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 Ceri Sansom from Groundsure, a leading UK environmental and climate data authority.
Can you share some insights into the work that Groundsure does, supporting sustainable land and property decision making? How does your work align with your commitment to people and the planet?
Groundsure started in 1997 when we provided environmental searches in response to new UK legislation to identify and clean up the worst contaminated property. It was in the days of photocopiers, faxes and glue and everything was manual - meaning we could only generate a few reports a day. Now we are providing hundreds of reports a day informing over 60% of the residential transaction market about contaminated land, flooding or historical mining. Most recently, we have addressed the hot topic of the climate and now include ClimtateIndex™ which looks at future impacts in the UK and Australia.
Can you highlight some key milestones that Groundsure has reached in terms of environmental stewardship and social impact?
I have been with the company for nearly eight years and throughout that time Groundsure has had a commitment to the wider community. We have harnessed our technical skills mapping company. We use our skills through HOT Mapping where we digitise aerial photos in disaster areas to help with the humanitarian response (https://www.hotosm.org/) . We have also encouraged staff to take a volunteer day. But B Corp has encouraged us to step this up and we are aiming for 65% of our staff to be involved in one or other of these.
B Corp has also encouraged us to step up our commitment, so we are now PROTECT sponsors of the South Downs Trust (https://southdownstrust.org.uk/) and we have an office in Redruth in Cornwall where we sponsor the junior rugby team providing them with the finance they need to excel. And also to go and support the senior team in person.
How does Groundsure foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment, both within the company and with external partners, to drive positive change in the community and beyond?
As a relatively new B Corp certified organisation this is an area we are still learning to do well, but we have plans over B Corp month to introduce HOTMapping with our customers and share our experience of certifying through a series of podcasts.
For readers interested in joining the better business movement, what advice or best practices would Groundsure offer to individuals or businesses looking to become more sustainable and socially responsible?
Always start with support from your leadership and enable them to set your purpose. For us this was clear and really helped us focus on what was important to us. Then, have a go at the B Corp impact assessment. It’s free and even if you don’t apply it will give you a great way of finding your strengths and weaknesses.
As a Brighton based B Corp, how does Groundsure actively engage with the local community to create a positive impact? Are there any community-based projects or partnerships that you are particularly proud of?
B Corp has also encouraged us to step up our commitment, so we are now PROTECT sponsors of the South Downs Trust (https://southdownstrust.org.uk/) and we have an office in Redruth in Cornwall where we sponsor the junior rugby team providing them with the finance they need to excel. And also to go and support the senior team in person.
Finally, as we celebrate B Corp month, can you provide a glimpse into the future aspirations that Groundsure 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?
We plan to continue to engage with industry stakeholders and influence to make sure the best environmental data and analysis reaches the decision makers. This is the only way to make sure that the best decisions are made.