Yesterday we turned 18. We’re officially an adult! Where’s that time gone??

18 years in and we’ve obviously learnt a lot as a business. We’ve gone through evolutions as any business does, and we know that this is an ever evolving journey rather than a destination. 

In 2022, after having been a B Corp for five years, our founder Tom wrote that B Corp™ is ‘not a marketing gimmick’. I read this statement prior to joining Wholegrain and it was music to my ears, and one of the things that made me get in touch. In so many organisations, B Corp™ sits within the marketing team to own and drive, for some it can be initially viewed as a marketing function, when it actually needs to sit within every facet of the business and be led from the very top. In his blog post on the business case for B Corp™ Tom reflected on the five key things that he, as a small business owner, saw as important from the B Corp certification. These were; 

1. It helps small businesses grow up
2. It guides you to better performance
3. It helps create a culture of positive change
4. It shows you are serious
5. It’s a real community

Three years later following the continued explosive growth of the B Corp™ community, these are still very true of the business today. But further to that, B Corp™ needs to mean something to our team, to the people at the heart of our business, and impact them in their day-to-day to truly bringing it to life. So I put the question to the team to see what they thought and interestingly, three clear themes arose;

1. Trust in the business and the decisions it makes

The majority of the team mentioned this as a key benefit for them and it’s brilliant to see the trust that the B Corp™ framework provides to the team, especially within a tricky economy, where corporations and businesses are under ever higher performance scrutiny. Dom our Designer states, ‘Working for a B Corp™ gives me some reassurance that I’m working for a business that’s always pushing to be as ethical as possible, both for the environment and it’s employees. This is a deal breaker for me.’

Our Technical Lead, Dan writes, ‘I want to work somewhere that’s taking clear and tangible steps in factoring social and environmental impact into how it operates, and being a certified B Corp™ is a clear way of showing that.’

From a leadership perspective, this ties into Tom’s previous points for the overall business case for B Corp™. It shows that we as a business are maturing, it guides us to better performance and it shows to the external community, and our team, that we are committed and serious about doing business differently, and doing business better. 

Our Project Manager, Luke, states, ‘For me, working at a B Corp™ is the strongest signal that we’re doing work and approaching it in a more meaningful way that goes beyond simply turning a profit’.  This has always been something that has been central to who Wholegrain is and why Tom and Vineeta started the business 18 years ago and leads really nicely into the second theme that came out from the team…

2. Making a positive impact that is bigger than just our day-to-day.

When asked what he liked about working for a B Corp™, our Head of Experience Design, Tod responded that being a B Corp™, ‘Represents our commitment to sustainability, and making a positive impact, and that I’m part of a team that genuinely cares about the people and the planet, not just profits.’

We are lucky at Wholegrain in that we can see how we are making an impact on the sites we work across; reducing carbon emissions, improving accessibility and inclusivity whilst driving performance. But for the whole team, knowing that we as a business, and leadership team, are looking at things beyond just simply turning a profit was key when sharing why they valued working for a B Corp™. At Wholegrain this has always been something that we have prioritised. In practice day-to-day it covers things like our commitment to 1% for the Planet, our ethical screening policy to ensure the businesses we partner with align to our values in all ways, our policies around unbiased recruitment, flexible working, annual leave and our employee led benefits all feed into this. It touches everything we do as a business and every decision we make as a leadership team, as it should. As Tom references, it helps us create a culture of positive change and this appeals to team members who want to be part of something bigger. As a small business, change can feel insurmountable, but as a community we have weight and influence.

All of this hard work is nothing without strong and effective communication from the leadership team and this continues to be an area we develop and grow to ensure we never stand still or become complacent.

3. Cultural benefit

We spend a lot of time at work, and you want to work somewhere where you enjoy your colleagues and the overall culture of the organisation. Wholegrain has always been a hybrid workplace. We come together regularly but we’ve always embraced remote working and the benefits it brings to us as a team, but also know that it brings challenges. As much as possible we very much enjoy spending time together and regularly catching up. The team flagged the cultural benefit of working for a B Corp™ and knowing that they will be surrounded by like-minded, passionate people as something they greatly value. Our Project Manager, Ty, sums it up beautifully, ‘I want to work for a positive business with other positive people that does positive work.’ :) 

So in conclusion, at the grand old age of 18, reflecting on what B Corp™ means to us in 2025 there will undoubtedly be a number of things that I have forgotten. Ultimately being a B Corp™, it’s values and what it stands for, are so engrained into our DNA as a business that it’s often hard to unpick it all from what is just the day to day normality of running a business like Wholegrain. It’s how we do things and it positively benefits our team, our clients and we hope the wider business community. This B Corp™ month we are proud to officially be an adult and to be part of Gen B!

