Melissa Penn, shares her impact journey from becoming a Carbon Literacy Trainer to launching her own accredited course.

The journey to net-zero is complex for any small business trying to reduce their carbon footprint. Back in 2021, we set a net-zero goal for 2025 with the very best intentions but had no idea about the challenges that were about to emerge, and so we’re changing direction, with a ‘less net more zero’ approach.

We’re delighted to announce that AG Comms has been awarded Gold Rating by EcoVadis for our sustainability performance. Scoring advanced in Environment and Labour and Human Rights categories and outstanding in Ethics places us in the top 96th percentile of businesses in our sector.

As part of our commitment to SDG 13 Climate Action, we’re on a mission for our business to be carbon net zero by 2025.

We realised that we’ve not spoken much about our progress on our journey to net zero. Mainly because we still have lots to learn about carbon reduction and it’s an ever-changing space. What felt right for our business two years ago, isn’t fit for purpose now, and so we’re learning more every day about what we need to do differently.

We are over the moon to announce that our Founder and Purpose Leader, Lynne Griffiths has joined UK for Good as Co-owner and Co-CEO alongside Donna Okell. Their partnership will form part of a new shared leadership model at UK for Good, and Lynne will continue in her role as CEO of AG Comms.

B Corp certification is a purpose goal we’ve been working hard towards over the last 18 months, because we strongly believe that every business should be responsible for the impact they have on the world.

Mentoring has had a positive impact on me, as well as my mentee. It was interesting to hear about the challenges young women are faced with when thinking about their future, knowing my support could then empower her to make confident choices.

Being “activists” is a term we're still getting comfortable with here because of our preconceptions. But there is a new type of activism forming – employee activism – and last Friday, armed with placards painted by our kids, our team went to Westminster for The Big One, a people's climate protest organised by Extinction Rebellion.

We've been following SHE Changes Climate and their incredible work since the start of our purpose journey. They have a 50:50 vision of women, in all their diversity, to be visible and included in climate decision making at all levels.

AG is now officially Climate Neutral Certified. Here’s what that means...

Yesterday, 20 July 2022 I submitted AG Comms’ Business Impact Assessment (BIA) and we are now officially in the queue to becoming B Corp certified. This is such a big milestone for AG (and me personally), and I’m feeling pretty giddy about it!

From the beginning we wanted everyone in our business to have a say in how we drive our purpose forward. So when it came to choosing not-for-profits to include in our giving strategy, we involved everyone in the voting process. Not just our employees but our supply chain too.

It felt a bit surreal travelling to London to join over 300 coalition members and supporters for Better Business Day at Westminster last month. The Better Business Act (BBA) coalition is campaigning for a change in UK law which would make businesses prioritise people and the planet alongside profit – creating a triple bottom line.

I can’t quite believe that Lynne and I have known each other for 20 years. We met working in corporate communications for a Financial Services Group. Things were so different back then. Leadership opportunities for women were limited and flexibility was non-existent.