Simba becomes the first UK-born sleep brand to be awarded Certified B Corporation

In recognition of its drive for the highest standards of environmental and social sustainability, public transparency and legal accountability, the UK-headquartered business has become the first British-born sleep brand to be granted the coveted internationally recognised ethical accreditation of B Corporation®.

The international sleep tech firm founded in London in 2016, outlined its ambition to become a Certified B Corporation® just last year (2022), as part of its wider business strategy focused on three key pillars: Health, Planet and People.

Explaining what measures were taken to reach this milestone, CEO and founder Steve Reid said: “Successful submissions need to score 80 or higher to pass B Corp™ status. Simba received 97.5 in the assessment of its environmental and social impact – an achievement of which we are incredibly proud of.

“B Corp™ involves a rigorous process that placed our entire business model under the microscope - from a deep dive into our supply chain, to reviewing our approach to ethical innovation in new product development.

“In addition to the environment, accreditation also involves scrutinising governance and areas such as worker wellness and development, diversity, customer stewardship and community-related charitable projects. We set up an internal team and through this journey we’ve implemented lots of changes across the organisation. But there is still work to be done.”

Simba mattresses are manufactured in the UK in zero waste factories, meaning transport miles are reduced thanks to a short logistics chain. Nothing is sent to landfill, and all manufacturing waste is recycled or reprocessed into other products.

As part of Simba’s zero waste commitment and sustainability goals, in March 2023, the sleep technology business will launch its state-of-the-art, not-for-profit recycling service to accept any brand of mattress, no purchase necessary.

When it comes to environmental challenges, Simba already uses carbon offsets for logistics - but the long-term aim is to reduce reliance on offsetting by reducing the emissions at source.

“As well as with upcoming designs that will enable us to slim down the use of foam in our mattress layers, Simba duvets use Global Recycled Standard fillings whilst Better Cotton is used across the entire Simba range”.

Simba accessories are made in Eco Factories, manufactured with energy from certified renewable sources, plus they are accredited with ISO 14001, which means the environmental impact is monitored, benchmarked, and controlled with energy and water reduced.

“Being a certified B Corp™ is a positive step for the company long term. Reviewed every three years it will shape our roadmap for continuous improvement. It also provides additional accountability. By the end of 2023, we’d like to ensure at least 50 per cent of materials used are from recycled sources. And have a goal to reduce the carbon footprint of foam in our mattresses by 25 per cent by 2050.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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