Back in 2017 when our founder, Tom was considering what B Corp™ could offer Wholegrain, he didn’t realise that it would be the beginning of a whole new trajectory for his career and business.

Tom and Vineeta founded Wholegrain with the purpose of creating a responsible business that did not negatively impact people or planet. And, as a nine year old web design and build agency in 2017, they had thought that they had achieved that, until one question in the B Corp™ certification left Tom stumped. What is the environmental impact of the products that you manufacture?

Well, what was the carbon emissions of a digital business, and how could we measure it?

Up until that point, most people would have answered zero, nothing, nada, zilch, for this question. Digital and therefore the Internet was green and therefore clean – there were no dirty, smokey emissions to consider, no realms of printed paper destroying trees, no waste, no weight, super light on the go – virtual. Right?

Leaves you feeling a little uneasy to just answer zero doesn’t it.

Now, if you’ve ever gone through our introduction to digital sustainability, you know that this is indeed not the case. The Internet is indeed very much a physical thing with an associated footprint equivalent to that of international aviation and its growing.

Since that day, Wholegrain has been on a mission to accelerate the shift to a greener internet that’s good for people and kinder to the planet by designing human-led, low carbon websites for brands with purpose.

The values of a B Corp™ are ultimately what is at the core of our DNA. So for us, nine years after becoming a B Corp™, the fundamentals are stronger than ever.

We work today for a better tomorrow, creating an Internet that is built for the people, not just the few controlling it.

We work everyday to make a positive impact for people and planet, not only in the focus of our work, but how we run our business. 

We understand the value and potential of an economy that benefits people and planet and we champion partners working in this way, alongside ensuring that our ways of working and digital outputs echo this approach also.

We never settle at the bare minimum, we strive for the best in all we do. It’s not good enough to just change your hosting to a renewable energy provider, there’s so much more we can do to reduce the overall impact of your site in the first place to not only benefit they planet through decreased carbon emissions, but also positively impact people through improved performance, accessibility and user experience. 

We encourage new voices through how we support our team with development and training, and also how we build out the Wholegrain team through our new recruitment process. 

We work as a movement alongside partners and the community. Together we are louder and we can make an impact.

And finally, in everything we do each day we are changing the way business is done, and that’s pretty cool. We’re working with our clients to understand how websites should be built and considered in 2025. We’re educating teams and the community on digital sustainability and the steps we can take, and finally, we’re supporting our own team to work in a supportive and exciting workplace, making a true difference in the world.

Sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? And this all started with that one question in the B Corp™questionnaire – What is the environmental impact of the products that you manufacture? Well today we can confidently say that we do know the environmental impact of the products we manufacture (the websites we build, evolve and maintain) but we also know the benefit of building them in the way we recommend and how it has changed an industry. Thanks B Corp™

Interested in finding out more? Delve back into our archives to read Tom’s business case for B Corp™ five years in

As the temperature drops, the land starts to bed in for winter and days shorten, conference season in the purpose space kicks off in force!

As a very vocal ‘business hippie’ who loves to mark the passing of the seasons in our day-to-day operations- and a parent who has just ‘survived’ the summer holidays – it always comes as a shock to me that this energetic time of year falls now when, I’m not going to lie, I often feel exhausted. But then, year in, year out I am surprised by how much I actually need this time out with like minded people and businesses to rejuvenate, to stoke the passion and to come back to the team brimming with ideas and actions. So, from September, here are my takeaways from attending B Corp’s Louder Than Words and GoodFest, for which I am incredibly grateful. I hope they bring some positive warming vibes of sunshine to your autumn days. 

The Power of Dreaming

GoodFest’s theme for 2024 was ‘Dream Big, Act Now’ which was at the forefront of all discussions. I was fortunate enough to attend a brilliant workshop with Carlos and Laurence from The Happy Startup School – check them out if you’ve not already heard of them! – who raised the topic of ‘Effortless Impact – do good, be happy’. That’s the dream, right? A lot of themes and learnings came out from this one session for me, but one of the most important learnings was to acknowledge the power of dreaming and the ideas that come out as a result of taking the opportunity to dream. Think about it – when was the last time you sat down and asked yourself things like, ‘What would you bring to life if anything was possible?’, ‘What would you love to master that excites your soul?’.

This power of dreaming really struck a note for not only me, but also for the whole event for it is indeed the dreamers and the creatives who will provide the solutions to the challenges we face.

