Business as a force for good

It’s easy to feel that businesses are coming under heavy criticism for their contribution to the climate emergency.

We don’t feel it’s all doom and gloom. In fact, we believe that by making some small changes in the way they do things, businesses like yours and ours can lead by example, influence others in their sector and beyond, and become beacons for change.

Small changes can make a big difference if enough people make them. Particularly, for business owners, making those changes could result in more customers, better business relationships and a reputation for being one of the good guys. Even better, it could have a positive impact on your bottom line.

We’re not just saying this: we’re living it. We’re putting our money, energy and commitment where our mouth is. The Switchfoot family of businesses are already:

1.       Providing a default sustainable investment and pension option for the team and clients;
2.       Prioritising charitable giving – using B1G1 and Ecologi to offset carbon and provide positive impacts;
3.       Working with our industry organisations to shape and define best practices and continuing to ask the tough questions. For example, we are doing this via the board of SOLLA (Society of Later Life Advisers),        TTF (Transparency Task Force), membership of the ICAEW 1000 Chartered Accountants Campaign and C-CAN (Climate-Conscious Accountants’ Network).
4.       We are providing financial and climate education and practice guides to our clients so they can start or continue their journey to net zero.
5.       Using the B corporation B assessment process to highlight the areas of improvement and focus on reducing our impact on the environment.

We’ve signed up to change and we’d love to support you to do the same. After all, it’s not going to be business as usual if we fail.

Why should you care?

Stipulations are already appearing in tenders and contract requirements. The more you commit to changing your attitude towards sustainability and reducing your impact on the environment, the more likely you are to be able to bid for more lucrative work, connect with influential businesses and attract customers to your door.

In fact, you should see this as a key opportunity to distinguish yourself from the competition sooner rather than later.

You can find out much more about why it’s commercially valuable to put the climate first by requesting a copy of our free ‘Be Climate Confident‘ e-book today.

 

Please note: This is not meant to constitute professional advice. It is generic guidance only and things may have changed since it was written –please always seek specific & tailored advice for your circumstances.