There’s something very exciting about the Final Frontier and outer space – venturing into the unknown, making discoveries, watching mysteries unfold before our eyes as images are projected from the far reaches of our solar system and beyond. While it is truly awe-inspiring to think there may be life out there, and perhaps even other planets capable of sustaining it, the question begs to ask why we spend so much time and money pursuing other planets, when the one we’re living on is awesome!
While we have explored beyond the reaches of our Solar System, there are depths of our oceans which are still uncharted. Thousands of undiscovered species could exist on this planet, yet we are in pursuit of alien life forms on others. By being blind to all that life, we cannot help but be ignorant of what impact we are having on them. At no other time has it been more important than now to get our heads out of the clouds and stop living on a different planet.
The term ‘on a different planet’ is most often used about someone out of touch with reality. When we ask someone what planet they are on, it’s an attempt to understand where they are coming from with an opinion or ideology – especially if it’s in contrast to our own, or simply to hard, cold, facts that are otherwise accepted by the majority.
How we audit our impact
In the world of finance, we are accustomed to auditors who help us assess things by applying checks and balances as we go. The pursuit of facts and figures helps us make sense of the world around us, equipping us with the understanding of how we can best make positive changes to ensure sustainable and responsible financial decisions. In the same way that auditors review the accounts of companies and other organisations to ensure their financial records are correct and in line with the law, at Core3, we continually audit our contribution to the progress of people and planet to see whether it is in line with the best interests of both.
The European Commission defines sustainable finance as: “the process of taking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions in the financial sector, leading to more long-term investments in sustainable economic activities and projects.”
At Core 3, we recognise how important it is to be aware of environmental responsibility at every stage of the recruitment pipeline, and we can help you to be so too. Our mission is: To pioneer the ‘conscious recruitment’ mindset; putting people, the planet, and progress first. We strive to hold to our purpose, be guided by our values, and make a real difference…one placement at a time.
We believe in being intentional always, which is why we pledged to give back 3% of our sales to people, planet, and progress before we had even made a penny. Our stakeholders are not just our customers and shareholders – they are also our employees, our suppliers, our community, and the environment, and we believe in consciously and intentionally doing all we can for all of them.
We believe it is so important to be “self-auditors” and take responsibility for our environmental impact and we’re working hard with our friends at Ecologi to keep environmental, social, and governance considerations at the centre of our purpose. So far, we have funded the planting of 16,167 trees and avoided 248.84 tCO2e on our way to net zero. With the help of Ecologi, we have gained accreditation as a ‘Green Small Business’ and we have found easy ways to regularly audit our contributions towards supporting people, purpose, and the planet.
One such way is by using “Ecologi Zero”, which links with our Xero accounting software to analyse our supply chain and measure our footprint accordingly. Ecologi offers many products that integrate with your business to provide climate solutions that suit you – for example, their Climate Action Workforce subscription for your team, engages and rewards employees and the planet by funding certified carbon avoidance and tree planting projects every month.
There are so many simple ways to ensure your finance business is creating positive change and having a powerful impact on the welfare of all your shareholders too. Choosing to clearly define your values as a company will help you take the practical steps to remain true to them. It is so important that everyone on your team is ‘on the same planet’ because, without that unity and shared purpose, it can be difficult to gain traction in any direction.
Whether you are a start-up or a well-established business, it is never too late to define values, outline actions, and start operating with purpose.
Many more companies are realising this and going for B Corp status, and although many of the initial B Corps were either small or medium-sized businesses, now, around 90 are multi–nationals. Interestingly, as larger businesses have sought the status, B Corp has had to reassess their certification process to maintain its rigour so that companies are not able to meet the minimum points requirement quite so easily. With larger companies, being able to pick and choose which criteria applied to them doesn’t work as well. This is why the certifying body now requires B Corps to be more prescriptive about where they stand on 10 specific topics, including human rights and fair wages. The new requirements identify ten topics that are comprehensive of different stakeholder impacts (e.g., fair wages; climate action). With the new standards, the goal is to transition from a points-based certification requirement to a scheme where companies must meet the specific requirements within each topic. This new certification model will not let companies choose to be a B Corp just in the standards that suit their businesses!
So what are the social, economic and governance considerations relevant to you? What does putting people, planet, and progress first, look like in your context? These are the hard questions that need to be asked because the answers are the key to unlocking an organisation’s full potential and purpose. The revelation those answers bring will impact not only the shareholders within the walls of your office building but also those outside sharing this wonderful planet with you.