In a particularly powerful session, Kalpana Arias, climate activist; ecosomatics educator and founder of Nowadays On Earth, referenced the brilliant Saidiya Hartman reminding us that ‘One of the powers of oppression is policing the imaginations’ and that it is indeed a privilege to be able to dream. And that dreaming cannot be in isolation and, as I will come to later, collaboration is as vital in future developments as it is for dreaming – on your own you are one crazy guy dancing, as Matt Hocking would share, but together we are a rave. Share those ideas and dreams, they might not go anywhere, but they might grow and in the case of our founders; 17 years later a 40 year old woman might be sitting at her desk writing a blog post about the power of dreaming and reflecting on how grateful she is that they followed their dream which allows her to follow her own to forge a career she is passionate about.

As Kalpana shared, ‘Don’t ask what someone needs. Ask what they dream of. What they love.’

Imperfection

This was my key takeaway from Louder Than Words. That striving for perfection in all we do is the enemy to progress. That isn’t to say that we can do the bare minimum and it’s ok, because we will build on it – music to our clients’ ears I am sure – but that if we want flawless solutions to everything we will never progress. The wider context for this was focusing mainly on impact reporting and sustainability goals and the rise of greenhushing in the wake of some very public greenwashing cases.

When it comes to our own sustainability and purpose led journeys, open dialogue and sharing imperfect progress is key to drive progress, because any progress is progress. Although transparency comes with risk, being more humble and acknowledging that this is new ground we are all treading will never be thought of negatively and will lift us all. Which leads seamlessly to my final takeaway.

Collaboration

We are lucky to work with fantastic partner agencies outside of the brilliant Wholegrain team, and in turn are part of collaborative networks within our communities – Clean Creatives, Business Declares, Better Business Network. It is through these networks of like minded people that we all learn and thrive, but it’s also pushing that collaboration forwards, beyond those that already know about us, to a wider, more diverse,  audience to continue to learn, adapt and evolve – just like the very best networks in nature. 

Ultimately, we can’t do this on our own or in isolation. Remember, together we are a rave. Together we are impactful. Together our small, single voice becomes a shout. As John Brown put it at GoodFest, when raising the ceiling we need to ensure that we are mindfully raising the floor too so we all start to rise.

So, there you have it. Just a quick summary of the key themes that stuck with me after the last few events and which have been buzzing around my head as I crunch through the leaves on lunchtime dog walks (avoiding the showers) and that I’ve already been bringing to the team. We’re off to Blue Earth Summit next week, which I am really hyped for as it’s always a font of incredible thinking and ideas, so we will be sure to share more. If you are heading over please do let us know and it would be great to catch up.

This month sees a major update to the methodology used by a number of major website carbon calculators, including Website Carbon. Version 4 of the Sustainable Web Design Model (SWDM) is currently in a consultation phase and will go live soon. Work to integrate the new model into Website Carbon will finish shortly after the new model is approved.

Before discussing the changes in this update it is worth providing a little background on the model.

A short history of SWDM

The model is the result of a collaboration between Wholegrain, Mightybytes, Footsprint, EcoPing, and the Green Web Foundation. The original model was made available in 2020 and uses data transfer as a key input for estimations. Since release the core team of collaborators have been working to refine the model.

Studying and estimating digital emissions is still a young science. As new studies and data become available the SWDM team assess and refine the model accordingly. This research comes from organisations like:

• UN agency the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• The International Energy Agency (IEA)
• Ericsson Research

The changes in SWDM V4

On a practical level, there are a number of calculation changes in the latest version of the model. This results in a significant change to estimated emissions.

Green hosting calculations

The model adds more granularity to the “Green Hosting” calculations. In V3 of the model Green Hosting was a binary input. You either had it or you didn’t. In the updated model, there is a more nuanced approach, allowing for an adjusted % according to the level of renewables used by a hosting provider.

Embodied emissions calculations and updated data sources

More comprehensive and accurate data is now available which changes the way estimates are now calculated. This also allows for changes in embodied emissions calculations. V3 included a “Production” system segment. This estimated embodied emissions associated with infrastructure and hardware. V4 now includes embodied emissions in the three system segments or Data Centers, Networks and User Devices.

Lower overall emissions estimates

Most significantly, for readers of this article, is what this means for the results you will receive from Website Carbon or similar services. The updated calculations and data sources will result in a significant reduction in the estimated emissions per page view.

SWDMs’ formulas divide the total energy used by the internet by the total data transferred. The updated sources show the total energy consumption of the internet reducing. This is as a result of a mix of efficiency savings, improved measurements and improved access to data.

The internet appears to be operating more efficiently (explained in this article from the Green Web Foundation), meaning that the CO2e per byte transferred has reduced.

