Sustainability and Social Value
Here at Cosy, we think that the world we live on is pretty special. As it’s the only one we have, we want to make sure we do our part to look after it. When Cosy was founded, the social value and sustainability was put at the heart of the company. We want to take full responsibility for the impact we have on the world around us. As part of this we strive for sustainability in everything we do. Real, quantifiable, sustainability.
The education supply industry is full of companies shouting about sustainability while making products out of single-use plastic. These products often rack-up huge distances between the factory and the company warehouse, only to send the product to a customer where the product was manufactured. Madness!
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We know that you have a choice about who you work with. We want you to choose Cosy. Not just because we’re lovely people who believe children should have inspiring natural environments. But because we’re a partner for you in crafting and delivering these resources in a way that puts our planet, and the people we share the planet with, first.
We’re based on a lovely greenfield site on the Derbyshire / Staffordshire border. If you’re in the area, pop in for a coffee and meet the team. We can have a chat about the ways that we think about sustainability at Cosy:
Sustainability
"Biophilia is shown to reduce stress and boredom, keep students engaged, and improve the academic success of students. Integrating a culture of sustainability is critical for schools who are considering using biophilic design."
- The Green Building Alliance
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems
Cosy is ISO 14001 certified. This means that we meet the gold standard for sustainability. Our assessor said we ‘go beyond 95% of the people we assess’. We liked him a lot (and so did our goats!)
Product Design and Manufacture
- We use FSC® timber where possible. Protecting healthy, resilient forests for all, forever
- We don’t use single-use plastic in any of our products. We use natural materials in biophilic designs
- We manufacture 95% of our resources in the UK and Europe. Keeping things local
- We design our products to minimise waste in the manufacturing process – we even have a ‘free wood’ crate for local carpenters to use
- We redesign 200 products each year to reduce carbon use in our deliveries
- We have a project to reduce any packaging that contains plastic
Cosy HQ
- We recycle all our business waste - nothing goes to landfill
- Our solar panels give us 60,000 kWh per year. Enough to make 4.8 million slices of toast in a year* – and who doesn’t love toast?!
- Our lighting uses motion sensors, saving around 31 tonnes of carbon a year
- Our office is an open, naturally lit space
- We use paper wraps for our catalogues rather than the industry standard plastic
- We harvest rainwater and use it for our on-site tree nursery
Our Employees
Our employees? Well, we’re car sharing, EV driving, cycle to work superheroes. When we get to HQ, we feed our goats (Richard and Birgitte) and tend to our 80,000 bees. We may even polish our Carbon Literacy Project certificates, have a sip from our reusable water bottles, and make sustainability a habit, not a one off.
Social Value
Cosy believe everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, or life experiences have the potential to contribute to society, and in doing so we create a rich, joyful place to work and live. In a world of extremes where people are subject to poverty and oppression, Cosy are here to make a positive impact on everyone that we work with, and in the communities around us.
This is easy to say, but as you’ve seen by now, when we say something, we really mean it. We ensure that everything we do is tied to the themes of the Social Value Model (2020), including tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, equal opportunity and wellbeing. You can see how these link to the UN Sustainability Goals below.
Cosy believe that children should have rich experiences, have opportunities to explore the world and have chances to shine
10% of Cosy’s profits are donated to the Cosy Foundation. This supports charities across the globe:
In the UK:
- We support Derby Kid's Camp. Cosy provide the location, volunteers, and funding to give over 300 of Derbyshire's most deprived children holidays every year
- Cosy give grants for grass roots children’s sports teams and events reaching in excess of 600 children. In addition, grants for Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Beavers and Cadet groups, enabling over 500 local children to participate in organised events
- In 2024, 10 local settings were improved during the Big Help Out in a full company shut down. This gave over 800 volunteering hours, positively impacting the lives of over 2,500 children
- Cosy sponsored the Emerging Talent Centre at Derby County Football Club – allowing over 200 girls to play football, empowering them with confidence and teamwork skills that extend beyond the field
Around the World:
- Gambia: Cosy provide ongoing infrastructure support and consumables, allowing over 200 children access to education with water. We also fund a nursery teacher, providing education annually to more than 40 children
- Kenya: Cosy have developed a long-term friendship supporting young people to escape poverty and achieve through education. Our funding has transformed the lives of 15 students through the gift of education, helping to develop engineers, project managers and medical professionals
- Tanzania: Cosy have transformed the lives of over 20 young people with access to education
Find out more about our work in the UK and around the world at the Cosy Foundation website.
