NEWS RELEASE
The Vita Group, one of Europe’s leading providers of flexible polyurethane foam, has launched its second sustainability report ahead of schedule.
“The second year of our sustainability report reflects the incredible progress our company has made in a relatively short period of time,” said Ian Robb, CEO, The Vita Group. “This has been possible through our work with leaders in other fields such as academia and the chemicals industry, as well as collaborating closely with our suppliers and customers. All of us share a common goal in using the tools at our disposal to innovate and help protect the planet for future generations.”
The report, Enhancing Everyday Life, reveals that the Manchester, England-based company has made significant progress on the ambitious targets it set out in its inaugural report last year, according to a news release.
It verifies that Vita has achieved a 43% reduction in both its Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while its greenhouse gas intensity figures have decreased by the same percentage since the 2019 baseline.
Other achievements include that in 2022 it diverted 25,422 tons of excess material (trim) from landfills and repurposed it. In addition, the company’s 31 sites sent zero production waste to landfills, representing a 98% group diversion.
Last year Vita achieved its initial target to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030 — eight years ahead of schedule.
These accomplishments have been made possible by working closely with life cycle analysis (LCA) experts, to build product-focused environmental data using both primary and secondary source data, enabling Vita to be much more active in making sustainable product choices.
Vita’s LCA methodology will give full transparency to its customers on the environmental impact of its products and will assist them in achieving their own targets or ambitions, as well as allowing them to make trade-off decisions such as CO2 reduction or percentage of sustainable content versus price.
Last year, Vita became the first flexible polyurethane manufacturer to be validated by independent climate scientists through the Science Based Targets initiative. Additionally, it achieved a gold medal from EcoVadis, a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, ranking it in the top 3% of assessed organizations worldwide.
Vita’s sustainability achievements have been made possible through strategic partnerships with leaders in academia and industry, including collaborations with Dow and Evonik to repurpose end-of-life foam into new raw materials, such as using Renuva polyols to create the Orbis range of flexible, revitalized foam.
Vita was awarded the “Best of the Best” prize at this year’s Interzum awards for its VitaFirst mattress , which comprises two sustainable foam products, Orbis Plus MB and Novus, a reconstituted foam that can be designed into a customer’s product portfolio.
Vita has made a commitment to incorporate the principles of the UN Global Compact into its strategy, culture and daily operations. The company will work in collaboration with projects that promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of achieving broader development goals. This includes implementing practices to tackle poverty and inequality and striving to create a better world for future generations.
