Playing our part in a greener future
Henry Nicholas has always been a sustainable business with focus on creating a positive impact on the environment and within our communities. We chose to become B Corp certified to unite with a global community and support the collective drive for international change, as well as demonstrating to our employees, our customers and our local community that we are a business for good.
We’re excited to be joining forces with a growing community who are redefining business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Being B Corp certified means that we’ve met rigorous social and environmental standards to better our employees, our planet and our community, representing our commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
B Corp certification allows us to wear our values on our sleeves.
“Our B Corp journey has only just began…”
What B Corp means to us
To achieve B Corp certification, we pledged to ‘do good’ wherever we can – this includes wildflower planting, tree planting and educational programmes for Bristol’s inner-city schools, as well as raising money for charities for children.
Our B Corp certification is verified by B Lab, a non-profit at the forefront of transforming the global business network to lead economic change. The certification process involved a rigorous year-long assessment which dug deep into the business, to ensure we meet the highest standards in social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
It gives us confidence as a business to know that the Business Impact Assessment (BIA) is the most credible tool out there that we can use to measure our impact. We have access to comprehensive data to show where we can continue to improve, which enables us to grow and develop as a business.
Henry Nicholas is one of over 6,600 businesses worldwide who have certified as B Corps, across a range of industries and sizes, including brands like The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, The Body Shop and Abel & Cole.
Purpose over profit
We’re committed to putting people first, to make things better for all parties connected with us, our planet and community.
Shared values
We share the values of the B Corp community, and believe the framework provided by the BIA is the perfect roadmap to create a better way to do business.
High standards
We hold ourselves accountable, and to the highest social and environment standards, with the goal of purpose-driven change.
“Our culture has always been to put people first, and understand our why before the what and how.
Our why is to make things better for all parties connected with us, as well as our planet and our community.”
John Austin, MD & Founder
For People
Henry Nicholas is committed to doing business differently, putting people before profit, and making sustainable steps every day that make a real difference.
In a 2023 UK poll, 77% of people believe that businesses should have a legal responsibility to the planet and people, alongside maximising profits.
Henry Nicholas are people focused, pledging to improve children’s lives by donating a percentage of each placement fee towards causes that better the future and lives of children, such as building schools in Africa. As part of our B Corp journey Henry Nicholas has also realigned its employee benefits and wellness package and offers a profit share for all.
For Planet
To show our commitment to placing planet before profit, Henry Nicholas is pleased to partner with GreenTheUK.
We support initiatives like the restoration of 1.9 hectares of wildflowers through local community projects in partnership with conservationists Buglife, helping grow insect pathways, provide wildlife habitats and improving biodiversity. We will also plant 100 trees in Bristol schools, and fund an education officer to teach school children about woodland management and forestry skills.
Henry Nicholas is a carbon neutral recruiter, and we aim to be net zero by 2025.
For Community
Henry Nicholas is also committed to giving back to the local community and every year, each team member is allocated 20 hours of volunteer time to complete charity work of their choice. In addition, Henry Nicholas have partnered up with Carers Support Centre Bristol and South Gloucestershire and pledged to raise funds for multiple wellbeing activity days for local Young Carers.
The team will complete sponsored and fundraising events throughout the year, to include in 2023: the London Marathon, Chichester Harbour Chidham Half Marathon, Thornbury Ultra White Collar Boxing, Bath 10K Tunnel Run, the National 3 Peaks Challenge, and an Afternoon Tea & Prosecco event. All money raised will fund a group of Young Carers to attend two different wellbeing sessions with all transport, refreshments, sessional worker and activity costs covered.
What B Corp means for you
It’s a pretty open secret that recruitment doesn’t have the best reputation in the world. Well, we want to change that by simply behaving differently.
Our B Corp certification is a mark of trust: a promise that we are doing business in a way that meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
It signals to clients and candidates that we care about our planet, people and community above profit. We are serious about helping to address the twin challenges of climate change and inequality.
We’re always striving to change the face of recruitment for the better, and hope to be part of a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the sector. Our journey has only just begun.