It’s been a busy year for Acumentice from a CSR perspective, starting with us achieving full B Corp certification in February and culminating in the NHS Charities Together annual reception at the Royal Society of Medicine.

In between, we have published our first ever impact report, taken part in the Hackney half marathon, hosted a number of Imperial College London students, had our first company volunteering day and embarked on our net zero roadmap, in line with the NHS’s goals for suppliers.

A celebration of charity

We first partnered with NHS Charities Together in June 2023 and, since then, have been committed to raising money for this great cause.  

NHS Charities Together is a national charity helping the NHS to thrive by improving patient care, ensuring everyone has access to health services, and making sure NHS staff are cared for.

In the last four years, the charity has put over £120 million of donations into action to help support NHS staff, patients and communities, helping to fund 4,000-plus projects and helping more than 1.6 million people across the UK.

Yesterday evening, alongside other partners, we headed to the charity’s annual reception for an evening of drinks, canapes, speeches and a live performance from the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.

The ‘very special evening’ provided an opportunity for NHS Charities Together to share and celebrate the positive impact they have been able to make due to the fundraising they receive.

We would like to again thank everyone who generously donated to our JustGiving page throughout the year, allowing us to raise nearly £3,500 – well above the target of £2,500 we set ourselves at the start of the year.

Gearing up for B Corp Month

Next March will be B Corp Month, the second time we will be able to celebrate as a fully-fledged B Corp organisation.

This year’s B Corp Month, which took place only a matter of weeks after we had achieved B Corp status, was all about growing impact and joining the journey to better business. We got heavily involved on social media, and with a blog exploring the alignment between our ethos and vision and the B Corp movement’s goal of sustainable progress.    

Although the exact details are still being worked out, with input and ideas from B Corpers across the UK, we are looking forward to seeing the theme for March 2025 and celebrating with the community on everything it means to be a B Corp. Keep an eye on our socials nearer the time to see how we participate!

There are now more than 2,300 B Corps across the UK, employing more than 153,000 workers. As the B Corp movement continues to evolve, the standards for B Corp certification (which must be renewed every three years) are also evolving.

“As the climate crisis intensifies and societal inequality grows, it's important to meaningfully demonstrate the leadership role B Corps and the movement play in the world,” B Lab, the UK branch of the B Corp movement, said on its website. You can read more here.

We know from research in May this year just how much the British public value putting people, the planet and profit on a more equal footing.  

The research revealed that over three quarters of the UK public (76%) believe that, now more than ever, the law needs be changed to give businesses a legal responsibility to prioritise people and the planet alongside making a profit.

Achieving B Corp certification was a very proud moment for us (as a relatively small SME), but we are determined not to stand still and, like the B Corp movement, to keep evolving and being the best possible business we can be, from an environment and social standpoint.  

Looking forward

We are continually looking at ways in which we can be greener, more sustainable and more ethical, ranging from how we commute into the office and on-site projects to the merchandise we buy and the suppliers we work with.  

But we can always do better and go further. This is something our CSR committee and the wider team is continuing to address.

Our company values include ‘brave’, ‘dynamic’ and ‘visionary’, and we are as determined as ever to embed this into our sustainability roadmap moving forward. Keep your eye out for our updated impact report appearing early next year and updates on our progress towards net zero.

Here’s to continuing our CSR journey into 2025 and beyond!  

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