This represents a huge change for the industry. Organisations reporting digital emissions in their ESG or impact reporting will be particularly affected – albeit in a positive way. It is important to remember that this isn’t a greenwashing campaign. The methodology changes result from updated data from trusted sources. This isn’t a push to make some sites look better than others.

What this means for users of Website Carbon

Once the consultation period for the new methodology is completed, Website Carbon will update to use the V4 of the model. CO2e estimates will reduce by around two thirds compared to the previous model.

What won’t change

Your site’s rating. The rating system will adjust in parallel with the new methodology. This means that while the CO2e estimate reduces, the equivalent rating remains the same. An efficient site, built using sustainable web design principles will still be rated more highly as a heavier site.

The advantages of a sustainably designed site. A sustainably designed site will still be a highly performant user friendly site for your users. The page speed advantages will still be popular with users and search engines alike.

How your site compares to your competitors. All sites will be subject to the same model. Results and ratings will be adjusted universally. 

In summary

This change is one that the whole industry will have to adjust to and not just Wholegrain and our clients. All the major carbon estimation services will adjust to the same model so results will remain consistent.

It’s exciting to see things move in this way as the industry as a whole improves. It’s important that we celebrate and adjust to these evolutions we are seeing but also be mindful that we can’t become complacent. Global emissions continue to increase year on year and have now overtaken that of the aviation industry. Championing sustainable web methodologies and solutions is more vital than ever. We continue to strive to create an Internet that works for both people and planet.

If you have any questions or concerns related to these changes please do not hesitate to contact me.

This B Corp month, we’re excited to share more insights into our collaboration with a fellow B Corp™ organisation, Cafédirect, with whom we closely partnered last year for the launch of their new, low-carbon website. In this exclusive interview, we invite you to explore Cafédirect’s remarkable journey, their dedication to sustainability, their path to B Corp™ certification, and their unwavering commitment to effecting positive change in the world.  

From their innovative sustainability practices to their inspiring community engagement efforts, Cafédirect exemplifies what it means to be a socially and environmentally conscious business leader. 

We spoke to Lauren Morris, Senior Communications Manager at Cafédirect, earlier this month to catch up since the launch of their new website, and chat about all things B Corp™. 

Let’s dive into this chat with a few questions about your brand new website! 

Q: In what ways does your new website reflect Cafédirect’s brand values and commitment to sustainability? 

As a B Corp and social enterprise our success is based on the positive impact we have on the environment, people, and profit. Having a more sustainable website helps us to do this. It is one of our goals to show how business can be done better, and a website that shows ‘best practice’ does this. For the same reason, it was also important to be working with a web agency with similar values, and Wholegrain’s B Corp certification gave us that confidence.

Q: How does the website contribute to Cafédirect’s broader sustainability initiatives and messaging to its audience? 

We are the only UK coffee company to have set a science-based net zero target (‘the science’ part means it’s based on fact not fiction). So we won’t take more than we give back to the earth.  It’s a big goal but we’ve already reduced our emissions by 37% from 2019. To achieve this we have to be smart about how we use our resources, including our website. Our goal is to motivate people to live more sustainably through the work we do and the ideas we share.  Our website is  important because it helps us give people a good reason to choose our coffee, understand why our work matters and how to make a difference. 

Q: Were there any notable challenges encountered during the development of the low-carbon website and how were they addressed? 

Wholegrain introduced us to sustainable web design. They guided us towards website layouts that were best practice for sustainability and less energy intensive. That meant changing some aspects of our homepage and  keeping file sizes to a minimum. Lowering the image size meant some file types lost their correct pantone, but Wholegrain quickly came up with a solution.    

Q: Currently, your home page (https://www.cafedirect.co.uk/) receives an A rating on Website Carbon. Looking ahead, are there any future enhancements or updates planned for the website to further improve its digital sustainability and performance? 

There are no updates currently planned. For now the site is fit for purpose and scores well on sustainability, thanks to Wholegrain.  We’ve learnt a lot along the way which will inform what we do when we evolve the site. Now we know how important it is to keep a website’s footprint low, we’ll continue to take this approach.

And on sustainability in general: 

Q: How does Cafédirect measure the effectiveness of its sustainability initiatives, and what metrics do you use to track progress? 

The Science-Based Targets initiative sets goals and we track our carbon reduction yearly to measure progress with an external agency.  Our business roadmap (named our ‘Gold Standard’) sets our sustainability goals across growers, environment, community and business. All our teams work towards these goals so we have sustainability running through the business. Progress is tracked  every quarter and reported to the Board of Directors.