Cosy believe that everyone, no matter who they are, have the potential to positively contribute
Diversity is not just a word for us; it’s a cornerstone of our strength. We seek out and celebrate differences, striving to create a workforce that mirrors the rich tapestry of humanity. We advocate for equality and equity, with a team that spans generations, from ages 17 to 70.
We champion the cause for women, returning citizens, members of the Armed Forces and those with additional needs or who selflessly care for others.
Cosy believe everyone can make a fresh start
We strive to employ those who may struggle to find work. 7% of our employees are prisoners on day release (ROTL) and we aim to get this up to 10% in 2025. In doing so, we not only contribute to societal rehabilitation but also create opportunities for those looking to rebuild their lives.
We believe in second chances and the transformative power of meaningful employment. We don’t just build careers; we empower lives with purpose and dignity.
Cosy believe that we should help people who need it
All our employees are provided three paid days of volunteering time a year. This helps them help others and support our community.
Many of our staff go even further – a lot further! In 2024 a team of volunteers cycled to Skegness and raised over £50,000 for the Cosy Foundation – you can get involved here.
Our directors spend time working with groups to share our knowledge and experience with those who need it most. We are patrons of Derby Kids Camp, on the Employment Action Board of a local open prison, the board of Derby Museum and the Kings Award in Derbyshire. Our CEO is the Deputy Chair of Governors for Alfreton Nursery and we serve on the Business School Advisory Board at the University of Derby.
Cosy believe that families should have as much time together as possible
We offer flexible working, such as term-time, part-time contracts. In fact, nearly a third of our workforce is part-time. This allows them to balance their career with personal responsibilities or commitments.
Cosy believe in our staff
Our unwavering commitment is to foster an environment where every employee can flourish. We believe in investing in our people, providing them with unparalleled opportunities for growth – both professional and personal.
We ensure 100% of our team receives comprehensive, personalised training each year. This commitment to continuous learning not only sharpens their skills but also keeps us at the forefront of innovation and industry trends.
Cosy employ apprentices at level 3, 4 and 6 throughout the business, ensuring that our younger staff can earn while they learn. We also work with Transition 2, an organisation that provide bespoke and meaningful transition programmes that allow young learning disabled people to segue into opportunities in life as active citizens.
UN Sustainability Goals
All our sustainability decisions are made with the UN sustainability goals in mind. We’ve chosen to align ourselves with the following goals:
Goal 4: Help Educate the Children in Your Community
Developing and supplying responsibly sourced products to encourage rich, creative and healthy play that helps with children’s educational and social development.
We support local charities who give children better opportunities, including Derby Kids Camp, who give some of Derby’s most materially disadvantaged children an annual holiday to look forward to. To find out more, take a look at the Cosy Foundation.
Goal 5: Empower Women and Girls and Ensure their Equal Rights
Alongside equal pay for equal work and having female members of staff at some of the highest positions of management, we prioritise flexible working to allow for parents to work without missing the most crucial parts of their children’s lives.
Goal 9: Fund Projects that Provide Basic Infrastructure
We prioritise working with SMEs. 70% of our supply chain, whose products account for 78% of sales through 180 suppliers, consists of small, independent, often owner-operated or family-run companies, who are the backbone of our business.
Goal 10: Support the Marginalized & Disadvantaged
We aim to be as inclusive as possible in our hiring processes, hiring those who need flexible hours, or that may be seen as unemployable by other companies. We work with prisoners on day release (ROTL), 20% of our workforce are part time.
Goal 12: Recycle Paper, Glass & Aluminium
All our bespoke products are built with multiple uses in mind, to encourage active learning, problem solving and creative thinking. These are designed to have a longer lifespan than traditional educational supplies. Several products are made with recycled and upcycled products, saving them from the carbon intensive processes to convert them into other forms.
*Not only are we serious about toast at Cosy, we’re serious about backing up what may feel like outlandish claims. So, here are our toast calculations.
We used the Which best buy four slice toaster, the Morphy Richards Illumination which is rated at 1500w. That means we get 40,000 hours of toasting time from our 60,000kWh of energy saving.
We did a survey in our office for how long Cosy staff like to toast their bread, and we had a range from, the frankly concerning, one minute to, the more serious, three minutes. Taking the average of two minutes, we can therefore toast 120 slices of bread in an hour.
If we multiply 120 by 40,000, we land at the incredible number of 4.8 million slices of toast.
Now, let’s chat about honey…