BekaertDeslee pledges to a more sustainable world

In the month of May, the National Bed Federation (NBF), based in the U.K., highlighted their Pledge for our Planet. As BekaertDeslee is one of the companies lending their expertise to create a greener bedding sector, we’re very proud in helping to achieve the proposed set of environmental improvement goals.

The NFB's Pledge for our Planet covers five key areas of commitment to become a more sustainable business. Sitting behind these commitments are a set of specific 'core' and 'advanced' requirements, to be achieved within two- and five-year time frames. Let’s highlight BekaertDeslee’s efforts in the five pledges we signed and discover our added value to a more sustainable world.

1. We will demonstrate our commitment to becoming a more sustainable business

As a core requirement, BekaertDeslee will develop a solid business statement, demonstrating our support to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) 12 and 13. SDG 12 ensures a sustainable consumption and production pattern, while SDG 13 implores urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Our mission statement will be the result of a strategic thinking exercise where we will reflect on our company's mission and what our role is in addressing the warming of the planet and the decline of natural habitats. 

As far as the advanced requirement of this promise is concerned, we already report on an annual basis since 2018. We measure, record and communicate our progress towards sustainability and continuously update our management approach. These reports can even be found on this website, click below to read them!

2. We will reduce our global warming impact

The second commitment involves reducing our global warming impact. Because this is more easily said than done, this promise is divided into three subparts as well. To comply with core requirements, BekaertDeslee reports monthly on the Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. Scope 1 emissions are the ones we are directly responsible for, while Scope 2 includes emissions we are indirectly responsible for. In addition to this, we also report monthly on the major category of our Scope 3 carbon emissions, emissions which we are indirectly responsible for as well. These three categories amount to 50% to 60% of our total carbon emissions, and on the other 40% we report on a yearly basis.

The hardest part of the commitment includes halving Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as well as the aim to halve the Scope 3 emissions. What’s more is that companies need to reach Net Zero by 2050. It is something that will have to be unconditionally fulfilled. At BekaertDeslee we’re also working on this by implementing measures that will let us work towards the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), an ambitious initiative for companies in the private sector that again shows our desire to work towards a better world for everyone.

3. We will reduce our waste

For their third commitment, NBF identified goals to reduce waste in production processes. As in other assurances, BekaertDeslee is already implementing measures as part of a total package. Our waste reducing processes consist of three focal points, which can also be found in our sustainability report. Firstly, we reduce waste in our operations by efficiently handling our materials. Secondly, when waste does occur, we identify where this happens, in order to manage the waste treatment process as best as possible.

Also, and lastly, we design our products in such a way that they are easier to recycle and don’t end up in the waste dump. To simplify the recycling process even more, we launched our Transparent Circularity program, an enabling platform that makes sure the relevant information accompanies our products through their value chain, so it is always known what they consist of and how they can be recycled in the most efficient way.

4. We will reduce our products' impact on the environment

For the fourth commitment, the NBF focused on manufacturers, providing them with an ecodesign tool to promote self-assessment. At BekaertDeslee, we provide our manufacturing partners with the necessary information so they can use this tool. On top of this, we follow our own Enkelfähig principle, showing that our sustainable business model can outperform other, unsustainable models.

We also make use of the Life Cycle Analysis, mapping the environmental impact of our products from the first moment to the last. This means we offer input and transparency concerning the resources our products need, as well as the impact of production, transport, usage and eventual waste processing.

5. We will take responsibility for our actions

A big focus throughout the different promises we made, involves being transparent, as well as taking up responsibility for our own impact on the environment. At BekaertDeslee, we also see this as a principle of utmost importance. We took the pledge to develop open channels of communication with our different stakeholders, including our customers, staff, the community, and so on. At BekaertDeslee, our main subject used to communicate our sustainable measures and strategies, is our sustainability report.

This could, however, never be read if we didn’t communicate via other channels as well. Because of this, we are continuously communicating on our internal media, as well as our external media. Thus, if you want to get to know BekaertDeslee a little better and want to be kept up to date on our latest sustainability initiatives, be sure to check out our different other media through the links at the bottom of our web page.