career.
First up, we caught up with Pete, our ESG Manager, who joined Draper in 1996.
Tell us a bit about your background and when you first joined Draper?
I spent around 12 years at B&Q working as an assistant store manager and had decided it was time for a change. I joined Draper Tools back in 1996 as an assistant buyer, mostly handling packaging and stationery. At the time, I was in my mid-20s with a young family. Shifting to a Monday-to-Friday schedule was great, as it allowed me to spend my weekends with my children.
Back then, did you ever think you’d be here in 30 years’ time?
To be honest, I didn't! It was just one of those things where I very quickly realised it was a different culture, even back then there were a lot of people who’d been there a long time. Certainly, everyone in my department was very friendly and you got the impression everyone genuinely cared about the company and doing the right thing, and that they genuinely cared about each other too. I know a lot of people say ‘it’s the people that make the difference’ but it’s really true.
How has your role evolved over the years?
My responsibilities have expanded significantly. Today, I manage packaging across all of our product lines, handle environmental compliance, and am transitioning into a broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) focus. My day-to-day involves navigating regulatory frameworks like RoHS, WEEE and EU Declarations of Conformity (DOCs) for packaging. I interact with almost every department internally from QA, buying and marketing to sales and the warehouse as well as directly with our supplier networks around the world. Looking ahead, I am exploring ISO 14001 training and helping prepare Draper’s carbon reduction and net-zero strategy. There’s a lot of legislation for us to keep pace with and it certainly keeps me busy and looking forwards.
What major shifts have you seen in packaging during your time here, and what initiatives are you currently driving?
I’ve seen packaging go through full cycles. Over a 10 to 15-year period, we saw a huge industry shift from card and box formats toward plastic blister packs. Now, we are leading the charge back in the opposite direction, moving away from plastic blisters toward sustainable card and box alternatives. We are actively driving a reduced plastics packaging policy for new product lines, which aligns closely with key retail customers. Right now, we’re exploring heavy-duty pressed cardboard options to replace non-detectable, non-recyclable black plastic hangers on products such as sockets, while focusing on single-material packaging designs to eliminate components like cable ties.
With packaging and plastic reduction all going in the right direction, the next challenge is looking at our carbon reduction plan, how we could get to net zero, whether we could do it by 2050. There’s a lot to investigate but that’s going to be one of the next big projects.
What do you enjoy most about working at Draper?
Coming from a more of corporate structure, I really value Draper’s approachable family culture. Having direct access to leadership, like John, Joe and Tom Draper makes a huge difference.
In my role specifically, it’s variety that I like, there are 12,000 very different products, so that keeps things interesting. I deal with all of our suppliers and internal teams, so I’m always speaking to different people too, which adds to the variety.
My role has changed so much, with the ESG element to it now, it’s definitely been quite a steep learning curve, especially on the legislation and governance side. But it means I’m always learning and looking forwards.
What has your career at Draper taught you?
Never to stop learning, stay observant of innovations across all sectors and keep continuously adapting to changing industry standards. Take inspiration from your competitors and brands outside our industry, with trends and legislation always changing you can never stand still. I often take photos on my phone of packaging innovations I see in stores, packaging is all around, so you do get inspired quite a lot.
What would you say to someone wanting to apply to work at Draper?
I would say do it! I’d recommend it, whether you’re making the switch from somewhere more corporate, or starting out in your career. With Draper, you get the sense that you’re a person not a number, you feel connected to the company as a whole. If you’re starting out, there can be a lot to learn, but there’s a good bunch of people to learn from whatever department you’re in. Come join and help us move forward!
Any final thoughts?
It’s really amazing that it’s been 30 years! Looking back at it now, it feels strange, sometimes it feels like a lifetime but at the same time it’s gone very, very quickly. That must mean I’ve enjoyed it – the days do go very quickly and they’re never dull. There’s always so much going and a lot to keep you going. Long may it continue!
