British Bedmaker achieves King’s Award for sustainable development

Fifth-generation family-owned luxury bedmaker and components manufacturer Harrison Spinks has earned a prestigious King’s Award for Sustainable Development, adding to its two current King’s Awards for Innovation and International Trade and previously awarded Queen’s Awards, bringing the total number achieved by the business to eight.

The King’s Award win solidifies the company as an industry pioneer in sustainability, having made significant strides to improve its production and CO2 emissions across the main beds business and within its component manufacturing division, as well as working to improve the local biodiversity in Yorkshire where both businesses are based.

The business has spearheaded responsible manufacturing through various initiatives and innovations since it began in 1840, including introducing a world-first pocket spring that’s recyclable due to its glue-less design, and made from wire that’s drawn in-house. It is also the only bedmaker to have its own farms to produce home-grown natural materials for use within its luxury mattress filling pads, and the only British bed manufacturer to create 95%* of its mattress components in-house, including its fire-retardant chemical-free mattress fabric that’s woven in Yorkshire.

The news follows the release of the bedmaker’s newly-launched Impact Report which outlines a host of sustainability-focussed initiatives, including plans to become Nature Net Positive across all operations and decrease carbon emissions from direct operations by 95% within 10 years, with the company’s components division already introducing new manufacturing technology to reduce energy consumption by 60% as well as decreasing raw material usage.

Harrison Spinks is one of the UK’s largest growers of hemp – a crop known for its environmental benefits, absorbing more CO2 per hectare in its growth cycle than any other forest or commercial crop. This year the business is increasing its flax acreage by 500% to 120 acres to replace cotton within its luxury mattress fillings, as well as investing into UK-based wildlife programmes to boost the local natural habitat.

The Leeds-based bed manufacturer has also been successfully recognised for its sustainability initiatives at the Yorkshire Sustainability Excellence Awards, where it was announced as the winner in the Circular Economy Excellence category for its commitment to using responsibly-sourced materials in its products, such as traceable British Wool and upcycled luxury cashmere offcuts, as well as its dedication to innovation to reduce environmental impact.

Simon Spinks, chairman said: “Receiving the King’s Award for Sustainable Development is a tremendous honour, especially after previously holding a Queen’s Award in this category, and it reflects the unwavering dedication of our whole team’s efforts to be the UK’s most responsible bedmaker.

“As a proud British manufacturer, this award win is testament to our commitment to driving the business forward through industry-leading responsible business practices that also enrich the lives of our colleagues and communities.

“Whether it’s actively encouraging biodiversity on our farms, supporting children’s bed charity Zarach with mattresses each month for children and families in poverty, or helping our employees achieve a better work-life balance by introducing a compressed four-day working week, we know the importance of making a positive difference to the world around us.

“We’re immensely proud to have been recognised by the most prestigious Awards for Enterprise in the UK. Having previously won seven Queen’s and King’s Awards for Sustainable Development, Innovation, and International Trade, this latest accolade only reinforces our position as world leaders in sustainable bed and component manufacturing.”

The King’s Awards for Enterprise are designed to recognise and encourage outstanding achievements in four categories: Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity. Successful businesses can use the prestigious King’s Awards emblem for five years.