Our parent company, Hill & Smith PLC is dedicated to creating sustainable infrastructure and safe transport through innovation. As such, they will participate in their second Sustainability Week April 24 to 28.
ESG— Why It’s Here and What It Means
In April 2021, the European Commission adopted a sustainable finance package called ESG. The acronym stands for environmental, social and governance. It represents the three topics that companies are expected to report on. Global challenges like climate change, the transition from a linear economy to a circular one and increasing inequality mean ESG is here to stay.
The Environmental Pillar
Emissions [greenhouse gasses, air and water and ground pollution] fall under the Environmental Pillar. Does a company use virgin or recycled materials in its production processes? How does a company ensure that the primary material in its product is cycled back into the economy instead of finding its way to a landfill? Companies also report on positive sustainability impacts they are making which might translate to long-term business advantages.
For more than 50 years, Creative Composites Group (CCG) has dedicated itself to designing and producing sustainable products produced with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites. FRP is taking markets like utility, rail, bridges and waterfront to the next level to reduce emissions, secure long life and reduce the need for maintenance. Science Direct calls FRP the “mother of green composites. The reinforced components are naturally sourced and reduce a company’s carbon footprint.”
How We Got Started
Bob Sweet helped bridge a large gap with FRP composites when he founded CCG in 1973. Bob has been a father to all of us in the composites industry. His gamble—the risks he took on new ideas, new products and how to make them—helped pave the way for adopting composites in various applications. He credited the company’s successes to the people that stood behind him. He taught us a set of values to succeed by and pushed us to take gambles of our own. He equipped us to be pioneers who would continue to blaze trails.
Tradition Carried Forward
In addition to expanding CCG’s reach into new markets, the company has continued to build community awareness. We have also expanded our reach to the surrounding community, from area fire stations [there is one every 10 miles] and first responders to children’s athletic groups. Beyond athletics, we lend a hand to music, soccer, little league and local churches. Bob gave us the blueprint and we’ve continued to update it with funds and FRP products. For example, the fire station across the road from us probably has 25 to 30 of our FRP light poles to illuminate its annual fundraisers. We support internships in the fields of mechanical and civil engineering and finance. Then we offer them a job. We take great pride in supporting the community plus making sure that our employees serve the community as volunteers.
