Here at Clic, we’re all about socially conscious sustainability and we consider ourselves a very environmentally friendly team – in business and in the choices we make outside of work. The UK’s first Climate Neutral Certified accountancy firm, we’re extremely proud to be able to show off our fabulous ‘certified’ emblem and couldn’t be more committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business – and the businesses we work with – at a time when being socially conscious couldn’t be more critical.

Which all got us thinking about how other businesses in other industries commit to being more sustainable, what their mission is and who they support. Here’s a Q&A we put together to answer just that…

Dean Whiten is the founder of Green Bee, a UK veteran-owned, online zero-waste store that’s driving sustainable change for the sake of the generations that follow. 

Hi Dean, can you tell me a little bit about your commitment to sustainability and why you feel this is important?

As a former Parachute Regiment officer, I was fortunate enough to spend time in the Antarctic supporting the conservation efforts of some of the world’s most endangered species. I saw first-hand how human choices can negatively impact the planet and surrounding eco-systems.

Of particular note was the impact of climate change on glacial land masses, and how the expansion of humanity and our hunger for resources is pushing many species to extinction at an unprecedented rate. It was here, in the snow-covered landscape of the Antarctic, that the thought of creating Green Bee entered my mind.

Upon leaving the forces many years later, I vowed to use my time to drive sustainable change. I started creating innovations that replaced single-use plastics, while concurrently educating people about the wonders of our planet and the importance of environmental preservation. Green Bee had eventually become a reality. 

Never before has it been as important to take meaningful action for the sake of environmental preservation. We’re all about purposeful changes that will positively impact environment now and for future generations to follow.

What first steps would you recommend a business that wants to be greener should take?

The advice I would give is that small changes really have a big impact. Whether it’s switching to the provision of renewable energy with your local electricity provider, using FSC packaging for product ranges, or offsetting the carbon your business creates by investing in carbon credits the options are endless. The mantra we use here at Green Bee is start small, and then scale from those small successes. 

How would you summarise your sustainability mission? 

Our mission is to rid the planet of single-use plastics and mass consumables by providing the finest artisanal alternatives offered at a fair price. This is done while concurrently educating people about the wonders of our planet and the importance of environmental preservation.

We pride ourselves on an extensive network of UK and global artisan partnerships that are all empowered to deliver the highest quality goods in a fair and ethical manner – always while helping communities to thrive. 

In what ways are you committed to making that happen?

In 2020, Green Bee’s flagship product – the reusable beeswax food wrap – was created to help negate some of the 745,000 miles of clingfilm used in the UK every year. After 14 months of initial development, they not only look great they also keep your food much fresher than clingfilm, while being reusable and 100% biodegradable. We’ve also been able to negate around 39,000m of plastic wrap since its inception. 

Furthermore, all products stocked by Green Bee are replacements for single use plastics and mass consumables, we ship nationwide using only plastic free packaging, all customers are provided with environmental education literature at point of purchase, all customers additionally get access to Green Bee’s environmental learning hub offered through our web platform, and all sale proceeds are invested back into eco-product development and projects

Do you actively support any other organisations in a bid to be more eco?

Yes, we do. We actively support WIRES which is wildlife charity working tirelessly to rehabilitate those species impacted by the annual bushfires in Australia, most notably was those in NSW last year. We’re also about to embark on a partnership with One Tree Planted, meaning planting trees will go hand in hand with our onsite purchases. 

Julie Cook is the director at Eco Green Living, a purpose-before-profit, eco-friendly provider of plastic-free alternatives for consumers and businesses.

Hi Julie, can you tell me a little bit about your commitment to sustainability and why you feel this is important?

As a company, Eco Green Living have had a commitment to sustainability at the forefront since our launch in November 2020. We were born out of a need for simple eco swap-outs for the home that are accessible to the everyday person and family. Our mission is to create an inclusive conversation around sustainability and reach the eco message to more people. This is important as the conversation around sustainability can become an echo chamber of the same individuals. Our products aim to help bring sustainability into every UK home.

What first steps would you recommend a business that wants to be greener should take?

The first thing to do is to build an environmental policy; it does not have to be majorly complicated. An environmental audit is the best place to start, looking at your business as a whole and then breaking it down into sections. For example, employees, packaging, product or services. 

From there, start to think about the realistic changes that you as a company could implement. This can be anything from working from home to save on carbon emissions, swapping out your office supplies to eco-friendly alternatives such as bin bags for fully compostable alternatives, or deciding to plant trees to help sequester carbon in your local area for years to come. 

How would you summarise your sustainability mission? 

Eco Green Living acknowledges its responsibility to have a positive impact on the environment in line with our company’s ethos. We are an eco-friendly provider of plastic-free alternatives for consumers and businesses. Our team shares a joint passion concerning climate change, the environment, and how we as individuals choose to live our lives. 

The small measures that people choose to take create change and will impact the bigger picture. Our range of 100% certified compostable products and plastic-free alternatives are for home or business use in retail and hospitality. Our products are designed to replace everyday items that we dispose of frequently. We also consider positive actions within our team of employees and how we work. 

In what ways are you committed to making that happen?

The products supplied by our company naturally have a positive impact on the environment as they are compostable, plastic-free and offer up an easy swap-out for UK households and businesses. We are working remotely and Eco Green Living plant trees with every purchase made through our website. Our sister company, Eco Green Communities, supplies environmental stations to councils and works with local litter picking groups, local businesses, and the community, bringing together the conversation around the environment. 

Do you actively support any other organisations in a bid to be more eco?

Yes, we do. Treesisters is a UK registered social change and reforestation charity that places tropical forest restoration into everyone’s hands, and Carbon Footprint is a leading online carbon footprint calculation tool and information resource to help individuals and businesses reduce and offset emissions.