In celebration of B Corp Month and this year's theme #ThisWayForward, we'll be releasing three interviews as part of our 'Becoming B Corp' series.
These blogs will showcase three incredible companies, all of which call Projects their business home.
We'll be asking them about their mission, their commitments to people and planet, and how they plan to continue to contribute to the better business movement and make a positive impact on the environment and society.
For this instalment we spoke to Emma Lampard from Fulkers Bailey Russell, a multi-disciplinary construction consultancy.
Can you share some insights into the work that Fulkers Bailey Russell does to support clients throughout the life cycle of a construction project? How does this work align with your commitment to people and the planet?
At Fulkers Bailey Russell we recognise that the industry we work in plays a large contribution to environmental impact, with 25% percent of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions attributing to the built environment. We are dedicated to making a positive impact on society and the environment which can be seen in our long term commitment to our sustainability strategy. This includes sustainable building practices and reducing environmental impact of our own business and the construction projects we work on. We support clients by ensuring we have the right processes and procedures in place to meet project needs, we also make sure that our employees have the right knowledge to support clients with considering all sustainable goals and targets that can be meet through the life cycle of the project.
Can you highlight some key milestones that Fulkers has reached in terms of environmental stewardship and social impact?
In 2022 Fulkers issued the company’s first carbon emissions report and set Net Zero targets for 2035. In the past 2 years we have recorded a reduction in our carbon emissions, this year we are focusing on developing our short term and long term goals for achieving Net Zero by 2035.
Development of our own strategy has strengthened our offering to clients, by expanding our scope 1,2,3 carbon emission knowledge and how the business can change and grow to support this. We are developing existing and seeking new collaborations with our client and project teams, as we understand the importance of working together and sharing knowledge to target Net Zero emissions.
How does Fulkers foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment, both within the company and with external partners, to drive positive change in the community and beyond?
We have set our mission and values for our social and environmental goals, promoting opportunities for collaboration, shared learning, and accessing impact-driven clients.
Attracting and showcasing our values to like-minded employees, clients and partners, providing our strong commitment to employee well-being, including fair wages, benefits and positive workplace culture.
For readers interested in joining the better business movement, what advice or best practices would Fulkers offer to individuals or businesses looking to become more sustainable and socially responsible?
Although the process can seem daunting at a first glance, going through the B-Corp assessment is an opportunity to review everything you/ your company is already doing well and highlights areas for improvement. We learnt a lot along the way, and it was great to get everyone involved across the company, it turned into a great team building exercise and a company audit that focuses on our sustainability development. Additionally, it opened the door to meeting and collaborating with other like-minded companies and individuals, we have already starting collaborating with a group of inspiring and knowledgeable people.
With office spaces in Brighton, London, Bristol, Kent, Manchester and Basingstoke, how does Fulkers actively engage with their local communities to create a positive impact? Are there any community-based projects or partnerships that you are particularly proud of?
Fulkers select one charity to support every year and this is voted by employees, this year we are excited to be supporting Mind. Mental health is very important to Fulkers, we have mental health first aiders and access to health benefits which support everyone where needed. Whilst reading the stories that were put forward by employees nominating charities, we realised there was another opportunity for us to also help a smaller charity at grassroots level with the gift of time and skills. So in line with our B-Corp values we will also be supporting Duchenne UK, a small, under resourced charity throughout the year with valuable services such as event organisation and PR.
Charity days are planned throughout the year, either supporting the chosen charity or targeting more local charities, everyone is entitled to time per year out of their work day to support. We also offer pro bono services locally and would like to increase our local support this year.
Finally, as we celebrate B Corp month, can you provide a glimpse into the future aspirations that Fulkers has? What are you looking forward to and how will you continue to contribute to the better business movement and make a positive impact on the environment and society?
This year we are excited to be working on our first issue of our sustainability strategy, to support this we are setting us focus groups to target what we believe the key areas to be: Social Values- Sustainability accreditations- Net Zero- Technology and Innovation- Sustainable procurement and decarbonisation.
We are also really excited to be issuing our first ever impact report which illustrates what we have achieved to date and what our focus is for 2024!