In Mays edition, BOSS today interview Red-Inc on B Corp status.
“Sustainability is a journey – not a destination” Adam Huttly, Founder and MD of Red-Inc
Adam has always had a passion for sustainability. When it came to starting his own company that passion and commitment was front and centre. Since opening its doors in 2008, Red-Inc has been on a quest to put people and the planet above profit.
In an interview with Boss Today, Adam explained the importance of being brave and coming up with new ways of thinking that challenge the status quo as integral to Red-Inc’s journey.
Red-Inc becoming the first office supplies company to be certified as a B-Corp in 2017 is a great example of this bold and innovative attitude. Over the years, certification has helped them ensure that sustainability is at the heart of everything they do.
Why should others get involved?
Firstly – because acting sustainably is the right thing to do. Having a certification also ensures that sustainability, people and innovation are at the heart of everything the company does.
But Adam points out that it is more than that. It is a way for companies to stay relevant and at the top of their game. Particularly for suppliers who work with customers who are on their own carbon reduction, net zero journeys.
What better way to remain relevant to customers than to provide them with services that not only fulfil the supplier brief of good products and good service but that offer additional levels of support that will help them to achieve their sustainability goals.
What are the benefits?
The B Corp movement was started by 3 business owners who wanted to create a more permanent, verifiable structure surrounding business social and environmental practices. Out of this ambition they created three main criteria that businesses to this day must meet to become certified B Corps: 1) verified and environmental performance, 2) legal accountability and 3) public transparency.
Certification and verification of practices remain the greatest benefit of becoming a B Corp, but as Adam shared, it goes beyond that. Becoming a B-Corp gives companies a mechanism to stand out from the crowd and open conversations about alternative ways of operating.
As a B Corp certified company, Red-Inc customers know they are working with a supplier that’s having a positive impact on society and the environment and can help them to do the same.
What are your future plans?
With a clear focus on businesses who want to become net zero by 2030, rapid decarbonisation is necessary. Our focus in the future will be on helping our customers with their hard to manage scope 3, indirect emissions that come from across the supply chain.
Adam points out that Red-Inc might be a small company, but they can extend their reach by working with others and showing how, by being bold – any business, no matter their size, can have a better impact on the planet.
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Original Interview was published in Boss Today, Becoming a B Corp, Issue 55 pg10