It’s in Midnight’s DNA to do the right thing. Throughout our 30-year history, we’ve endeavoured to make decisions that benefit our team, our clients and our community. We’ve always understood that this approach is essential for securing long-term success for ourselves and our business clients.
This year, with the support of B Impact Lab, we applied to become a BCorp-accredited business, and have recently been certified by Green Small Business, an organisation that supports SMEs in their eco efforts. We’ve also explored new partnerships for the benefit of our clients, including with environmental consultancy Small Green Business, diversity and inclusion (D&I) specialists Watch This Sp_ace, and Purposecraft, a company that shares our belief that a defined purpose strategy and relevant partnerships are essential for sustained business growth.
The business world’s centre of gravity has shifted in recent times; it’s no longer acceptable to simply chase profits. Social responsibility, D&I and sustainability are essential pillars that need to be authentically in place for any organisation to reach its true potential. Clients, prospects, stakeholders, talent, they’re all clued up. We help our clients navigate this complicated landscape to routinely exceed their goals.
At Midnight, we also practice what we preach. We prioritised sustainability and green design when we moved to our new offices at the start of 2023, and we invested in a new sustainably hosted website during our recent brand overhaul. Our new strapline sums up our ethos perfectly: positive, meaningful impact.
Recalibrating green ambitions
In 2022, like many businesses, we made a commitment to achieving net zero by 2030. We pledged to reduce our carbon footprint, embrace innovation and champion energy efficiency. However, the specialists we have brought into our business have shown us something crucial: net zero simply isn’t achievable for us. Despite making all the positive moves we possibly can, including investing in comprehensive training programmes and seeking the advice of experts, there are very few levers for us to pull to achieve net zero.
We conducted a thorough analysis of Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (indirect) and Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions. After consulting with specialists, we concluded that as a growing service business, achieving the ‘absolute’ reductions required is unattainable, regardless of our efforts. So, rather than engaging in the greenwashing that’s currently prevalent in the media, we’re redefining our commitment to focus on progress, not perfection.
Doubling down on genuine goals
We will continue to measure and report our full carbon footprint annually, with assessments carried out by our independent specialist environmental consultant, Green Small Business. Midnight will also continuously seek better ways to manage carbon emissions and adhere to our Action Plan to mitigate our environmental impact.
Most of our team already walks, cycles or uses public transport to get to work. As a proud member of the Brighton & Hove community, once we have reduced our emissions, we’ve chosen to support the restoration of local kelp forests instead of offsetting emissions by planting trees in locations that we have little visibility over.
We’ve recently pledged to support Sussex Wildlife Trust, and we’ve learned that the vast kelp beds along our shores, which once supported diverse marine life, have largely disappeared. They used to absorb carbon, filter water and protect the coast from storms. By the mid-1980s, however, 96% of Sussex kelp had vanished. It’s our aim to help SKRP revive these kelp beds with pro bono and financial support.
This aligns with Midnight’s community-minded philosophy. Plus, we’re aware that typical carbon-offsetting schemes can be problematic.
Studies by Stanford University found that up to two-thirds of offsets in international markets don’t deliver additional emission reductions compared to business as usual. The voluntary carbon-offsets market is expected to grow from around $2 billion in 2022 to about $100 billion in 2030 and around $250 billion by 2050 . Reports suggest that buyers often purchase vague promises rather than actual greenhouse gas reductions. They invest in projects that are never completed or pay for ones that would have happened anyway, benefiting middlemen and promoters rather than the environment.
A brighter future
Sustainability is a complex issue, but it’s still worth fighting for, even if we need to adjust expectations as we grow and learn. As trusted advisers to some of the most important business brands around, we always aim to get our ducks in a row – and then help our clients make meaningful changes too.
For example, Midnight’s efforts to embrace a truly diverse future are supported by training from inclusion consultancy Watch This Sp_ce. We’re committed to team volunteering days with organisations like FareShare Sussex & Surrey, and my partner Flo Powell and I have undergone the necessary checks to become mentors with the Girls’ Network, which aims to inspire and empower girls from disadvantaged communities by connecting them to a network of professional women.
As more and more businesses prioritise people and the planet alongside profits, our role as a PR partner to some of the nation’s most progressive business brands is becoming even more exciting and fulfilling.
So, yes, we’ve recalibrated and redefined our goals, and we remain as committed as ever to being the best B2B PR partner in the UK – and to helping our clients grow their businesses and reputations as responsibly and sustainably as possible.
Please download our Impact Report 2023 below:
