Accouter Group of Companies (AGC) has just announced it has achieved B Corp certification. Having created award-winning interiors for over 10 years, AGC was motivated pursue this as its co-founders wanted to not only create beautiful homes and inspiring spaces, but they wanted to do so in a way that put people and the planet first.
B Corps are defined as businesses that want to achieve more than just making a profit, with company values that commit to creating a positive impact on their employees, communities, clients and suppliers throughout their strategic decisions and operations.
AGC has always been invested in the idea encouraging its clients to surround themselves with pieces that are designed to last. The organisation was established on the principle of rejecting fast furniture and, instead, using high quality materials so clients can buy better and buy slower, with selected collections produced by the brands under the AGC umbrella offering a lifetime guarantee.
However, the organisation's journey to B Corp certification specifically started 18 months ago in the summer of 2021 after the company's founders, Stella Gittins and Alec Watt, discovered that 22 million pieces of furniture are thrown away every year in the UK (according to 2021 research by the North London Waste Authority).
"We are proud to be the first British interior design collective to join this community of change-makers, alongside a global movement of people using their business as a force for good," said Gittins. "B Corp is a holistic approach for us. It shapes our culture and encourages us to acknowledge our business impact and act. Most importantly, it gives us a framework for continuous improvement, so that every day, we become a little bit prouder of what we do."
"We know there is cynicism around the topic of sustainability for businesses, which is why it was important for us to achieve our B Corp," adds Watt. "B Corp separates the green-washers from the good-do’ers. It shows people that those that really want to make a change, are making a change, and that they are willing to operate in a way that puts people and the planet first, and profit second. For companies like us, the priority is to meet the highest social and environmental standards, and do so with authenticity, transparency, and full accountability."
As a part of its mission to set a better standard for other companies in its sector, ACG was partnered with Walpole and its members to work towards a shared ambition of creating a more sustainable industry for the top British luxury brands. Read more about our Sustainability Manifesto.
To demonstrate its commitment and belief in B Corp, AGC created a focused internal team internally to ensure that the improvements they wished to make as a business are fully embedded into its culture.
"We believe every initiative needs a passionate leader at the helm, which is why we elected Lauren Stoltzman, as our dedicated B-Keeper," Gittins explains. “Our enthusiastic B Corp team worked together to identify all our processes to ensure we are practicing what we preach when it comes to responsible business practices. We now have a village of internal people rooting for change, which makes us a powerful force towards achieving better things as a business."
"In our business, there are so many ways we can embed environmental initiatives into our everyday processes," says the company's sustainability lead, Adele Bird. "By identifying where we can do better, we have been able to not only change our own internal processes, but in doing so are able to influence our suppliers and industry partners to do the same, making these changes all the more powerful."
ACG has also created internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Sustainability teams that meet regularly to ensure their improvements are forever evolving across their business.
"We are working to create a level playing field in our industry, and a workplace where everyone has equal opportunity, everyone has visibility and everyone has a voice, all barriers removed," says ACG Head of DEI, Veronica Martinis. “We know there is more work to do in creating opportunity within our industry and that’s why our educational pledge is currently a huge focus."
A key part of ACG's Sustainability Manifesto is to guide suppliers towards sustainable practices. Head of Buying and Procurement, Sabrina Mehra, explains: "All suppliers are now required to complete an environmental questionnaire to give us visibility of the current environmental performance of our supply chain and traceability of our products. With this information, we can start to collaborate as an industry and understand where we can assist and educate to make the most impactful environmental improvements."
Now the organisation has achieved B Corp status, it will continue to better its practices and increase its score by reducing its environmental impact, and further educate and inspire change around them. Watch this space.
