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The big question

In the wake of COP26, what plans do you or your business have to help reduce your carbon footprint in the year ahead? Is the climate crisis a problem for the world’s governments to solve, or do we all have a duty to play a part?

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ADVERTORIAL 5 REASONS TO CONSIDER EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP

With co-owned companies tending to be more successful, competitive, profitable and sustainable, employee ownership is a brilliant way of doing business. Gavin Poole from Stephens Scown LLP, offers five reasons for considering employee ownership in 2022.

Gavin Poole is a Partner in Stephens Scown’s Corporate team. Contact Gavin for a free 30-minute consultation at: g.poole@stephens-scown.co.uk.

TOM SOBEY

Origin Coffee

At Origin, we are a business bound by one central ethos; to source exceptional coffee through a sustainable, triple bottom line approach. As a certified B Corporation, we are committed to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance. We have already eliminated any plastic in our takeaway cups, opting for plant-based materials instead - in 2022, we will be following suit with our coffee bags. We also have ambitions to be operating with no diesel vehicles by 2030, so are working hard to replace our company vehicles with electrics or hybrids. No business is 100% perfect in the way they operate but it is imperative that all organisations take action before it’s too late.

JOHNNY PEARCE

Oltco

I find it absolutely staggering that businesses do not have sustainability at the forefront of their KPIs. The current climate threat is not going to go away on its own. I have met some incredible entrepreneurs who are filled with ideas, passion and hunger for implementation which are skill sets the world needs right now. It is time that we come together, bringing our unique skill sets to help make an impactful difference. If sustainability is not on your business agenda then you are potentially setting yourself up for failure and future generations will not accept your ethos. Hopefully off the back of COP26, our world leaders can take a really strong stance on fighting climate change and I hope this will spur on other people and businesses to consider their focus moving forward.

#1 Giving you the edge in a competitive jobs market

Employee-owned businesses have the edge in attracting and retaining talented employees, because they have high employment standards, involve staff in decision making and give everyone a stake in the success of the business. Employeeowned businesses also tend to have a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility and the communities they operate in.

#2 Business growth acceleration

Becoming an employee owner, it appears, has an empowering effect on employee engagement and their willingness to provide discretionary effort for the benefit of the business, resulting in an unexpected surge

TOBY BUDD

Workfloat

Be the change we want to see in the world. At a personal level I think this is good place to start. Take ownership for what we consume and the supply chain it comes from - what’s the point in signing a petition on Facebook and having a bag for life when you buy products and services from corporations that have little or no environmental ethics? As a business with a problem-solving DNA, we want to be part of the global wave of innovation that is finding solutions - for us that ranges from providing a protest pontoon at COP26 to deploying tidal turbines, and who knows what else in the future.

NICHOLA CAIN

Voice Communications

As a B-Corp we are committed to the triple bottom line, people, planet and profit so looking at ways we can reduce our carbon footprint is at the forefront of our agenda. For example, we recently moved our website hosting over to a sustainable provider. With regular reaccreditations, we will continue to do our bit as a business to put our environment first. The climate crisis is impacting us all and we feel we should all be doing our bit and taking responsibility to help combat this. It is not just up to our world leaders, every business and individual should be making changes and actively playing a role in fighting the climate change.

LINDSEY HALL

Real Ideas

Minimising the climate crisis is absolutely every single person’s responsibility and across both Cornwall and Devon, we have been running virtual and in-person workshops right through the pandemic, stressing all sorts of daily, pragmatic steps and changes that people can take. Our 2021 Illuminate light festival responded directly to the COP26 summit, climate crisis and also the impact of Covid-19 on the cultural sector.

in productivity, or ‘whoosh effect’, as the company becomes owned by its employees.

#3 Positive employee owner mentality

Employee owned companies are more innovative because managers go out of their way to consult, share information about the company, and give staff responsibility. Thinking like owners can lead to some great suggestions for changes that weren’t on the management team’s radar.

#4 Succession without trauma

Employee Ownership offers an appealing exit plan for founders without the need to find a buyer, without a heavy due diligence process, on a timeline that suits the owners, while securing the

STEVE DEMUTH

Bailey Partnership

We have pledged to become carbon-neutral and deliver all projects to net zero by 2030 – 20 years ahead of national targets - in a bid to reduce the construction industry’s carbon footprint. To achieve the ambitious plans, a sustainability group with representation from each of the consultancy’s service areas has formed with the purpose of improving the company’s carbon literacy. We have signed up to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge and encourage all RIBA registered practices to do so.

RICHARD WILCOX

Falmouth BID

Never mind COP26, our work hosting the international media centre for the G7, and our development of a Falmouth media portal, actually served to highlight just how much significant work is already being done by our local businesses, and by teams at University of Exeter and Falmouth University along ‘green’ and ‘blue’ strategic lines. We have a wealth of individuals and businesses who are innovating and we are providing ongoing support and advice wherever possible. Falmouth BID and the Falmouth Town Team are collaborating, sharing information and opportunities in relation to the possible funding strands and forums for responsible and sustainable business practice.

future employment of the employees.

#5 Tax efficiencies

An added bonus of becoming employeeowned is that there are tax savings for both the business and its employees. Having advised numerous clients on their transition to employee-ownership, as well as drawing on the firm’s own journey to becoming employee-owned, the team at Stephens Scown is perfectly placed to advise businesses looking to reap the benefits of employee-ownership.