Innovator in sleep technology, Simba, has reached a major milestone on its road to achieving net zero by 2030, by successfully securing global certification of B Corp status.
The sleep-tech brand outlined its goal to become a B Corporation just last year, as part of its wider sustainability strategy.
“From a deep dive into our supply chain, to reviewing our approach to ethical innovation in our new product development, this gold-standard award for ethical business involves a rigorous process which looked at our entire business model,” says Simba’s CEO and co-founder, Steve Reid.
Simba’s mission is to engineer the perfect night’s sleep in a way that creates as little impact on the planet as possible. It is dedicated to providing accessible sleep solutions for more people – either through full-price or refurbished products, and through technology.
All Simba mattresses are made in the UK in zero-waste factories, which also reduces air miles. 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, it recently opened up 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 its long-term aim is to reduce reliance on offsetting by reducing the emissions at source.
Steve says: “Product is the single largest contributor to emissions, and Simba has been working hard to reduce environmental impact through innovation – such as the launch of the Green Organic mattress, which uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and GOLS-certified organic latex.
“As well as with upcoming designs that will enable us to reduce 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 says its accessories are made in “eco factories”, manufactured with energy from certified renewable sources, and are accredited with ISO 14001, which means their environmental impact is monitored, benchmarked and controlled, with energy and water reduced.
“In addition to our sustainability credentials and goals, we’re committed to fostering a culture of wellbeing and supporting our communities, both within the company and further afield,” Steve continues. “Last year, Simba was named the third Best Retail Company to work for in the Best Companies league table (as voted for by staff) – while our partnership with charity End Youth Homelessness recently passed its one-year anniversary. In this time, we’ve donated nearly £300,000 worth of mattresses and bedding to newly rehomed people across the UK.”
Simba also recently started working with GenM, a menopause partner for brands, and will be helping it to better serve menopausal women with the right products and services to ease night-time symptoms. Additionally, Simba’s NHS scheme, which offers a generous discount on all Hybrid mattresses, bedding, pillows, duvets and sheets, has benefitted over 43,000 healthcare workers since it launched in 2020.
“Successful submissions need to score 80 or higher to achieve B Corp status,” Steve explains. “Simba is the first UK sleep brand to be awarded this accreditation, with a score of 97.5 – an achievement of which we are incredibly proud.
“But there is still work to be done. B Corp status is reviewed every three years, and we will work closely with the organisation to shape a roadmap for continuous improvement and provide additional accountability for reaching our goals, which will include ensuring at least 50% of materials used are from recycled sources by the end of 2023, and reducing the carbon footprint of foam in our mattresses by -25% by 2050,” he concludes.
