The first Flexible PU manufacturer with approved SBTi targets

We are delighted to announce that by setting ambitious, company-wide emissions reduction targets, we are now the FIRST flexible PU manufacturer globally to be validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi have the aim of driving ambitious climate action across the private sector globally.

We are officially the first flexible PU foam manufacturer to set science-based emissions reduction targets, in line with the level of decarbonisation required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The aim of the targets is to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.

The SBTi’s Target Validation Team classified our scope 1 and 2 targets and has determined that we are in line with a 1.5°C trajectory, currently the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process. We have also further committed to reducing absolute Scope 3 emissions by 13.5% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

The Vita Group is also a ‘starred’ organisation, SBTi’s category for companies that are members of the Business Ambition for 1.5 campaign – an urgent call to action from a global coalition of UN agencies and business and industry leaders, in partnership with the Race to Zero.

The announcement builds upon the launch earlier this year of our first sustainability report, which detailed how as a business we have balanced commercial objectives with morally and ethically sound business practices. Over the last two years, we have reduced direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, with other successes including reducing waste sent to landfill down to just 2.01% and launching our first foam range made from raw materials extracted from end-of-life products.

These significant environmental achievements have been outlined in our Sustainability Report Enhancing Everyday Life. The sustainability strategy outlined in the report has been created in collaboration with Schneider Electric UK, a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation.

Ian Robb, Group CEO, said: “Having our climate targets validated by the SBTi is the latest milestone on our sustainability journey, and is a very proud moment for our business. When we launched our sustainability report earlier this year it didn’t just outline what we’d done, but how we would not stop until we were able to reach our game-changing targets, such as sending zero manufacturing waste to landfill by 2040.

“Rapid and deep emission cuts are pivotal if we are to halve global emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050. Over the coming months, I look forward to speaking to our supply chain and customers about why they should join us in aligning with climate science by committing to science-based 1.5°C and net-zero targets too.”

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science. It is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The SBTi defines and promotes best practices in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets.

Read more about our sustainable journey here.

About The Vita Group

The Vita Group is one of Europe’s leading flexible foam solutions providers. Built on 70 years of heritage, Vita develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of value-added and differentiated flexible polyurethane foam, Talalay latex and flooring products.

Vita has three divisions – Comfort, Technical and Flooring – which cater for customers across a broad set of industries, including Bed-in-a-Box, mattresses and bedding, furniture, hygiene and medical, mobility, construction, and flooring, amongst others. The Company’s pan-European operating base is well-positioned to serve local, regional, and multi-national customers across Europe and provide innovative and value-added products and applications worldwide.

The Vita Group is proud to sit at the vanguard of innovation and sustainability and has been working to improve our sustainable practices for over 50 years. Our teams, working across our four dedicated innovation centres, work with academic, supply chain and customer partners to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of development. 2022 sees the launch of our first sustainability report, outlining our positioning and road map for achieving our sustainable goals. Vita has signed with the UN Global Compact, been awarded a silver Ecovadis rating, and is proud to be the first PU foam manufacturer to be validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).