This roundup of our sustainability news covers our B Corp Month celebrations, carbon reduction, joining the Better Business Act, published articles and more.
B Corp Month 2023
Since becoming a Certified B Corporation (B Corp) in 2022, we’re continuing to build a sustainable business: one that operates as a force for good.
B Corps are a worldwide community of businesses that meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
B Lab, a US-based not-for-profit network, provides this certification. The B stands for Benefit for all.
March was B Corp Month: a time for B Corps to take pride and raise awareness. we had a taste (literally) of how lovely the B Corp UK community is.
Putting on a lunchtime session for everyone at BKL to learn more about B Corp certification from our Head of ESG Myfanwy Neville, we decided that the ideal accompaniment would be a table of refreshments from our fellow B Corps. We got in touch with several to ask if they’d be willing to send us some snacks and drinks… and our pictures show how generous they were! Our thanks to The Curators, PROPER Snacks, graze, Karma Drinks, Candy Kittens, innocent drinks, Kallo and Tony’s Chocolonely.
We’re proud that Myfanwy has been accepted onto the ICAEW Sustainability Committee. Myfanwy represents not just BKL but the growing number of ICAEW member firms who are also part of the B Corp community.
How we reduced our carbon emissions
As a business, we reached a milestone in reducing our carbon emissions in April 2023. To achieve this, we first calculated our 2019-2022 greenhouse gas emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2, and combining this with an estimate of our Scope 3 emissions.
- Scope 1 covers emissions from sources we own and control
- Scope 2 covers generation of purchased electricity that is consumed in our own environment
- Scope 3 is the broadest category and covers indirect emissions, such as those from suppliers and transport
Next, we invested in two gold standard accredited carbon offset projects. One provides clean energy cooking-stoves to families in Nigeria; the other builds wind farms in China. Our next steps will be to get a better calculation of our Scope 3 emissions and to design a net zero plan using science-based targets.
Better Business Act
We’ve joined the Better Business Act coalition alongside more than 2,000 other UK businesses.
According to B Lab’s research, 78% agreed that ‘the law should change to ensure businesses have a responsibility to look after people and the planet alongside making a profit’. The Better Business Act is a campaign to change the UK law so that every company in the UK acts in the interests of wider society and the environment.
Like all B Corps in the UK, we have already amended our articles of association to, in B Lab’s words, ‘formally embed consideration of all stakeholders … driving greater accountability’.
In the press
To help others who may just be starting or contemplating their own B Corp or ESG (environmental, social and governance) journey, we’ve enjoyed sharing our experience alongside other businesses’. Most recently, this has included contributing to an ICAEW Insights article on what it means to become a B Corp; and writing a Taxation magazine article that brought together four accountancy firms’ experience of B Corp Certification. Both articles are available via our website.
Steps on the right path
To ensure we can keep making a positive difference, our impact forum Mosaic has expanded; BKL’s charitable foundation has grown too; and we were pleased to welcome our first Impact Project Manager, Rebecca Jackson. As a transparent way to express BKL’s purpose, progress and plans, we’re currently putting together our first impact report. We look forward to sharing this later in 2023.