Five ways to embed sustainability into a company’s culture

Following the publication of The Vita Group’s 2022 ‘Enhancing Everyday Life’ sustainability report, our Head of Sustainability, Natalie Watson, shares what actions businesses can take to embed sustainability into their company’s culture.

In today’s dynamic business landscape, sustainability has become a buzzword and, due to its complexity, often suffers from a lack of meaningful engagement. But it is a crucial factor for achieving long-term success as a business. It is essential to embed sustainability within the fabric of your company’s culture and seamlessly integrate it into your day-to-day business practices.

At Vita, we continue to make progress to ensure that every action we carry out is in line with our sustainability principles and that everyone understands how and why we approach sustainability in the way that we do.

This blog explores 5 ways to embed sustainability into your processes and operations.

1. Understanding your impact; activities and material usage:

The first step on your sustainability journey must always be to precisely understand your business activities and how they impact people and the planet (both negatively and positively). This is largely known as a materiality assessment. Once you have this information, you can sharpen your focus on how to do less harm but also start to make things radically better. Quantifying your impact will help you map ways to reduce it – after all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

Once you have the quantified impact information to hand about the materials you use, a key step to reducing the impact is looking at other materials which are more renewable or recycled.

As Vita is a flexible polyurethane (PU) foam manufacturer, we have moved to incorporate bio-polyols which are made from renewable raw materials, such as soya, pine and castor, and circular polyols which are made from post-consumer PU foam from end-of-life mattresses.

By reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources, we can significantly lessen our carbon footprint and contribute to a circular economy.

Vita has continuously invested in our R&D capabilities over the years too, building new facilities, processes, and equipment. Our four state-of-the-art innovation centres in Lithuania, Corby, Middleton and Accrington allow us to rapidly test new technologies and bring them to market quickly. Bringing all these technologies together allows the team to mix and match technologies and chemicals to develop cutting-edge new products.

2. Improve Energy Efficiency:

Manufacturing processes often consume significant amounts of energy. It is crucial that you measure the consumption of natural resources used for energy and ensure you place reduction at the heart of energy efficiency programmes. Regular maintenance and optimisation of machinery can lead to improved efficiency, ultimately benefiting both the environment and your bottom line.

By focusing on the reduction of our carbon emissions, we have managed to make significant progress against our sustainability targets. Vita was the first flexible polyurethane foam producer to have our greenhouse gas emissions mapped across Scope 1, 2 and 3 and our reduction targets are validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), ensuring we are in line with the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. Since our baseline in 2019, we have achieved a 43% reduction in both our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while our greenhouse gas intensity figures have decreased by the same percentage.  At the end of 2022, all our sites were using renewable electricity – a trend continuing in 2023, far in advance of our 2030 target.

3. Implement Waste Reduction Strategies:

Manufacturing can generate waste, but there are numerous opportunities to minimise its impact. Implementing a comprehensive waste management system that includes recycling, reusing, or repurposing materials is crucial. Additionally, exploring opportunities with relevant partners or establishing internal recycling programs can ensure that waste is diverted from landfills, reducing environmental harm.

At Vita, since 2000, we have been re-using by-products to create mechanically recycled materials and have diverted ∼275,000 tonnes of trim from landfill. In 2022, 100% of our production trim by-product was repurposed into new products or regrind materials. Our Ball & Young and RevoSport sites re-use this trim material for carpet underlay, hydroponic/green roof materials and shockpads for artificial turf systems.

Our circular economy strategies are exemplified by our products and the partnerships that made them possible, such as our Orbis™ range – our flexible PU foam solution made from repolyols (circular polyols). This notable innovation has been recognised via the prestigious Interzum 2021 and 2023 and UTECH innovation awards.

4. Consider Product Life Cycle:

A sustainable approach involves considering the entire life cycle of your products –. From extraction of raw materials, design to disposal, you should aim to minimise negative impacts at each stage using science-based data. Designing products for durability, recyclability, or even biodegradability can significantly contribute to reducing waste and promoting a circular economy. But crucially, without it – you could be making design decisions that you think are more sustainable but in fact, could be more harmful.

In 2022, we undertook significant work with experts in Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) which allowed us to assess a significant portion of new and existing products’ environmental impact from ‘Cradle to Gate’. Using a pioneering LCA model, we are now able to quantify the actual environmental impact of all new products from the innovation pipeline.

5. Engage Employees and Stakeholders:

Sustainability is a collective effort that requires the active involvement and support of all employees and stakeholders. Educate and inspire your workforce about the importance of sustainability, encouraging them to contribute ideas and implement green practices within their respective roles. Engaging with suppliers and customers to promote sustainable practices throughout the supply chain will also foster a culture of sustainability within your organisation.

At Vita, we ask our employees the simple question “What does sustainability mean to you?” the answer is so important because everyone will have a slightly different view and it shapes how they engage with the topic. We want to continue to shape the future of our industry by bringing more sustainable solutions to market, the Vita people are driving this by placing what sustainability means to them at the heart of their work.

A Sustainable Future

Embedding sustainability into your business is not only an ethical obligation, but a strategic move that helps you understand your true impact. By prioritising less impactful raw materials, improving energy efficiency, implementing waste reduction strategies, considering the product life cycle, and engaging employees and stakeholders at every level, you can pave the way for a more sustainable, prosperous future.

So whether you’re a small family business or a large multi-national corporation, commitment at every level is vital. Businesses of all sizes and across all sectors have a part to play, and by aligning your organisational values with the pressing needs of our planet, and inspiring others to join us in this endeavour, together we can make a lasting difference.