A greener, cleaner future with Simply Brands
It’s the buzzword of the last few years in the corporate world. Sustainability. However, becoming sustainable doesn’t just happen overnight and it’s not a word to be used lightly. This goes beyond saying the right things to appeal to the consumer, it’s about a commitment to the generations after us, and pulling together to do our part for the greater good.
And although every step in that right direction may seem small and insignificant, they compile to create a sustainability goal every business can, and should pursue.
This fine balance of becoming sustainable and keeping business moving isn’t easy, but at Simply Brands we are doing our research and finding ways in which we can become a more sustainable choice within the supply chain for our clients now, and into the future. Some of these changes are instant, and some will no doubt take time, but this is about progression, not perfection and just that shift in focus and mindset is already making us feel lighter, brighter and more positive about the sustainability of our business going forward.
Our Simply Brands vision is to create a better everyday life for everyone, and we do believe that we can only be better when living sustainably. And, as we aim to meet the needs of people today without compromising their future tomorrow, we have already made positive changes with Simply Power. Our Sustainable Edition power leads are made from recycled bottles! They are stylish and eco-friendly and we are hoping to expand the use of rPET materials throughout an even bigger range as we go into 2022 as well as on our storage lines and other fabric lines within our ranges. We’ve also introduced the incredibly stylish and eco-friendly Cactus Leather into our Simply Promo range! Cactus Leather is made from Opuntia Cactus and was developed by a team in Mexico with the aim of creating a material that was sustainable with the properties of leather. It’s beautiful and brilliant and we love working with it for our Promo partners. Just get in touch to learn more about it!
As a supplier of a huge range of products, our focus right now is on the packaging. This is a huge concern for many businesses the world over and it must be tackled as soon as possible. Plastic packaging in the UK accounts for nearly 70% of our plastic waste. As if that isn’t shocking enough, every year the UK generates more than two million metric tons of plastic packaging waste. This equates to roughly 36 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per person. Learning stats like this, and seeing in our own homes the amount of waste we accumulate from packaging alone (Have you ever piled up the packaging you remove when putting away the weekly shop?), we have made it our mission to cut down on our packaging waste as much as possible. In fact, any new orders are being checked to make sure as much if not all plastic packaging is removed. In instances where we have used plastic trays in the past, recycled card sleeves are now being used, and polybags are being replaced with tissue paper sheets.
Our aim is to have 100% recyclable packaging
We know this is a tall order and not something we can solve instantly, but we are determined to work with our suppliers to develop innovative ways to create better, greener, cleaner packaging that suits the consumer demand and delivers on quality, as well as being a more sustainable choice.
This focus on sustainability goes far beyond the corporate world too. Consumers are being smarter about how they shop and are actively seeking out businesses who are committed and like-minded in their concern for the planet. And so, with packaging that is recyclable, we will be helping to alleviate the aggressive weight of plastic waste in the UK and throughout the world as well as appealing to the ever-expanded market of the conscious consumer. This isn’t about profitability, it’s about sustainability, but A recent study revealed more than a third of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainability. This is great news for the corporate world as concern over the rising costs of sustainable options is of course something that can affect the willingness to commit. However, whether consumers will pay more for the products or not shouldn’t affect our dedication. Every piece of plastic we remove or every item we supply that comes in recycled packaging is a win for the planet, the consumer, Simply Brands, and our customers within the supply chain.
And so, as we look to 2022, we have continual communication channels with our suppliers as we push them to research and develop better solutions for us and our customers to help us achieve our 100% recyclable packaging target, as well as reducing plastic across all our product ranges themselves too. This is a team effort but one we feel is an absolute priority for Simply Brands that needs to be addressed and actioned immediately. We want to inspire changes in lifestyle and influence positive consumption habits.
To find out more about our plans for better sustainability and how we can be your sustainable supplier of choice, get in touch today.
