How the Business on Purpose community accelerated climate action in 60 minutes

The word "Action" is trending in sustainability right now. But for many smaller businesses, action remains frustratingly out of reach. As Andy Hawkins, founder of Business on Purpose, puts it: "The environment is one of the places where most companies scratch their heads about what to do and look to us for advice." 

But the demand for practical solutions is clear whether it's businesses looking to progress their B Corp certification, clients asking what they're doing, or smaller business leaders who see sustainability as the right thing to do both competitively and for the planet.

Perhaps that's why when registration opened for the Business on Purpose 'Top Tips for Carbon Action Plans' workshop opened, we were oversubscribed within hours and had to run two sessions back-to-back.

The result? 28 smaller businesses from across the UK left with personalised climate action plans containing 340 immediate actions with 100% of them planning to implement them. A great outcome for an hour’s work. 

Why micro and small businesses are ready to act 💡

Micro and small businesses face a unique challenge: they want to take sustainability seriously, but often don't know where to start. This was one of the key reasons why Andy, the founder of Business on Purpose, organised for many of his clients to attend the workshop. 

Add to this the new B Corp certification requirements, companies now need to clearly demonstrate their sustainability plan for the next 3-5 years, and the need for practical tools has never been greater. 

Do in an hour what can take weeks or months ⏰ 

The setup was straightforward: 28 companies from 13 different sectors including hotels, home furnishing, financial services and construction. All micro and small businesses who joined virtually with zero preparation required. 

Jo Hand, Giki's co-founder, opened by connecting what the group was about to do with global sustainability trends: "Climate Week NYC just finished and one of the key themes was action. It's the same for COP30, the big climate change conference coming up later this year. So it's wonderful that we're here to take action together today." 

Andy Hawkins then brought it home, making it real for the businesses in the room: "The new B Corp certification process means companies have to show clearly what their plan is over the next 3-5 years. Giki Actions can help with that."  

Getting to practical action 🛠️ 

Jo took the group through a simple 3 step process: assessment, recommendations, shortlist.  

Plans could then be downloaded to share with colleagues and every action write up includes a business cases, impact opportunity, implementation plan and much more. All drawn from a massive research project examining company transition plans that Giki has been working on since 2023 to democratise information sustainability action information for SMEs. 

Results that speak for themselves 📣 

The numbers from the workshop tell the story: 

• 1,852 relevant recommended actions generated across 28 companies
• 340 actions added to plans immediately with 499 more great ideas shortlisted for review
• 68% of actions added to plans were cost savers - key for the business case
• 46% have an implementation time under 6 months - quick wins that build momentum
• 16% large or transformative impact - key for the climate
• 2/3 strongly agreed actions were relevant to their business (with the other 1/3 agreeing)
• 100% would recommend the experience ("Easy and straightforward to build the plan!")
• 100% plan to implement actions from their session
• Actions covered the full range of Scopes 1, 2 & 3 emissions plus stakeholder engagement, measurement and reporting 

Addressing what micro and small businesses actually need 😊  

Three challenges emerged as the top priorities for this group of UK micro and small businesses: 

The most frequently mentioned theme. Organisations want to calculate their carbon footprint but crucially they were also looking for actions to share their progress publicly including setting targets.  

A strong focus on getting employees involved in sustainability efforts, creating internal engagement, and providing actions for staff (including for homeworking) to participate in sustainability initiatives. 

Choosing, working with, and engaging sustainable suppliers emerged as a key priority for improving overall sustainability performance and supply chain impact. 

The actions that resonated most 🎯 

Certain actions proved universally popular across the diverse group: 

Quick wins that build momentum (and are free!)

• Reduce emissions in the office with the quick energy saver checklist 
• Use free online resources to build sustainability knowledge 
• Use free online carbon calculators to measure emissions 

Strategic foundations

• Measure your carbon footprint 
• Set medium and long term targets to reduce emissions for all company emissions (Scope 1,2&3) 
• Publicly share sustainability plans 

Practical implementation

• Create a business travel decision tree to help employees 
• Review the sustainability of key professional service providers 

The beauty was in the variety with 46% of actions implementable in under 6 months, companies could mix quick wins with longer-term transformative projects based on their current capacity and resources. 

What made the workshop…work 💚

1. Meeting businesses where they are. Focusing specifically on micro and small businesses meant the actions, resources, and discussion were all perfectly calibrated to their reality. 
2. The B Corp connection. Andy's insight about the new certification requirements gave companies a clear external driver alongside their internal commitment. Many attendees were pursuing or considering B Corp status. 
3. Getting customised recommendations. Companies received plans tailored to their sector and size. A hotel's priorities looked different from a home furnishing company's, but the cross-pollination of ideas proved invaluable. 
4. Fast implementation timelines. With nearly half of chosen actions implementable in under 6 months, companies could see real progress quickly rather than feeling overwhelmed by multi-year projects. 
5. The business-first approach. With 68% of chosen actions identified as cost savers, companies weren't choosing between profit and planet; they were finding actions that delivered both. 

The testimonials capture it best 👇

“I can't wait to show the team these actions and start working on them” 

“ I feel like we all spend hours trawling through the internet trying to find out what to do and what is greenwashing, and this was super helpful to make it a lot more tangible.” 

And as Andy reflected after the session: "It was billed as 'create a Carbon Reduction Plan in an hour' - and that's exactly what you delivered - absolutely fabulously." 

And it does not finish here. The 28 companies now have access to the Giki Actions platform, can track their progress, and are part of a growing community taking real climate action. We think this shows that when you give companies relevant, customised information fast, they're ready to act. 

Bring this to your network 📢

The magic wasn't just in the results, it was in the replicability. Any organisation can use the Giki Actions platform to run similar events. The partnerships with Business on Purpose, UN Race to Zero, and SME Climate Hub show this model can scale across networks and regions. 

If you're looking to move your community from climate conversation to climate action, this blueprint works: 60 minutes, virtual, no prep required, and results that companies can implement. 

So it’s perfect for you if...

Ready to organise a workshop for your network? Giki is actively supporting organisations to replicate this model. Learn more about bringing climate action workshops to your community. 

Get in touch with one of our co-founders to find out more.