Vita Comfort UK signs the NBF’s Pledge for our Planet

Vita Comfort UK has signed the NBF’s Pledge For Our Planet, an industry-wide commitment to addressing global and environmental damage.

The Pledge signifies a collective effort to commit to a journey of continuous environmental improvement at both a company and product level. At The Vita Group, we are dedicated to working in the most circular way and to reducing our impact on the environment.

This is yet another step for The Vita Group on their sustainable journey and another commitment that shows the group’s dedication to working in a more sustainable and circular way.

The National Bed Federation (NBF) has launched an industry-wide “Pledge for Our Planet”, asking companies in the bed industry to take steps in unison that will address global environmental damage.

There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that our planet is warming at an unsustainable rate and the quality and quantity of natural habitats are in decline.

The Pledge signifies a collective effort to commit to a journey of continuous environmental improvement at both a company and product level. It has also been designed to future-proof the industry for upcoming legislation and market changes. It is hoped that the Pledge will receive signatories from all types of players on the market, regardless of their size or the current progress made on their sustainability journey. If required, the Pledge will be reviewed by the NBF in reaction to any legislation or market changes, as well as the reported progress made by the signatories.

Our Pledge says what our company is doing, in cooperation with others in the bed industry, to begin to reverse these environmental trends. We pledge that we will meet all core requirements (*) within two years of signing up and all advanced requirements (+) within five years. In addition, we will meet the progressive requirements (•) for carbon reduction within the 2030 and 2050 milestones outlined.

We will…

1. Demonstrate our commitment to becoming a more sustainable business by:
   – Establishing a business mission statement which shows our support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production pattern) and 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts)
   – Measuring, recording and communicating our progress by publishing an annual environmental report
2. Reduce our global warming impact by:
   * Measuring the carbon emissions from our internal operations for which we are directly responsible and setting targets for year-on-year reduction (Scope 1 and 2)
   + Transparently disclosing our progress towards achieving carbon targets on a yearly basis
   + Measuring and reducing our indirect carbon emissions that occur in our value chain (Scope 3)
   • Halving our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 in line with the UK SME Climate Hub’s commitment and the Net Zero standard by the Science Based Targets initiative (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
   • Reaching net zero by 2050 (i.e. reducing at least 90% of our greenhouse gas emissions from both our internal and external operations) in line with the UK SME Climate Hub’s commitment and the Net Zero standard by the Science Based Targets initiative (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
3. Reduce our waste by:
   * Developing record-keeping systems to measure the number, type and reasoning of any products returned to the business
   * Developing record-keeping systems to measure the segregation and treatment of our production wastes
   * Providing up-to-date guidance to customers on how to care for their products to prolong their lifespan and dispose of them responsibly at the end of their life.
   * Recommending and encouraging the use of RAMR recyclers
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly reductions of our product returns
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly reductions of our production wastes
   + Setting targets and demonstrating yearly improvements in the weight of waste reused, repurposed or recycled either in-house or by a 3rd party organisation
4. Reduce our products’ impact on the environment by:
   Following ecodesign principles as outlined in the ‘NBF Ecodesign Principles for the UK Bed Sector’:Manufacturers
   * Self-assessment of xx% of products to a minimum bronze level of ecodesign (NBF Ecolabel)
   + Self-assessment of x% of products to a minimum of silver level of ecodesign (NBF Ecolabel)
   + Third party verification of ecodesign claims (NBF Ecolabel)

   Suppliers
   * Improving the transparency of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) used in materials, with the goal of reducing (and eliminating) their use
   * Engaging in environmental audits or responding to data requests on our carbon footprint, targets and progress if requested by manufacturers (Scope 1, 2 and 3)
   + Adopting material certifications where viable
   + Developing more sustainable material options through innovation

5.  Take responsibility for our actions by:
   * Developing open channels of communication with our customers, suppliers, staff, local community and investors to continuously improve our environmental credentials.
   * Creating a log of stakeholder feedback and actions taken in response
   + Welcoming external auditing to support transparency of our environmental claims

Find out more about our Sustainable journey here.