How are we embracing sustainability?

As a business with a global reach, we’re very aware of the world around us and are working hard to minimise our impact on the planet. In the past few months, our Environmental Task Force has been established to set clear and achievable commitments towards operating more sustainably.

Sustainability feels particularly relevant given how society’s views and values are shifting. Many people are choosing more eco-friendly ways to live their lives, and it’s important that companies recognise and reflect this. What’s particularly important in our sector is that we offer sustainable and environmentally friendly choices to people in death – especially if they have taken steps to follow a life which embraces ecological choices.

This focus on sustainability begins with our product range. For example, we are currently working to ensure our products are made with FSC certified materials. This accreditation ensures sustainable forestation and is particularly relevant to our business given that some of our products use wood. Our goal is to have our key products made with FSC certified materials within the next 12 months, by January 2024.

In recent years we’ve also explored the use of different materials to help us develop a much more sustainable product range. Our Bamboo coffins, English Willow coffins and ashes urns are made from fast growing plants, which are renewable. Willow and bamboo are quick to grow and replenish, producing impressive quantities of material each year; a significant difference compared to traditional wood which takes years to harvest.

We’re reviewing wastage and packaging too – for example our wooden hearts are now made from beech, to reduce waste, and supplied in a totally biodegradable natural card recycled box, in a move away from the original-coloured packaging which contained ink and was covered in a thin plastic film.

Our operations

One of the other steps we’ve taken is to register with the Bike2Work Scheme to encourage our team to consider other, more sustainable, ways to get to and from work. As part of the Government’s Green Transport Plan, our staff can save up to 42% on the cost of a bike. Some of the other benefits include reduced costs to travel to and from work, which is particularly relevant given current fuel costs, and an improvement in their general health and well-being.

We’re also working on analysing our current energy use within our offices and warehouse to calculate the percentage of energy that goes into each product. This is a complex process but will enable us to set some goals and build this reporting into our considerations.

In our community

Our company has supported a number of charities over the years, and we are continuing this tradition by working with a charitable organisation to help our current environmental initiatives. When researching for a charity that fits these criteria, we came across many organisations including The South Downs National Trust.

Supporting the trust will provide us with the opportunity to help the environment while offering something that our staff can be involved with, which is important to our company ethos. In addition to being close by, we have previously worked with them by donating over 200 trees as part of a customer survey campaign.

There are several projects run by the Trust that we aim to participate in, including a Renature Programme and a Guardian Scheme. Tori Bush, our Sales Director, and member of our environmental task force, is passionate about making the world a better place and leads the idea behind this task.

Tori had this to say, “I grew up at the foot of the South Downs and as a child, I spent many hours making the most of our beautiful National Park. It was a hugely important part of my childhood, and to this day is somewhere I spend a lot of time. I understand the importance of preserving and nurturing the park for the future. Here at Tributes, we take our responsibility to the environment seriously, whether that be at home or abroad, and we are delighted to support our South Downs National Trust throughout the year ahead.”

We are taking this focus on sustainability seriously and will be sharing the progress we have made here on our website, and through our social media channels.