One year ago we set out plans to measure and reduce the carbon impact of our agency. It is an integral part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, Movement for Good.
Fast forward 12 months, and the need for everyone to do their bit for the planet feels even more critical.
During a recent meeting with a friend, I was surprised to be turned away from a café because they only serve drinks in lifetime cups – and I had forgotten mine!
It was frustrating not to get a coffee, but I was full of admiration for the conscious strategy to prioritise sustainability even at the cost of losing a sale.
In a recent conversation with Jamie Berry from Trees Not Trees, he highlighted the importance of consumer choice to drive change.
His organisation encourages people attending events to opt for sponsoring tree planting instead of receiving traditional merchandise. It’s not about eliminating goodies completely but about empowering individuals to make more sustainable decisions.
It’s a great example of how we can make our industry more sustainable yet still gain valuable exposure for our clients.
Progress towards our goals
In 2022, we worked with ZeroBees to gather data about the environmental impact of our agency.
In 2023, we set ambitious goals to reduce our full year emissions by a third per head in 2024 (compared to the data from 2022).
Here is how we have performed in our 4 focus areas:
1. Money & banking
Goals
– Switch to a more sustainable banking provider with lower emissions.
– Investigate alternative, ethical pension funds that are fossil fuel free or offer lower emissions per pound invested.
Actions
It took a full 12 months, but we have finally opened a Co-Op account and switched cash we have in the business away from HSBC. This has had a big impact on our targets due to HSBC’s investment in fossil fuels.
2. Travel – van & flights
Goals
– Consider rail travel where possible within Europe.
– Optimise routes or limit use of the company van or consider replacing the vehicle with a greener alternative.
Actions
As an agency we’ve reduced our flights per year quite drastically and have opted for more online meetings with our global clients. We are also officially introducing a Green Travel Policy. We’ll include this in our staff handbook for team travel and as part of our client servicing guidelines for any press and community trips.
3. Home energy switch
Goals
– Encourage or incentivise team members to switch to green household energy tariffs to minimise emissions when working from home.
Performance
This is one area where we are yet to make progress. We hope to keep you posted in 2025.
4. Events, suppliers and clients
Goals
– Build a simple check-list for suppliers and consultants to reduce emissions in our supply chain.
– Ensure events are low-impact with a check-list for Aspire activations and events.
– Have the conversation early on in client and supplier relationships that we will not fly unless there’s a very good reason.
– Support clients with sustainability comms and talk about their plans, barriers, actions.
Performance
We sponsored the ‘Sustainability In Running’ category at the National Running Show Awards to highlight our support for these brilliant initiatives and celebrate its importance to our industry.
We have chosen JogOn Recycle as one of our hero projects to minimise the environmental impact of the footwear sector. We’ve been wowed by the amazing work of the organisation’s founder, Tony Piedade, to recycle used running shoes. And we will be donating our PR expertise to gain further exposure for this important campaign throughout 2024.
Finally, we’ve crossed paths with some amazing organisations this year and we’ll continue to support where we can this year: Camino and their Eco Trails Series, The Climate Relay, Trees Not Tees, GoodGym and Trash Free Trails.
Keeping momentum into 2025
It’s vital that we stay aligned as a team and that we are aware and educated on how we can best support clients from a communications perspective.
We will have a team knowledge session with Toby from ZeroBees so that he can share his expertise and insights into current standards, ethics and impact, including any shifts over the last year.
We’ll also be doing what we can on a personal level to offer hyper local support.
I’ve made a personal pledge to support my local Community Eco Hub and attend the monthly litter pick. It’s run by an inspiring person that I first met at Elmbridge Running Club, Mick Tumilty.
Our first litter pick was a family thing. I went with my 6-year-old daughter with the promise of cake once she got to the Eco Hub. After a very long walk, we fortunately made it back just before the cake had gone!
There’s lots more we can all do, both at a local and industry level. We’re not going to stop doing our bit and inspiring others to do the same.
For more information, please take a look at our CSR strategy and discover more about our sustainability PR services.
Layla Smith, Founder & Managing Director
