Our initiatives so far
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and our planet won’t be fixed overnight. But we’ve made a start, and we won’t stop until we’ve done all we can; we’re determined to examine and optimise our entire business for environmentally responsible production.
No stone unturned.
Cutting emissions
We know current methods of manufacturing create climate-warming emissions, so we invest in reforestation and biodiversity projects (in Peru, Brazil and the UK) that offset the emissions we produce.
But our aim is to reach Net Zero by 2030 - to be responsible for as close to zero emissions as possible, allowing us to invest in projects that absorb emissions rather than simply offset them. To help us achieve this we’ve commissioned an emissions audit of our entire supply chain and business to help us prioritise our tasks for 2022.
Nothing wasted
It’s also clear that everything we make should both last a long time and have more than one life; we must reduce, reuse, and recycle. So we’ve made sure every single component of our mattresses can be recycled, from our foam comfort layers to our tiny Aerocoil springs; similarly, any returned mattresses are refurbished and redistributed or recycled, while any leftover foam is repurposed into other things like dog beds or carpet underlay.
But we have more to do. Our target is zero waste, and to do that we’re committed to making recycling easier and better, via improved design as well as increased customer support.
The right materials
We’re using our engineering expertise to identify more responsible materials: so far we’ve removed as many pollutants as we can from our foam, we use sustainable wood, our textiles are OEKO-TEX certified (a safeguard against harmful substances), and we’re using more and more recycled materials (even plastic bottles) in our packaging and products, in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). We’re also part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which focuses on reducing the huge environmental impact of cotton production.
But we know we can do more: we’re sourcing FSC certified wood, we’re continuing to replace new materials with recycled ones, and we’re working on new, responsible foam technologies.
Made in the UK
We’ve invested in UK factories and suppliers wherever we can. It isn’t a flag waving exercise, it’s a genuine effort to keep manufacturing local, thereby creating jobs, building communities, and slashing transportation costs left, right, and centre. Take our mattresses for example; they’re crafted in Manchester, with titanium micro springs from Leeds, airy foam layers from Middleton and soft wool layers from Yorkshire.
And it’s a principle we’re committed to, however much we grow and expand as a business in the future. For Simba, going global means staying local.
Our people, our community
We’re nothing without the people that spend their days thinking and working on our behalf, so naturally we’re constantly looking for ways to support them; at their request we’ve embraced flexible working and working from home, and it’s working so well we’ve even given up our head office. Further afield, our supply chain is SEDEX compliant; this is an audit system that ensures our suppliers and factories are consistently protecting people and safeguarding the environment.
But the wider community matters to us too. Alongside offering NHS discounts we’re proud to work with the charity End Youth Homelessness, providing mattresses for young people rebuilding their lives; there are other charity partnerships in the pipeline too, we’ll keep you posted.
