Community
Action Groups
As part of PurposeFest, we hosted a number of Curated Conversations across a range of different industry groups to provide a platform for more focused collaboration and impact improvement.
Overall, the groups agreed on the value of sharing knowledge and supporting each other within their respective industries, as well as the need for continued connection and collaboration. Several groups also expressed interest in future meetings, either virtual or face-to-face, to further their discussions and collective action.
You can download the notes from all groups here, or navigate down to your area of interest.
Built Environment
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What’s working: Community events, climate education, retrofit fairs, pro bono work.
Challenges: High retrofit costs, low uptake, limited knowledge of heat pump tech.
Opportunities: Public education, peer-led learning, government support, local engagement, social media campaigns, and using proven models (e.g. Considerate Constructors Scheme).
Next steps: Interest in meeting quarterly (virtual and in-person), sharing knowledge, and building a supportive network.
Food & Drink
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Importance of collaboration, shared values, and trust among B Corps.
Challenges around supply chains, packaging, and carbon reduction.
Need for better staff engagement and understanding of leadership in purpose-driven business.
Interest in forming a dedicated Food & Drink group to share knowledge and amplify impact.
Enthusiasm for ongoing connection and shaping future action together, especially in light of upcoming B Corp standards.
Recruitment/ HR
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Environmental impact: Small changes (local suppliers, hybrid working, going paperless) are meaningful even for service businesses.
Inclusive recruitment: Tactics shared for fairer hiring (anonymised CVs, language tools, support for neurodiverse and underrepresented candidates).
Challenging client bias: Emphasis on education, using data and empathy to shift traditional mindsets.
Volunteering & giving: Encouraged to be purposeful, strategic, and aligned with core business values.
B Corp journey: Positive when staff are engaged through ownership and working groups.
Next steps: Strong interest in continuing collaboration, with structured agendas and peer learning.
Digital/ Creative
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Focus on cost reduction and reputation as key motivators for boards and clients to adopt sustainable practices.
Awareness and education are crucial before implementing sustainable changes, along with tracking impact metrics.
Addressing the complexity of sustainability topics, especially carbon and the unseen impacts of AI, is a major challenge.
Simple actions like turning off video in calls and using links over attachments can be effective starting points, especially for smaller organisations.
Future meet-ups should focus on learning, specific topics within digital sustainability, creating business missions, and measuring impact to drive better decisions.
Textile/ Fashion
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Participants found value in sharing experiences and supporting each other, particularly regarding third-party consultancies.
Concerns were raised about the cost and unclear benefits of Textile Exchange.
Sharing practical knowledge, such as setting up a Charitable Foundation, was considered highly valuable.
A smaller group size of 10-12 participants was preferred for manageability.
Circularity and dealing with waste textiles were identified as common challenges, with a desire for practical solutions.
All participants shared similar challenges regarding Scope 3 emissions.
Finance
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Awaiting feedback
Contact us.
If you’d like to be part of a working group or start a new one click here or email Andy Hawkins