Q: Can you tell us about Cafédirect’s journey towards prioritising sustainability in your business operations? 

We’ve been measuring our carbon footprint for longer than most. As a social enterprise, we always consider the environment and society when running the business. It’s a promise and a legal obligation.  All our business goals are centred around having a positive impact with everything around us.   

We have been a B Corp since 2018. The movement was quite new in the UK and we were the first coffee brand to take the plunge and apply for certification. We always think carefully about the things we make to keep our environmental impact to a minimum. That includes who we work with and the full extent of our reach – including our website. 

Q: How does Cafédirect integrate sustainable practices into its supply chain, from sourcing coffee beans to packaging and distribution? 

Because we have some tough Science-Based Targets, we continually reduce our impact across the supply chain and monitor the progress yearly. A few of the ways we work to address this include: 

• Farming methods – we invest in coffee farmers so that they get the training, data, finance and technology they need to farm sustainably. 
• Fairtrade & Organic certifications – Fairtrade supports farmers to reduce their impact in many ways. We’re 100% Fairtrade and 65% certified organic. 
• Packaging – by changing materials, our packaging is now 97% recyclable. 
• Suppliers – We gather carbon emission data from suppliers every year to build a picture of our footprint .  We share with them information on the Science-Based Targets initiative and ways to reduce carbon emissions. 

As a fellow B Corp, we’re really curious about your journey as the first UK coffee company to be awarded B Corp certification, so do tell us… 

Q: What motivated Cafédirect to pursue B Corp certification back in 2018 and what impact has this certification had on your company’s mission and values?

We joined a movement that acknowledges how businesses, including us, have a role and responsibility beyond just chasing profits to measure success. We think it’s important to stand up for our beliefs. That’s why we support a certification that confirms businesses are doing good, making it easier for consumers to make positive choices. Now, lots of coffee companies have joined and got certified too.

Being a B Corp also challenges us to keep improving on our score, and focus on where it’s needed most.  We’re currently scoring ‘Outstanding’ but there’s always room for improvement. 

Q: How does being a B Corp influence Cafédirect’s decision-making processes and commitment to social and environmental responsibility? 

We’ve always been committed, but B Corp certification spurs us to consider how to improve in areas we’re not as strong in. By explaining how to improve scores, B Corp builds a case for taking on new ways of working and projects.

Q: As a B Corp, how does Cafédirect collaborate with other certified companies or organisations to drive positive change in the industry? 

We are members of various groups to influence change.  We’re a member of Business Declares, a non-profit that uses the collective force of businesses to advocate for better governmental environmental action.  They recently received national press for their ‘Queue for Climate and Nature’ where hundreds of business reps came to show their support for better policies for business sustainability. We also chair the British Coffee Association Sustainability Committee to work on practical ways to make our industry better for the environment. We also try to engage with other B Corp’s in our procurement, run competitions with like-minded companies, and share tips on sustainable lifestyles.

Q: How does Cafédirect engage with its community, both locally and globally, to promote sustainability and social impact? 

The Education sector is an important part of promoting sustainability and social impact. We work with a number of UK Universities and give talks about business sustainability and support student projects.  

Our Better for Everyone team in Yorkshire exists to help people in our local community. We support local charities and help people find jobs through an apprenticeship programme. This year, we’re doing The Three Peaks challenge to raise money for a local charity. We’re also planning a nature conservation day with the Peak District National Park Foundation and donate 20p from each pack of Dark Peak coffee sold.

Q: What challenges has Cafédirect faced in its sustainability efforts and how have you overcome them? 

Finding recyclable packaging for our roast and ground coffee was challenging.  Coffee bags need to protect the coffee from sunlight, moisture and oxygen to keep it tasting its best. Innovation in the industry was needed so it took a while to find what we were looking for. Eventually we found a company  that had developed a pioneering award-winning recyclable solution. 

Q: Looking ahead, what are Cafédirect’s goals and aspirations in terms of sustainability and social impact, and how do you plan to achieve them? 

Our big goal is to make sure every smallholder coffee farmer in our network earns a decent living by 2030. It’s a tough challenge, but we’re ready for it. For the coffee industry to really change, all companies need to pay a fair price for coffee. That’s the only way farmers can have a decent standard of living.

Another goal of ours is to build stronger coffee farming communities. We team up with our sister organisation, Producers Direct, which is run by farmers. They train young people and women, offering various opportunities to help them succeed in farming.

Thanks so much for chatting with us today Lauren, we loved working with Cafédirect and it’s always wonderful to catch up with the B Corp™ community!  

If you could finish by saying one thing about the benefits of being a B Corp to our readers, what would it be?