Green commitment sees The Commercial Group win ‘Beacon’ status
A long-standing commitment to the environment has seen not only The Commercial Group, the UK's largest independently-owned office services company, win £5m worth of new business but also receive the coveted Beacon status.
The Commercial Group was founded 18 years ago by brother and sister Arthur and Simone Mann together with school friend Alistair Adams. Since then the company, which provides office services to clients ranging from global blue-chip organisations to small start-ups, has grown year-on-year by 25 per cent. Today, its turnover is £25m and it employs around 135 people.
Based in Cheltenham, The Commercial Group has always been committed to the environment. However, it was only after watching Al Gore's Oscar-winning movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' that Simone Mann decided to take this a stage further and actively reduce the company's carbon emissions - and in the process bring it to the attention of Beacon South West.
A South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) funded initiative, Beacon South West brings together the region's most forward-thinking companies to cultivate excellence within the business community. It currently has more than 205 members, of which 35 are based in Gloucestershire, including UCAS, Corin Group, Prima Dental and Cult Clothing.
The carbon reduction programme has proved to be a major success since its launch, reducing carbon emissions by 50 per cent, and in the process, earning the company widespread praise for its work in the field.
The most significant savings followed the decision to convert its 60-strong fleet of vehicles to biodiesel and radically reassess the way the business undertook deliveries, which has effectively reduced the carbon emissions of the fleet by more than a half. The Commercial Group is also busy installing highly-efficient lighting and heating systems and working with staff to identify ways to conserve energy within the workplace. In addition, both lift share and bike-to-work schemes have been rolled out. The latter should result in a 12-tonne reduction in CO2 alone.
It is a move which also proved to be extremely good for business, with its green message proving to be a key factor in the company winning new business from the likes of London 2012 and the Mirror Group - and helping the company towards its stated aim of doubling in size within five years.
To offset unavoidable emissions, The Commercial Group has gone global, supporting a number of projects that will provide Gold Standard Carbon Credits, such as solar electricity in Sri Lanka and energy efficient lighting in Jamaica. Between them, these projects should reduce CO2 emissions by more than 150,000 tonnes.
Says director Simone Mann: "The Commercial Group doesn't have all the answers when it comes to the environment but it is proud to be leading the way in tackling climate change. People say you have to choose between being profitable or being environmentally-friendly. I believe our carbon reduction programme will show that you can in fact be both."
Adds Sue Baker, director of Beacon South West: "We first came across The Commercial Group when we were researching the subject of sustainability in business for our annual conference last year. Whilst much has been said about reducing a business' carbon footprint, it is rare to see a company such as The Commercial Group that has taken such radical steps to bring about positive change. Its environmental credentials are outstanding and it is a real example to the Beacon network and an ambassador for best practise in this arena."
