July 2024 edit | ESGmark? Networking Event, Plastic Free July, and UN High-Level Political Forum

Dear?ESGmark? community members and friends,

Summer is upon us and we hope that like us, you've been?spending?time outside enjoying the longer days and warmer evenings. This past month, we have also been working hard as ever, supporting organisations through their ESGmark??applications, meeting new faces as our team continues to grow, and working on a new exciting resource for our ever-expanding members library - more updates on these to come soon!

This month, we have lots to celebrate, with some brilliant news and achievements from our community members, and we're also particularly looking forward to our upcoming members networking event. Read on for more details on all this, along with some wider ESG-related news and resources.

As ever, we would love to hear from you. If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions,?email us at?[email protected]?or click the link to get in touch.

Warmest wishes,

The ESGmark? Team

We're delighted to welcome Your Local Bookkeeper to the ESGmark? Community! Your Local Bookkeeper prides itself on being a sustainable business and helps clients grow their sustainable, environmental businesses to help make a positive impact on the society we are all part of.?“I’m so delighted that Your Local Bookkeeper has achieved the ESGmark? Certification as external validation of our efforts in doing “good business”.” - said Kathryn Frimond , Director.

We're excited to be hosting another networking event this month for ESGmark? community members.

Join us for a virtual networking session to meet fellow community members and form connections with likeminded businesses. This time, the theme is 'Influencing Change', where we will explore how value-driven businesses can influence change in their sector and amongst stakeholders.?These networking sessions are always a great chance to meet others and share successes, challenges and new ideas.

Date: 9th July 2024

Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm?

Click here to register via the event page.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The ESGmark? Community continues to go from strength to strength and we are proud to share and celebrate the success of our Members. Below are just some of the great things Community Members achieved in the last month.

Forest Distillery Ltd has been selected as a finalist in the Drink Producer of the Year category for The Cheshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2024. They also recently launched an innovative sustainable refill option for their multi award-winning Forest Gin bottles! This includes?a fully-recyclable box which contains over 7 bottles worth of Forest Gin, significantly reducing waste, transport costs and environmental impact.

Ganddee has gone nationwide! Following the successful launch of the Ganddee mobile app in London, the app now covers all of Britain and welcomes suggestions from every part of the country to refine their directory of sustainable, second-hand, and zero/low-waste shops.

The Sustainable Events Company has officially launched their multi-level consultancy and auditing service for organisations looking for help and/or hands-on support to deliver an amazing sustainable event for their clients. You can find out more here.

In Good Company has just launched the surveys for their 2nd annual Good Report. They are?gathering insights into the current state of sustainable living and ethical buying, and how?the cost-of-living crisis is impacting the sector and behaviours across the UK. Have your say by completing their quick survey and you could win a ￡25 voucher!?Here is a link to the survey for individuals, and here is the link for businesses.

This month we are highlighting Ancient + Brave | B Corp , a value-driven wellness brand and valued ESGmark? Community Member. Ancient + Brave prioritises people and planet by thoughtfully designing their nutritional blends and formulas to help achieve wellbeing objectives, while prioritising sustainability through their sourcing and supporting social and environmental causes.

Major congratulations are in order as they have recently been named 5th in the Sunday Times 100 fastest-growing private companies, and 8th fastest growing founder-led, privately owned business by FEBE Growth 100! This achievement is a testament to their commitment to driving impact for business success as well as for their customers and the planet.

Speaking of this exciting news, Kate Prince , Founder and CEO, said, "I started Ancient + Brave because I believed in a vision where wellness and sustainability could coexist. Our growth proves that success and responsibility to the planet can indeed go hand in hand, and it inspires us to keep pushing forward with you behind us."

Kate is also a brilliant advocate for investment in female-founded businesses, which is currently a major barrier with only 2% of equity investment in the UK currently going to female founders. You can read her insights on this issue?here.

As Ancient + Brave achieves incredible growth and business success,?delivering environmental and social impact remains core to their principles. Alongside their ongoing environmental and social initiatives, such as their commitment to ethical and sustainable sourcing, some of their more recent commitments include:

• Donating 2% of their revenue to charitable causes, supporting Love Mercy, The Lotus Flower and Rainforest Concern.
• Getting involved with a local charity by organising volunteer days and through donations, to help protect and enhance the local water environment.
• Investing in a Life Cycle Analysis for their full product range so that they can implement science-based reduction targets and monitor their impact on each product.

Head over to their website to check out their award-winning range of supplements and health blends!

Listen to our podcast episode with Kate Prince, Founder and CEO of Ancient + Brave here.

The United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is being held this month on 8th-17th July.

The HLPF is a platform within the United Nations to address global challenges, by covering all aspects of sustainable development and will review the implementation and monitoring of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These forums are important for aligning science with action, which is crucial given that last year only 12% of the SDG targets were found to be on track. You can view a great summary of outcomes from the 2023 forum by IISD here.

This year, the theme is ‘Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions’ and the main focus will be on:

• SDG 1: No poverty
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals

At ESGmark?, we help simplify these complex and important issues?and help businesses to take action to support the goals.

To learn more about these Sustainable Development Goals, and for a run-down of the main outcomes from other UN conferences, such as the climate-focused Conference Of The Parties (COP28) held last November, head to the 'SDGs' tag on our blog here.

Plastic Free July is a global movement with over 100 million participants in 190 countries, which aims to reduce the pollution in our streets, oceans, and communities by saying no to single-use plastics.

According to National Geographic, plastic production has increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015 - and is set to double by 2050 at current rates!

The effects of this are immense, with 8 million tonnes entering the ocean each year, taking hundreds of years to break down and damaging species, habitats, and communities.

Everyone can get involved in the Plastic Free Challenge and make a difference by reducing the use of everyday plastics at home, in the workplace, at school, and in communities.

For example, some ideas for businesses include:

• Reduce plastics in the office: There are many ways that you can encourage and facilitate your teams to minimise plastics in the office. For example, you could speak with your building manager and provide plastic-free cutlery and crockery for your staff so that they won't need to choose plastic forks when buying lunch. Opening the conversation amongst co-workers and staff is important for any environmental initiative, to encourage idea-sharing and enhance internal connections. Whether creating a new group on Slack, organising lunchtime meetups, or sharing educational materials in your?newsletter, think about how to include everyone in the conversation!
• Work with suppliers to minimise supply chain plastics:?Engage your suppliers and procurement partners with your sustainability mission, finding out if they are able to provide plastic-free solutions, or looking for suppliers who can. This may?relate to any part of your business, from sourcing packaging to choosing?catering partners, for example.?ESGmark??members can utilise our supply chain guide and supplier surveys to help with this.
• Get involved with community action:?Volunteering is amazing not only for creating positive impact, it is also important for team building, employee satisfaction, and?connecting your firm with your community. Consider rallying your people to support local action - for example, beach clean-ups are a fun way to get outside and make a direct impact for the environment. Many amazing organisations run beach clean-ups, such as Surfers Against Sewage, The National Trust, Keep Britain Tidy, and Marine Conservation Society.?
• Support charities and community groups: Equally, you could support?groups which are taking action to tackle plastic pollution through donations.

For more information on what you can do as an individual, community, or workplace, head to the Plastic Free July website.?

We would love to hear what your organisation is doing this Plastic Free July and beyond, to minimise plastic production and use - get in touch and let us know!