SmithBrewer & Green Mark: Taking Real Steps Towards a Greener Future

At SmithBrewer, we’ve always believed that good design and responsible business should go hand in hand. Over the past year, we’ve been taking that belief a step further by starting our journey with Green Mark, a friendly, practical environmental accreditation that helps businesses understand where they stand, where they can improve, and how to get there without the jargon.

So, what’s Green Mark?

Green Mark is best described as a structured but approachable roadmap for becoming a more sustainable business. It guides companies through three stages of learning, planning and doing, with Level 1 focused on building awareness and getting a clear picture of environmental impact. It is accessible, supportive and a powerful way to turn good intentions into real, measurable progress.

Why are we doing this?

The answer is simple, we want to do better. For our clients, for our team, and for the environment we work in every day. We are proud of many things we already do well, including biodiversity improvements, responsible IT reuse, our commitment to installing solar PV and the strong internal Sustainability Steering Team now in place. But we also recognise that we are not perfect and we are not pretending to be. Green Mark is helping us understand where we stand and how we can move forward in a meaningful way.

What we’ve learned so far

Throughout 2025, we carried out a full sweep of assessments across our business. This included utilities, waste, water use, lighting, insulation, heating, packaging, equipment efficiency and our wider environmental footprint. We reviewed the materials we use, the waste we generate and the ways we interact with our local environment. We also strengthened our Environmental Policy, improved internal communication and gained much clearer visibility of where positive change is both possible and practical.

The journey has been energising and reassuring, proving that sustainability is achieved through steady, achievable progress.

What’s next for 2026?

We are now moving from assessing to acting. During 2026 we will be installing our solar PV system, expanding recycling facilities across the business, reducing printing through a digital-first approach, improving packaging sustainability, increasing staff training and awareness, collaborating more with local environmental groups, reviewing greener energy tariffs and setting clear, practical reduction targets for energy, waste and travel.

This is only the beginning, and we are excited for what comes next!