Sustainability from the Ground Up

Over 91% of water abstracted is returned to the catchment

The water drawn from the River Kent at Burneside is fundamental to all James Cropper business divisions.

It is a natural resource and designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), due to the thriving population of white-clawed crayfish.

Our focus is on efficiency in water usage and on maximising return of clean safe water to the catchment.

• Water managed in partnership with the Environment Agency
• Water is continually recycled during production processes
• Waste water is sent directly to our local treatment facility
• Over 91% of water abstracted is returned to the catchment
  

Hydro and solar energy - Generating 400mwh renewable electricity per annum

James Cropper continues to improve its energy-related performance and efficiency, including actively seeking energy reduction opportunities.

The Group’s commitment to the ISO 50001 energy management standards focuses on achieving continual improvement of energy performance through a systematic approach to consumption and efficiency with immediate objectives of reducing energy costs and emissions.

• An active investor in low-carbon energy solutions
  
• A highly efficient combined heat and power plant
• Heat exchange and recovery systems in manufacturing processes
• Hydro and solar energy - generating 400 MWh renewable electricity per annum
• Material developments for wind energy and fuel cell technology

120 Million disposable cups upcycled into paper products and packaging

James Cropper continues to be recognised as a leading innovator in the recovery of valuable fibre resource, thanks to our CupCycling™ initiative.

Our commitment is not only to using renewable materials and low impact manufacturing techniques, but also designing waste out of our processes and creating high quality products that are easier to recycle.

Lightweight materials and design are becoming increasingly important in many industries. Lightweight continues to play a key role in aviation, wind energy, and automotive product design.

• James Cropper paper products are inherently recyclable and recycled (record European high 85.8%* recycling rate for paper and cardboard)
  
• Dried waste approved by Environment Agency as a fertiliser on local farms
  
• Continued investment in COLOURFORM™ plastic free packaging
  
• TFP non-woven materials improve end-use efficiency

100% Fresh fibre sources certified to FSC or PEFC chain of custody

A third key strand of the circular economy is the regeneration of natural systems. Wood pulp is our primary raw material used by the papermaking and COLOURFORM™ divisions with recovered material from CupCycling™ making a significant contribution.

James Cropper source wood pulp from responsibly managed forestry, certified to FSC® and PEFC® standards.

From harvest site and pulp mill to end product, we employ effective fibre traceability procedures which provide assurance of the legality of wood, biodiversity and sustainable land use practices throughout. Today European forests stand 30% larger in area than they did in the 1950s!

• 18% recycled fibre input, given a second life as paper products and packaging
• Sustainable forest management is driving Europe’s forest growth

The Better Health at Work award has a dedicated team of 24 advocates within James Cropper

Our organisation provides diverse, rewarding employment and opportunity for personal growth. Our commitment to people is core to the Group’s values.

Launched in 2018, the Better Health at Work Award has a dedicated team of 24 advocates within James Cropper tasked with promoting and raising awareness of health matters.

The results of our employee Health Needs survey clearly showed Mental Health and Stress to be the most important topics for all. Data suggests one in six adults experience depression, anxiety, stress and other common mental disorders yet the ‘invisible illness’ of mental health is frequently hidden and widely misunderstood.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training was implemented during 2018 to equip 36 personnel across the Group to identify and help colleagues in need of support.

RoSPA Gold Award winners have achieved a very high level of performance, demonstrating well developed occupational health and safety management systems and culture, outstanding control of risk and very low levels of error, harm and loss.

In 2020 James Cropper were awarded another RoSPA Gold Medal for the sixth year in a row.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s chief executive, said: “RoSPA’s vision is of life, free from serious accidental injury, and we look to our award winners to help us achieve this goal, and to ensure their employees go home to their families, safe and well, at the end of each working day.”

For 100 years, RoSPA has been working to change both legislation and attitudes surrounding accidents. From the compulsory wearing of seatbelts and the campaign to stop drink driving, to the Cycling Proficiency Test and to the more recent ban on handheld mobile phones behind the wheel, RoSPA has been instrumental in shaping our society for the better, preventing millions of deaths and serious injuries along the way.

Nothing we do is worth getting hurt for

We’ve always been about people, so it stands to reason that our sustainability programme is all about people too. James Cropper values the health and well-being of every person we come in contact with; employees, contractors, customers and communities. As an organisation, we believe that nothing we do is worth getting hurt for.

As standard we provide all of our employees with healthcare insurance plans that contribute towards everyday healthcare bills and offer a wide range of other well-being benefits.

We have a goal of zero lost time accidents and aim to continuously advance our safety mind-set, programmes, behaviours and culture to achieve this. The Group has an extensive Health & Safety programme built around the ISO 18001 framework which is proactively driven across every division. We continually monitor incidents, improvement suggestions and close calls and actively build on learnings across the Group.

