This year’s theme is ‘Be Part of the Plan’, the call to action by the United Nations to encourage everyone – from governments, businesses and lawmakers, to local communities and individuals – to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the ‘Biodiversity Plan’ - which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals - on an ambitious pathway to a world living in harmony with nature by 2050:
‘As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.’
We’re pleased to say that Smiley Monroe has a plan and we're preparing to launch our first ever sustainability strategy, whose Planet pillar covers a range of material topics from Raw Materials Sourcing to Biodiversity & Land, and is aligned to 7 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals established in 2015 – including Goal #15 Life on Land. As a manufacturing business with a global supply chain, we can influence progress with 2 specific targets: 15.2 End deforestation and restore degraded forests; and 15.5 Protecting biodiversity and natural habitats by 2030.
But there’s a major turning point coming in the global fight against deforestation, which is also expected to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss: the EU’s regulation on ‘deforestation-free’ products (EUDR) which starts on 30 December 2024 for large and medium enterprise operators and traders, and on 30 June 2025 for small and micro- enterprises.
Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who places these commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must prove that the products don’t originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation: cattle, timber, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products, such as leather, chocolate, tyres, or furniture.
Despite the alarming lack of awareness of EUDR (we only became aware of it a few months ago thanks to a customer), we’re making steady progress. But the spirit of our sustainability strategy goes beyond the letter of the law to embrace real impact: by 2030 we’re pledged to grow the global market for sustainably sourced rubber; have no negative impact on biodiversity or land; and make a net positive impact on forestry in the countries where our rubber is sourced.
Our internal sustainability team, Green Giants, plays an important role in embedding a culture of sustainability throughout our business. Identifying biodiversity champions is the next step, helping us develop biodiversity plans for our sites in N. Ireland, India and USA, engaging other businesses, and supporting community projects that protect local wildlife, flora and fauna.