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 2023 Company Report which can be accessed here.
Sustainability: By the Numbers
In 2023 approximately 2.4 million pounds of paper was recycled though our partnership with our shredding vendors.
- Equivalent to 20,472 trees saved
- Equivalent to 3,594 cubic yards of landfill space saved
- More than 8.38 million gallons of water saved
LED lighting and retrofits have eliminated nearly 1,812 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Equivalent to 153,224 kWh saved
- Equivalent to eliminating 23 cars from the roadways
- Equivalent to eliminating 10,642 gallons of gas
- Equivalent to eliminating environmental impact of 16.24 homes
- Equivalent to eliminating more than 119,371 in pounds of coal burned
In 2019, Simmons Bank implemented the recycling program, K-Cycle, for coffee ground and K-Cups.
- In 2023, more than 616pounds 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:
- 658 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 20231
- 3,306 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 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 2023, Simmons First Foundation provided grants totaling more than $841,000 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, $150,000 in environmental grants were provided. In 2023, Simmons First Foundation presented the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission more than $60,000 to support its Mobility Impaired Awareness and Adaptive Recreation programs for youth.
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.