Global toy manufacturer plays with “ambitious” sustainability initiatives

Global toy supplier Sambro International has outlined its “ambitious” sustainable development targets for 2023, which will see the company reduce carbon emissions across its UK and EMEA offices by 5 per cent over the next 12 months.

The international toy and licensing business has set a list of 16 sustainable development targets, under its current ESG strategy, with each target aiming to progress more sustainable operations across the business.

These include the development and launch of a plush range made of 100 per cent recycled materials, setting targets for climate change metrics in order to strengthen climate change governance, and exploring more efficient pooling/pallet systems to reduce the number of single use pallets they use.

In 2022 Sambro was amongst the first toy companies of its size to calculate its carbon footprint and using 2019 as a base, it has seen an overall reduction in emissions of 3.4 per cent, including a 22 per cent reduction in Scope 2 emissions.

This is as a result of new sustainable innovations, including making the switch to renewable energy, with its Manchester headquarters now completely powered by electricity from renewable sources.

These innovations will continue into 2023, as the firm looks to reduce its emissions across the business by a further 5 per cent this year and starts to calculate several parts of its Scope 3 emissions, starting with an environmental assessment of ten of its largest international factories.

Sustainable packaging will also continue to be a priority, with Sambro ensuring all new lines are developed with more sustainable packaging options in mind. This will also cascade down to the supply chain, ensuring all packing used to ship goods from the company’s warehouse will either be made up of recycled or recyclable materials by the end of the year.

Lisa Longley, Sambro’s ethical and sustainability manager, commented: “Last year saw a real shift in the management of our sustainability commitments, completing 15 of our 17 goals set out to help achieve our wider business objectives.

“ESG has now been brought to the forefront of our business and we are seeing a genuine change in how we operate, not just internally but externally, with customers and licensors also playing a key role in achieving these goals.

“We’re continuing this drive in 2023 and we are excited to see how we can take this even further, working together to drive a business which has sustainability and circularity at its heart.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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