ESG DIGEST NEWSLETTER - Q2 2026

At SMI, ESG continues to shape how we work with customers, suppliers, colleagues, and communities.

Q2 has brought progress across our ESG activity, from improving environmental data and customer collaboration to growing our team and supporting the causes that matter to our colleagues.

As we build on the work already underway, we’re also looking ahead to new opportunities to create positive environmental and social impact.

Read on to find out more about what we’ve been working on.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

We’re committed to understanding, measuring, and reducing the environmental impacts associated with our products throughout their entire life cycle.

UNDERSTANDING OUR PRODUCT IMPACTS

Through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), we aim to improve transparency, support informed purchasing decisions, and identify opportunities to reduce environmental impacts.

An EPD is a verified document that reports the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from raw material extraction through to product end of life.

As part of this commitment, we have begun conducting LCAs on products within our ROKWEAR® range.

We aim to complete and publish EPDs for five products by the end of 2026.

GATHERING PRODUCT DATA

To begin this process, we have started contacting our manufacturing facilities to gather the information needed for the product creation stage of the life cycle.

This includes:

• Energy consumption
• Transport to our distribution centre
• Ancillary materials used during production
• Emissions from the factory production process
• The materials' journey to the manufacturing facility
• The raw material composition of the product and packaging

We’re excited to share transparent EPDs for our initial selected products as this work progresses, helping customers make more informed purchasing decisions.

DIVERT FROM EARTH SCHEME POWERED BY AVENA

Our refreshed Divert from Earth scheme is now live, offering customers more flexible ways to recycle workwear and PPE.

The scheme is delivered in partnership with Avena, an established UK recycling partner with 18 years of experience in textile and PPE recycling, repurposing, and recovery.

Avena has a strong focus on achieving 0% to landfill, aligning closely with SMI’s approach to responsible product recovery.

A MORE FLEXIBLE APPROACH TO RECYCLING

The updated service is designed to support customers with different site sizes, recycling volumes, and operational needs.

Alongside our existing recycling box option, customers can now access larger on-site bins in 240L, 660L, and 1100L sizes.

This provides greater collection capacity for higher-volume sites and can help simplify recycling across larger or multi-site operations.

IMPROVED ESG VISIBILITY

The bin model can provide an Impact Report with ESG data on recycling activity. Both service options can provide proof of destruction and annual Waste Transfer Notes upon request.

This supports the secure and compliant handling of workwear and PPE throughout the recycling process.

By diverting these materials from landfill and recovering valuable resources, the scheme supports a more circular approach to workwear and PPE.

It’s just one of the ways we’re helping customers make progress towards wider sustainability and net zero objectives.

Read more about the refreshed Divert from Earth scheme, powered by Avena, in our latest blog.

CUSTOMER PROJECTS

We continued working closely with customers throughout Q2 to support their ESG priorities.

Our projects included:

• Rolling out a recycling bin project at PrimeFlight
• Providing product-level Scope 3 data for Idverde, Equans, and Full Circle
• Providing swap sheets with suggestions for more sustainable product replacements
• Providing analysis and support to help customers understand and interpret our initiative data
• Sharing Responsible Sustainable Partner Strategy (RSPS) scorecards to provide greater transparency across customer supply chains

Through these projects, we continue to help customers better understand their environmental impacts and identify practical opportunities for improvement.

OUR TEAM IS GROWING

We’ve welcomed a new member to the ESG team, Jack Purvis, who joins us as our Junior ESG Data Analyst.

Alongside this exciting addition, Samantha Harris has moved into a new role as ESG Strategy Executive, where she is helping to shape the strategic direction of our initiatives and customer offering.

The growing ESG team enables us to dedicate even more time to our own data, strategic development, and customer support.

MAKING ESG DATA MORE ACCESSIBLE

In Q2, Jack completed 37 ESG Impact Certificates for our customers.

These certificates summarise the ESG initiatives customers have participated in, including tree planting, eco-product purchases, and our recycling scheme.

They also show the associated carbon emissions savings, along with relatable comparisons, such as how many cups of tea could be made with the emissions saved.

Since joining SMI, Jack has already supported a range of projects, including:

• Expanding our ESG database
• Creating customer sustainability certificates
• Supporting Scope data collection and analysis
• Developing reporting dashboards and presentation materials

Here, Jack shares more about his first month with SMI:

“I’m delighted to have joined the ESG team at SMI and have really enjoyed my first month getting to know everyone and learning more about the business.

