Client Stories

Sheard Packaging

A Sustainable Purpose, Mission & Vision for the Long Haul

Taking responsibility, from 1860 into the future

Three generations have built Sheard Packaging up to be one of the largest corrugated plants in the UK. As well as being the go-to name to design, manufacture, print, store and transport of sustainable corrugated packaging solutions. With 160 years behind them and a strong set of family values, remaining true to thier heritage while moving firmly towards a better future needed some outside-the-box thinking.

B Corp
Carbon & Net Zero

Key Information

Service
Carbon & Net Zero + B Corp

Industry
Manufacturing

Size
200+ Employees

Challenge

A complicated journey, without a compass

Sheard Packaging is the UK’s largest independent corrugated cardboard box manufacturer. Sheard occupies a pivotal position between the suppliers of its materials, the transport fleet it uses for distribution, and its UK-wide customers. These range from eCommerce businesses, to transit companies, to retailers stocking their shelves. To truly claim sustainability, Sheard needed to address the impact of their partners up-and-downstream, while also understanding what improvements they could make in-house.

Despite starting their journey without a specific sustainability team, Sheard was keen and committed, even though the task ahead felt complex and often overwhelming. As did the language surrounding it – they were hesitant how best to engage so many people to deliver real impact. Sheard needed a partner to stabilise their ambitions, make sense of the jargon and guide them on their ESG journey.

With 160 years behind them and a strong set of family values, remaining true to Sheard’s heritage while moving firmly towards a better future also needed some outside-the-box thinking. They were determined to remain authentic to their past, yet still align their network to today’s and tomorrow’s goals.

“We entered the Sustainability & ESG space unclear on what the ‘right direction’ for our business looked like. Seismic worked with us to figure out what actions we wanted to address first to help us create positive impacts!“

Abigail Sharp
Sustainability and B Corp Lead

Approach

“Seismic worked with us to figure out what actions we wanted to address first to help us create positive impacts! The Seismic team have been instrumental in supporting our B Corp journey. Their knowledge and advice has been invaluable towards identifying our improvements, and most importantly supporting the implementation of them.”

Abigail Sharp
Sustainability and B Corp Lead

Approach

Thinking big through the B Corp framework

As Sheard’s Sustainability Partner, Seismic acted as a critical friend and expert in enabling Sheard to create an ESG Action Plan informed by a 360-degree view over their entire supply and delivery chain, ensuring all touchpoints are working towards being as sustainable as possible. From their starting point, using fully FSC®-certified materials in their products, to creating a Net Zero carbon strategy with reduction targets, the engagement with Sheard’s suppliers has helped them to deliver truly holistic impact.

The B Corp framework was the ideal tool to inspire and encourage the team to think big. Sheard’s partnership with Seismic allowed the project to become an extension of Sheard’s own capabilities. Understanding the five pillars of the BIA encouraged Sheard to be confident about what they were tackling. It reinforced the work they had already put in from day one, being employee and community centric. Vitally, the framework was most useful in identifying gaps, which a closely-run, family-owned business needed perspective and expertise to uncover.

A well-defined Purpose, Mission and Vision will inspire and motivate people every day, including external audiences.

To focus on and finesse Sheard’s sustainability ambitions, Seismic developed Sheard’s Purpose, Mission and Vision statements. The project process included a leadership team ambitions workshop to identify the company’s ambitions, drive and core values. This successfully ensured their key objectives and intentions were integrated appropriately, whilst also engaging their wider team.

Jargon-free and aligned to Sheard’s language, the workshops helped everybody understand that their Purpose keeps them laser-focused on why they exist; their Vision aligns everyone with their goal; and their Mission empowers people to accomplish it. Together, it showed how they could energise stakeholders to focus on something greater than themselves, their own job, their team and the current business plan.

Impact

“The team at Seismic offered us expertise in an area which is often overwhelming. Their knowledge and advice has been invaluable.”

Lee Shackleton
Managing Director at Sheard Packaging

Impact

B Corp’s clear-cut route to sustainability success

In working towards B Corp certification, Sheard encapsulated who they are, and clearly communicated their commitment to their entire network. Workshops allowed them to know what and how to communicate internally and externally, resulting in a greater degree of ownership and alignment on both day-to-day operations and long-term sustainability goals. This has driven an integrated picture of what and who they want to influence, as the work continues on implementing their Improvement Plan.

Sheard now has an Action Plan informed by a holistic view over their entire supply and delivery chain, ensuring all touchpoints are working towards being as sustainable as possible. From creating their very first impact report to communicate transparently and engage stakeholders in their sustainability journey to integrating ESG throughout workplace culture with sustainability training, employee wellbeing and benefit program, volunteer days and more, the BIAs comprehensive overview has helped Sheard to deliver truly holistic impact.

Setting standards in carbon reduction for cardboard producers

To tackle their carbon footprint, Seismic helped Sheard monitor their baseline emissions and set a meaningful reduction target.

Upstream cardboard production was Sheard’s most significant emission source accounting for 84% of the total. Based on the findings of this analysis, Sheard then encouraged its primary supplier to purchase 100% renewable electricity. This single action will reduce cardboard emissions 67% per kg.

From an operations perspective, Sheard has installed over 2,500 solar panels, as well as electric car charging points and motion-sensor low-energy-use lighting across their sites. This has saved more than 250 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of planting 1176 trees annually. Sheard’s impact on the local community has also been better defined, with focus on specific local charities and sports clubs. Outreach experiences have been formalised with nearby schools, welcoming in the next generation to see what sustainability in action looks like.