A Bury toy supplier has been recognised for its work in key areas including the environment.

Leading toy supplier Sambro International has achieved "excellent" status in its latest annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Audit conducted by the Apex Group.

The business, based on Dumers Lane, was assessed across vital areas such as climate change, supply chain, human capital management, and environmental footprint, using an overall score system.

In just a year, Sambro's overall Apex ESG score rose from 146 out of 300 to 186, classifying it as "excellent".

This success has been attributed to Sambro's ambitious ESG targets, including being one of the first toy companies of its size to calculate its total carbon footprint.

The company presently has a 20 per cent drop in Scope 1&2 Greenhouse Gas emissions from its 2022 baseline, and a 28 per cent reduction compared to 2019.

Sambro has also broadened its Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion policy with initiatives such as Mental Health First Aiders, Menopause Awareness Training, and voluntary gender pay gap reporting, despite not legally required to do so.

Lisa Longley, Sambro's ethical and sustainability manager, said: "Over the last three years we have seen a real shift in the management of our sustainability commitments, with ESG now at the forefront of our business."

She added: "We are really proud of our recent 'excellent' status following our ESG audit, but we still have more work to do to progress our sustainable development goals."

Looking towards 2024, the toy supplier plans to solidify its ESG policies by implementing a data-led approach to generate more comprehensive data on its operations.

There will be an ongoing focus on boosting the amount of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sourced cardboard packaging, with a target of 60 per cent by the end of 2024.

These efforts reflect Sambro's recognition of ESG as a business-critical necessity rather than a mere benefit.

Sambro is collaborating with licensees to adhere to sustainability guidelines and create novel packaging solutions.

These include transitioning to biodegradable glitter across all products and a new range for Hasbro expected to prevent 12.8 tonnes of plastic ending up in landfills annually.