We asked our small business community how they’ve introduced and embedded environmental, social and economic impact into their business ethos and processes.
I signed up for Ecologi | B Corp™ about seven or eight years ago when they offered individual carbon offset plans, e.g. planting trees on behalf of users for about £5-£10 per month (they’ve since pivoted to a B2B model). Mostly to cover my personal carbon footprint, though, such as regular flights to Dublin.
Sustainability in a micro business like mine means being intentional. I run a lean, remote-first company to reduce environmental impact, prioritise ethical tools and platforms, and choose clients aligned with inclusive values. We may be small, but every business has the power to shape better systems, starting with who we serve and how we show up.
Here at Future We Want, we specialise in delivering engaging climate learning – for example, game-based learning using our Bananas game!
I essentially convey other people’s messages through my voice, so ethics are an important consideration for me. I always check the background of the content I record, and I do sometimes turn things down. As such, I guess I’ve developed a niche in ethical content. There is a huge amount of TTS (text-to-speech) work available to VO artists at the moment, for the development of synthetic voices, which I find deeply depressing. You always get more of what you focus on, so while I’m not cashing in on the AI revolution (whatever that means), I do get to record scripts I am genuinely on board with!
I do my bit by not using ChatGPT.
Jo Watson, Copywriter, hired by people with great taste in copywriters
After years in print and packaging communications, I saw how oversimplifying the sustainability story can influence consumer perceptions: plastic = bad, recycling = good. But it’s more nuanced than that. Through my content studio, I now help brands tell honest, clear stories about their impact, without fear of greenwashing. In my view, sustainability messaging needs to move away from guilt and finger-pointing, and instead highlight how sustainability can be a convenient, even luxurious part of everyday life. That’s what people are more likely to buy into and embrace.
15 years ago I went self-employed. I read about a Japanese man who decided to leave his highly paid, pressured job and to do “half-farmer, half-x” where he worked part-time towards self-sufficiency and part-time at something he was passionate about to earn the money he needed for anything else. I also discovered Permaculture Design. So, I set up my business to provide ICT support, advice, and training in schools (what I had previously been doing for a company), but only to those within cycling/walking/public transport distance, and only for three days a week. The rest of my time I worked on the plot of land at the back of our house, got more involved with local environmental groups and taught carbon literacy. After COVID I was asked to be sustainability lead at a local primary school for one day a week including running a biodiversity project. During this time we have managed to make ends meet (we don’t have a mortgage due to an inheritance) and I’ve managed to keep fit!
Paul Magnall, Education Systems Manager and Sustainability Lead at Red Kite Computers
I focus on translating and subtitling sustainability-related training materials and talks. So far I’ve mostly worked with NGOs and non-profits, but I would love to collaborate with purpose-led businesses too.
Like most people within sustainability, I also have a focus on environmental and social justice in my personal life. Among other things, I’m vegan, I try to avoid air travel, and I participate in environmental and human rights campaigns.
This is timely because hopefully I’ll update my website with my sustainability policy this week! It discloses my carbon emissions and donations to the Woodland Trust for the previous tax year.
Marina Torruella Bonsoms, Freelance Catalan & Spanish Translator and Subtitler
We are a small video and event production company in Hertfordshire. We have a carbon report, report on social value impact and are a founder member of the Herts Go Green and Grown group – a community of like-minded businesses working together to share knowledge and best practice to help all our members become more sustainable. It’s not something we have to do; it’s something we do because we believe collaboration is the only way to make lasting change happen.
Abigayle Fisher, Helping you tell your story your way – video | communications | events
Most of the projects we work with at FORCE 4 EVENTS have a sustainability angle. Purpose-driven businesses that do amazing things, supporting communities’ connection to nature, education on taking small action every day, and are proactively reducing their environmental impact. Sustainability is also rooted within our practices at FORCE 4 EVENTS. From working with eco-conscious suppliers to carbon reduction in our operations, and supporting regenerative projects across the globe, including planting 100 trees in 2 years.
Everything I do at The House Outside is centred around sustainability. For me, a great brand is about more than financial success. It’s about cultural relevance. Culture is co-created by humans and organisations. Brands have a huge impact on culture and the opportunity right now is to create a more environmentally and socially positive future. Businesses of all sizes can do this by telling stories that inspire positive action.
A few examples of brands I’ve been involved in are:
- Coffee Roasters (like Kickback Coffee) who promote a sense of adventure in whatever form that means for you.
- Wellbeing businesses (like Folc Studio CIC) that make their services accessible through self-serve tiered pricing.
- Non-profits (like One World Together) that are rewriting how giving works, empowering communities once more.
Any brand of any size has the power to tell a story that promotes positive environmental behaviour, positive social behaviour, and promotes economic equality. It all comes back to courage. Courage to be you and stand for something.
I’ve been baby-stepping into sustainability. First I landed a couple of clients last year whose mission I loved – one of them offered busy parents the possibility to rent toys instead of buying tons of new ones. The other client built a platform to make wardrobe repairs easier by letting users get quotes from vetted artisans and repair people. Currently, I’m helping a client by translating their sustainability report into English. I’m still very much a WIP, but I keep on trying to break into the sphere of sustainable energy, environment, slow living, slow fashion etc. etc. Anywhere where the marketing doesn’t have to be loud, but impactful.
I focus on working with bioplastics and recycled plastics within 3D printing. Not only focusing on the 3D printed outcomes but also the creative potential of the plastic waste. This has developed into me facilitating a 3D Printing & Sustainability course that looks at the diverse ways that 3D printing can be used in the world to contribute towards sustainable futures.
My focus is on a world with zero poverty, zero hunger, and clean water for all. I’ve always put making an impact in people’s lives above planting trees. But I’m all for sustainable living practices too (solar where possible, LED lights, but not electric cars – because they’re 100% bad for the environment in production, charging and disposal).
Peter Sleightholme, Copywriter & Sales Coach for Solopreneurs