Paper Innovation

In today’s post-Blue Planet world, there is a feverish focus on creating a circular economy when it comes to plastic. Meanwhile, levels of paper and pulped product recycling
is now at a record high of 85.8% across the 28 countries of Europe; which is why you’d be forgiven for thinking the paper industry might take its foot off of the gas when it comes to sustainable innovation.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth: In fact, supported by the unique expertise the paper industry has developed over hundreds of years, innovation in paper and pulped products is emerging as a shining example of best practice for circular design - and James Cropper is a business that is leading the charge.

The drive to design out waste continues to embolden the CupCycling™ offering with further collaboration between brands such as Burberry, Lush and Selfridges, retailers, waste management companies and James Cropper who continue to be recognised as leading innovators in the recovery of this valuable fibre resource.

James Cropper is one of over 90 Waste to Wealth Commitment signatories and is pledging to continue its work as a key innovator in the packaging and recycling industries, having already created world-first technologies. Our unique CupCycling™ technology - the world’s first process dedicated to upcycling disposable coffee cups – has seen in excess of 120 million coffee cups recycled to date. Instead of going to waste, the cups are turned into beautiful papers and consumer packaging.

Signing the Waste to Wealth Commitment recognises the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conclusion from October 2018 that time is running out to change the world’s relationship with the resources people use to avoid catastrophic climate change and restore the health of the environment.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to think about their footprint and make good on their commitment at pace. As a society we’ve made some progress, and as a company we’ve pledged to continue to work as a key innovator in the packaging and recycling industries, working collaboratively with businesses to reduce avoidable waste and develop sustainable solutions in product design.

Eliminate, Innovate, Circulate

Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with UN Environment, The New Plastics Economy initiative brings together key stakeholders to rethink and redesign the future of plastics, starting with packaging.

United behind a common vision and a set of 2025 targets to address the problem at its source, James Cropper PLC joins governments, academia, industry associations, manufacturers and investors as a signatory of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Read more about our pledge to support The New Plastics Economy.

Across the Group, we are proud to have many award-winning years with honours received for James Cropper Paper, COLOURFORM™ and Technical Fibre Products.

The major accolade of Luxury Packaging Supplier of the Year at the Packaging News Awards was recognition for teams across James Cropper, specifically CupCycling™ and COLOURFORM™, with judges commenting it is “great to see a supplier with a vision. The start of a journey, looking into recycled materials for luxury products. They should be commended for investing.”

Against incredibly high competition, James Cropper won in the category ‘Driving the Circular Economy’ for its unique CupCycling™ process at the Sustainability Summit Awards.

TFP were acclaimed Best Manufacturer at the in-Cumbria Business Awards for our unique process and the high standard to which we operate. The event also saw TFP taking the Best Innovation award for our forward-thinking product development projects.

Our list of awards includes the prestigious BITC Responsible Business Awards, IEMA Sustainability Impact Awards and in-Cumbria Business Awards,

With over 80 community owned organisations funding renewable energy schemes, community energy is now well established in the UK.

The founding of Burneside Community Energy (BCE) in October 2015 means that the benefits of energy generation can be retained locally. Investors benefit from annual interest payments and all additional profits are ploughed back into social and environmental projects within and around the Parish of Burneside.

James Cropper PLC has provided roof space for the installation of a 250KW Solar PV Array and signed a power purchase agreement to buy all electricity generated by the scheme over a 20 year period.

A second rooftop solar installation completed in 2019 with BCE, doubling onsite renewable electricity generation.

Burneside Community Energy invests profits from the scheme to help build a thriving, involved, active and sustainable community.

Our commitment extends beyond ensuring economic sustainability and employment. James Cropper undertakes activities to support the local built environment, along with financial and in-kind contributions made through requests and from the local community.

Our Community Support Committee regularly receives requests from schools, charities and organisations seeking support from James Cropper PLC for activities which will benefit the local communities. Over the past 5 years, the Group has made monetary and material donations to the value of £134,000.

Causes and charities who have received support include the Great North Air Ambulance, St. Mary’s Hospice, the Calvert Trust, Kendal Parish Church, Westmorland Association Football League and Kendal Community Foundation Flood Relief.

Barnardo engage with over 300,000 vulnerable children, young people, their families and carers across the UK every year.

An HMRC scheme, Payroll Giving enables employees to make tax free donations direct to a charity through their monthly pay, and staff at James Cropper have responded to this initiative in support of Barnardo’s work.

An entirely voluntary scheme, employees can nominate the charity to be supported and can donate as little as £1 per month or whatever figure they wish to contribute.

Cumulatively these donations can add up to significant amounts.