Shaking up sustainability in the manufacturing industry

Springs and stampings manufacturer MSP has now invested in its ‘MSBees’ programme, welcoming a hive of bees into the head office in Worcestershire to support the essential role bees and other pollinators play in maintaining the health of the planet.

It is the latest initiative from the company as it looks to lead the manufacturing industry to be more sustainable. Already MSP has committed to procuring electricity only through 100% renewable sources, as well as operating with a dedicated Sustainability Team that meets regularly to discuss ideas and projects to improve sustainability and support the local community.

Managing director Neil Matthews says: “As a company, we look for any opportunity to make a difference not just to the environment but to our employees and the local community. We thought this MSBees programme was an unusual but great idea.

“The reduction in global bee populations is threatening the pollination benefits to both the planet and people. Bees play a major role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the pollinators are essential to feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way and to maintain biodiversity and an active and productive ecosystem.”

To improve their awareness of the carbon costs of everyday activities in the manufacturing industry, several team members at MSP have recently undertaken Carbon Literacy Training. This has further embodied sustainability within the organisation and given the firm the tools to tackle its ambitious sustainability initiatives.

Neil says: “We have found that as we encourage our employees to get more involved, our staff are more engaged and enthused by what we’re trying to achieve, because this important message of sustainability now runs through everything we do. We encourage other manufacturing organisations to get involved in integrating sustainability into every aspect of their business.

“Our team have been incredibly innovative with their ideas and our job now is to prioritise them. We have really seen a snowball effect with our sustainability idea generation. The more initiatives we do, the more people see what and why we are doing it and they are encouraged to bring their own thoughts to the table.”

Neil believes that MSP can lead the way as an example of what can be done to make a difference in the manufacturing industry. “It doesn’t take too much time in the working day to make a difference but we have seen that sustainability projects can give back tenfold to the environment, employees and local communities.”