Printers to many greeting card companies, The Sherwood Group and Loxleys have just published their fourth joint Social Responsibility Report, which tracks the two companies’ environmental and social achievements throughout the lockdown period.
The report details how the group’s total carbon emissions have been reduced for the third consecutive year as part of its longstanding programme of environmental improvements, both in the running of the Nottingham (Sherwood) and Sheffield-based (Loxleys) businesses, as well as the products it produces.
The report also elaborates on the group’s wide ranging goodwill projects, such as employee volunteering, sponsoring of Sheffield Council’s environmental signs to deter fly-tipping, laptop donations to local schools for home schooling as well as the group’s support in restoring a local nature reserve.
Alice Buck, Loxleys’ marketing co-ordinator explained: “It’s always great to launch our CSR report as it illustrates tangible stories for both our employees and customers, highlighting and celebrating our efforts throughout the year. Often you can get caught up in day-to-day activities and forget to take a second to recognise the achievements and the projects you have helped support. The CSR report is a great way of taking that second and appreciating the impact our projects have on both the local community and the wider environment.”
In the foreword of the report, Jeremy Bacon, ceo of Sherwood Group pays tribute to his colleagues, customers and suppliers and how they have adapted to the challenges the pandemic has brought to their personal and business lives, stressing that the group’s
“overriding objective” has been to ensure the health and safety of all its staff, customers and suppliers.
As part of its fight against Covid, last July saw The Sherwood Group join forces with KMD Company to support the fight against coronavirus, by investing into a new production line to make protective face masks in the UK.
In addition to investment into the group’s own automated face mask manufacturing facilities, KMD Company has collaborated with the University of Nottingham and a number of industry partners to develop a new, self-sterilising desiccant mask, called ‘SterilMask’ to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elaborating on the group’s environmental commitment, Jeremy said: “The focus on reducing single use plastic packaging continues to be a highly important topic” with its activities spanning greeting cards and well as other product sectors. Its Puracoat solution as very much part of this. This innovative water-based barrier coating eliminates the need for PET linings saw a huge growth on the food front in providing a sustainable, plastic-free, bio-degradable alternative.
Within greeting cards, by way of example, the report showcases how Loxleys worked with greeting card publisher, Into The Green, to create a card range that ‘doesn’t have to cost the earth’. Working together to utilise Loxleys environmental offering, the range encompassed a full variety of eco solutions, including biodegradable glitter, all-board eco-sleeves used to replace plastic multi-pack bags and Loxleys kraft paper transit bags used to package, protect, and transit the cards to retailers. The ethos of the brand was to create a range that was “free from plastic, made from sustainably sourced boards and fully recyclable”. Working together collaboratively to bring this range to life, combined with Loxleys environmental expertise and the publisher’s vision, they were able to significantly reduce the traditional plastic consumption of a range, and launch a fully recyclable, eco-focused alternative.
Across the group, a number of Sherwood and Loxleys employees have been volunteering and taken part in community support activities during the pandemic.
Anna Fawcett, Sherwood’s marketing manager has been using her bilingual skills and marketing experience to volunteer for Healthwatch, working alongside Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust while Alice Buck, Loxleys’ marketing co-ordinator, volunteered for the Citizens Advice Bureau to help on its social media marketing activities.
A digital copy of the report is downloadable from both Loxleys’ (https://www.loxleys.co.uk/) and The Sherwood Group’s (https://www.sherwoodgroupuk.com/) websites.
Top: Sherwood’s Nottingham premises.