After graduating in marine geography and completing a master’s degree in law, I’m excited to bring my background into the sustainability field.

It’s been a great start, and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn, contribute, and collaborate with colleagues across the business.”

Jack Purvis, Junior ESG Data Analyst

OUR SOCIAL IMPACT

Our colleagues have been in full swing with fundraising opportunities over the last quarter.

This year, we've raised £2,268.73, with an additional £2,036.73 donated by SMI to match our efforts across multiple events.

Our previous best fundraising year was 2024, when we raised £2,672.63.

We've already surpassed that figure in just six months.

SUPPORTING THE CAUSES THAT MATTER

For Mind, our chosen charity of the year, we've raised £174 this quarter. Bringing our year-to-date total to £687.

We've also broadened our fundraising activities to support additional causes that matter to many of our colleagues and that they care very deeply about.

This quarter's activities included:

• A bake sale
• Our annual steps challenge
• The South Coast Mighty Hike, where colleagues walked a marathon from Brighton to Eastbourne

VOLUNTEERING IN OUR COMMUNITIES

Our quarterly visits to Pendean Nursing Home have become a real highlight for colleagues and residents alike.

During our latest visit, colleagues spent time chatting with residents and taking part in a flower-arranging activity together.

The regular visits allow colleagues to not only build relationships but contribute to the local community too.

India Savin, Senior Digital Marketing Executive and member of our Social Impact Committee, said:

“One of the most rewarding initiatives I have the privilege of running is our quarterly volunteering visits to Pendean Nursing Home.

It's become a real highlight of my calendar and a great example of how giving just a few hours of your time can make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.”

India Savin, Senior Digital Marketing Executive

SUPPORTING COLLEAGUE WELLBEING

Our Mental Health Responders have continued supporting colleagues throughout the quarter.

During Stress Awareness Month in April, we shared practical information, tips, and resources with our teams.

We also encouraged colleagues to take regular breaks and spend time outdoors, including introducing short wellbeing walks in place of traditional tea breaks.

This continued into May, with Mental Health Awareness Week sessions delivered across all sites and shift patterns by our Head of People and Culture.

Colleagues from both sites also took part in a football tournament during the quarter. After plenty of friendly competition and teamwork, the Head Office team came away with the trophy and earned the bragging rights for the year ahead.

MODERN SLAVERY & HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATEMENT RENEWED

We've renewed our Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for 2026.

The statement outlines the steps we take to identify and address the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking across our supply chain.

Our own-brand ROKWEAR® products are manufactured through a network of factories across China, India, Bangladesh, Italy, Turkey, and Pakistan.

We take a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery across these sites and expect our non-owned brand suppliers to uphold the same standards by aligning with our ethical standards and Responsible Sustainable Partner Strategy.

Want to understand more about how we’re tackling modern slavery and human trafficking across our supply chain?

Read our 2026 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement to learn more about our approach.

LOOKING AHEAD TO SMI 360: LIVE

This September, we’re bringing SMI’s full 360 offering to life at our first open-house event.

Taking place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 8th September and Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 15th September, the events will bring our products, people, training, and industry expertise together in one place.

Visitors will have the chance to:

• Hear from industry experts
• Meet the people behind SMI
• Catch up with the ESG team
• Explore our full product range
• Learn more about our training opportunities
• Gain greater insight into our supply chain and the wider SMI offering

It’s an opportunity for existing customers and new contacts to see the full picture of what SMI offers and discover the value of our connected approach.

Want to see the full SMI 360 offering for yourself? Get your free ticket!

ESG AT SMI: Q2 PROGRESS SNAPSHOT

Our Q2 activity shows continued progress across several areas of our ESG work.

ESG ACTIVITY	2025 Q2	2026 Q2
Trees planted	3,318	4,140
Job opportunities created through tree planting (Hrs)	281	351
Volunteer hours	123	7.5
Money raised (£)	£341	£2210.73
Eco products sold	45,012	47,135
Plastic bottles repurposed	647,619	679,635
Kg of plastic polybags for ROKWEAR® gloves	7,148.84	10,834.54
Total tCO2e saved, removed, or avoided	611.29	668.17
Equivalent homes powered for one year (based on the total CO2e)	82	89

We’ll continue building on this progress throughout the rest of 2026, working with our customers, colleagues, suppliers, and communities to deliver positive environmental and social impact.