Over the past several years, Simmons has undertaken various environmentally conscious initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse emissions, promote recycling and, through the Simmons First Foundation, support environmentally focused grants to aid conservation and sustainable projects. Included below are certain noteworthy initiatives and their resulting impact. These, and other initiatives, are discussed in further detail in our 2022 Company Report which can be accessed here.
Go Green to Save Green
Simmons Bank is committed to doing our part to reduce the greenhouse gases associated with the paper manufacturing, printing and mail delivery processes. In 2021, we implemented a $3 paper statement fee. For one year, for customers who wished to keep paper statements, $1 of each fee was donated to the Simmons First Foundation Conservation Fund, which is focused on making a positive impact to the environment. Customers were encouraged to “go green to save green,” helping protect our environment by signing up for enhanced eStatements. In 2022, Simmons Bank donated more than $1.7 million to the Simmons First Conservation Fund in connection with this effort.
By the end of 2022, more than 421,700 customers elected to receive eStatements, a 16 percent increase from 2021.
Customers who signed up for an online account reduced the amount of paper used when opening an account in person. Digital account openings reduced paper waste this year by approximately 50,000 sheets of paper.
Environmental Stewardship
In 2022, Simmons Bank committed to planning and designing new builds with environmentally sustainable elements. By continuing to focus on our responsibility to helping the environment, Simmons Bank implemented the following on all new branch construction and major branch renovations in 2022.
Sustainable elements include:
- Occupancy sensors for lighting controls
- LED lighting
- Motion sensors for plumbing fixtures
- Programmable thermostats
- Multiple zones for heating and cooling
Sustainability: By the Numbers
In 2022 approximately 1.26 million pounds of paper was recycled though our partnership with our shredding vendors.
- Equivalent to 10,851 trees saved
- Equivalent to 1,905 cubic yards of landfill space saved
- More than 4.44 million gallons of water saved
LED lighting and retrofits have eliminated nearly 1,812 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Equivalent to 2.0 million kWh saved
- Equivalent to eliminating 308 cars from the roadways
- Equivalent to eliminating 140,720 gallons of gas
- Equivalent to eliminating environmental impact of 214 homes
- Equivalent to eliminating more than 1.5 million in pounds of coal burned
In 2019, Simmons Bank implemented the recycling program, K-Cycle, for coffee ground and K-Cups.
- In 2022, more than 425 pounds of used K-Cups and coffee grounds were recycled
Branch Optimization
Throughout the last three years, Simmons Bank implemented a branch rationalization strategy that leverages data to assist us in creating more efficiency in our branch distribution network, while also allowing us to better serve our customers.
The implementation of our branch optimization strategy allowed us to eliminate approximately:
- 484 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 20221
- 2,648 metric tons of carbon dioxide since 20201
Simmons First Foundation
Providing support to the communities we serve is foundational to who we are at Simmons Bank. Since 2014, Simmons First Foundation has provided support for youth access to health care and education and aiding low-to-moderate income families. Funding requests come to the Foundation from leaders across the footprint initiating grant requests based on the needs in their communities.
Since 2014, Simmons Bank contributed approximately $17.9 million to the foundation.
In 2022, Simmons First Foundation provided grants totaling more than $1.1 million across our footprint.
The Foundation created a new $3 million endowment in 2021 to support environmentally focused grants to aid conservation and sustainable projects. This year, almost $169,000 in environmental grants were provided. In 2022, Simmons First Foundation presented Ducks Unlimited $100,000 to support the Big River Conservancy project located along the Mississippi River in Memphis and West Memphis, Arkansas.
1 Figures calculated by totaling the square footage of branches closed/sold for the respective period and converted into square meters. The resulting figure was multiplied by a factor of 102 kg CO2 per square meter, and then converted to arrive at metric tons of CO2 for each respective period. The 102 kg CO2 per square meter factor was based on data published by the Center for Sustainable Systems, School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan, related to carbon emissions data for commercial buildings and cited by Diebold Nixdorf in a publication dated April 19, 2021.