Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at Simpsons Malt.
In 2021, we were thrilled to join a growing group of for-profit companies in becoming a Certified B Corporation®.
The framework of the B CorpTM assessment process is now at the heart of the company’s overall operations, helping us sustainably grow our family business for future generations in the ‘right’ way.
But what is a B Corp exactly? The information below will hopefully give you a greater idea about why we were so keen to join the B Corp community.
WHAT IS A B CORP?
In simple terms, B Corps are for-profit companies who are committed to prioritising the environment and society in the way they do business.
They meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
B Corp is one of the only certifications that is not for a product or service, but for the whole business behind the product or service, with five categories comprising the overall assessment process: Governance, Workers, Customers, Community and Environment.
Every business is scored in each of these categories, with 80 points required to become a Certified B Corporation. For our assessment in November 2021, we scored 89.6 points.
You can view our B Corp profile by clicking HERE.
By becoming a B Corp, we are also legally and morally committed to prioritising our responsibility to the environment and society. Our articles of association, registered at Companies House, now reflect this. It means that for every business decision we make, we must prioritise the welfare of people and the planet, not just profits.
SUSTAINABILITY
Becoming part of the B Corp community and joining a global movement of like-minded businesses pushing for change was undoubtedly a proud moment for us – but we have been focusing on the B Corp sustainability pillars for many years.
With direct contact to barley growers via our agricultural merchanting division McCreath Simpson & Prentice, to our own malt production processes and the delivering of malt to the end user, we are committed to operating in the most environmentally friendly way from seed to bottle, with the accreditations to officially acknowledge our efforts.
We’re also proud of our heritage and the fact that the fifth generation of the Simpson family is involved with the running of the business today, while we’ve endeavoured to build positive relationships in the local communities around our two maltings in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland and Tivetshall St Margaret, Norfolk.
Below are a few examples of what we have achieved through the years.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Central to our sustainability objectives is the goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.
In recent years, we have spent time baselining our carbon footprint by department – both in the malting and merchanting sides of the business – to get accurate data on carbon emissions throughout the company.
Having completed that, we are now working on carbon reduction plans across each department, with various projects having been completed – or currently in progress – to meet annual targets on the road to the overall goal of carbon neutrality.
These projects include our entire fleet of wagons based out of our Tweed Valley Maltings making the switch to the more environmentally friendly HVO fuel, reducing harmful emissions by up to 90%, and the installation of a state-of-the-art smoke abatement system for the Roast House at our Tivetshall Maltings.
We have also assisted all 422 of our contracted malting barley growers in becoming verified to the SAI Platform’s world-renowned Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) to the Gold performance level.
This ensures that, for our end user customers, sustainability is at the forefront of our minds from seed right through to the malt delivery.
SOCIAL AWARENESS
As one of the largest employers in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed and an employer of more than 70 people in rural south Norfolk, we have a strong history of supporting initiatives and charitable causes local to our two maltings.
This is predominantly done through our charitable arm, The Simpson McCreath Trust, which reflects the interests of its trustees and is particularly active in the areas of education, culture, sport and the development of young people.
Founded in 2008, the Trust operates independently of Simpsons Malt and is funded through the contribution of up to 1% of the company’s annual profits.
Many clubs, events and organisations have benefited over the years from the sponsorship and support of both Simpsons Malt itself, as well as The Simpson McCreath Trust, and we’re delighted to share more details of some of the beneficiaries, which you can read by clicking on the link below.