Getting our house in order: StepForward Pledge
Leading with a compelling narrative, the BPMA’s StepForward Pledge sets out the importance of the plan for every member business to aim for high standards for the products they sell, the people who work for them and the planet we live in. This straightforward and compelling approach has the industry sitting up and paying attention.
The BPMA have set the Pledge up as a voluntary route to help members on their path to sustainable best practice. ‘This is aimed at changing the way we work and the work we make. A very simple expression to describe the way we need to approach the huge task for member companies. It’s important to the future health of our industry that we get our house in order; our customers expect it from us. Open to every member of the BPMA, this voluntary process helps you assess where you are, where you need to get to and support on the journey so matter what stage you’re at, we can help you improve your position as a business.’ Said BPMA Board Director, Melissa Chevin who has been working closely with the team at the BPMA to devise and launch this initiative.
What drove the BPMA to create a Pledge?
In the face of mounting pressure to combat climate change, businesses and consumers are paying greater attention to their impact on the environment. Our end user customers are pretty savvy and whether they are a micro SME or a large corporate, most are looking for the solutions presented to have a supply chain we can trace and products whose impact on the planet is properly understood. In a session ran earlier in January, BPMA President and owner of Allwagg, Angela Wagstaff was interviewed about the customer awareness and demands she is experiencing. Detailing her types of customer and the different approaches they may expect, she noted her customers, big or small, all need to hear that her team understands exactly what they are selling and are able to evidence the production and manufacture story. Tested in a recent client meeting as to whether she knew the backstory of a specific product with a strong sustainable material specification, she commented ‘We’re having great meetings with clients and we need to be prepared to answer all and every question. Doing the homework is critical and we need to be able to provide a clear pedigree for every product.’
Demand for the right information is high
Those invited to register their interest in the Pledge this January, told the BPMA more about the demand and reliance on sustainable sales within their organisations. With 61% of members stating that the demand for evidence of sustainable best practice was high, only 7% stated they weren’t asked for this information. 62% of those respondents said they had a sustainable programme or policy in place and whilst 32% said they didn’t have any current policies, they were keen to implement a sustainable best practice. One member visiting Merchandise World was registering interest in the Pledge after losing a significant contract due to the lack of sustainable policies and product evidence.
Revenue generated from sustainable sales was also growing exponentially across the industry as end users migrated their requests from a nice to have to a must have aspect of their orders. Whilst not every sale was attributable to a pure sustainable sale, over 70% of respondents stated up to 50% of their order books were linked to a sustainable product. With 32% of suppliers now stating the majority of their income (75%-100%) is in sustainable goods, PM expects the reporting in sales to all be based on a sustainable supply chain within the next 2 years.
What’s involved in the Pledge?
Members signing up to the Pledge are subject to an online assessment and need to provide a sustainable policy to qualify. Armed with resources and support to help complete a series of continuous improvement goals, the Pledge is based on Environmental, Social and Governance targets (or ESG) crucial for both business growth and establishing long term benefits. The Pledge has been support members in managing the risks and opportunities of ESG, embedding sustainability within their products, operations and in the communities in which they serve.
The StepForward Pledge is a sector-specific guiding set of principles that encourages members to take steps in embedding sustainability within their products, services and in the communities in which they operate.
Signatories are asked to declare their commitment to measuring, tracking and improving their sustainability performance against a set of criteria each year between now and 2030.
Where can you find out more?
Only open to BPMA members, the Association is hosting a series of webinars in March and April to cover each step to complete the Pledge, what members need to provide and why. Registration for these sessions is via bpma.co.uk/events and listeners can choose from several dates. More detail is also available via bpma.co.uk/stepforward-pledge
In addition, anyone interested in the Pledge can also register their interest and whilst this is only open to members, the BPMA is inviting the industry to find out more by getting in touch. PM readers can register their interest via bit.ly/StepForwardPM
