Being ethical has always been important to us at Little Seed Group. But COP26 has put climate change in the spotlight, and more and more consumers choosing to buy from companies with a positive social impact. So, ethics and sustainability have never been more important for businesses. We all need to do our bit to make a difference.
That’s why we’re shifting our focus to work with clients who share our values. Our Founder, Ellen, explains why sustainability and ethics are important to us, and why it’s becoming increasingly crucial in marketing.
What does being sustainable and ethical mean to you?
Ellen: For me, sustainability means making decisions that have a positive impact on the wider world. It’s about considering whether the purchases you make and the businesses you support are doing good.
While people often think about the everyday choices they make, like the food they buy and the clothes they wear.
B2B businesses, including marketing agencies like Little Seed Group, can do plenty to be more ethical. Promoting inclusivity is something that all companies should be doing. Supporting diversity and being considerate of people’s differences is just as important for being ethical as reducing your plastic waste is.
How is Little Seed Group working to be ethical in business?
Ellen: It’s always been important to us that we do good through business, by supporting important causes. We allocate a set number of days each year where we undertake fundraising challenges for charities and non-profits.
In the past, I’ve completed a 10K charity run for The Island, York, raising £265. This money guaranteed six months of mentoring sessions to help a local child with their mental, emotional, or social wellbeing.
In 2019, we donated a hedgehog incubator to a West Yorkshire rescue. We raised the funds by performing charitable digital audits over a ten-hour period, using the profit to fund the incubator. Since then, we volunteer regularly at rescues across Yorkshire helping to clean out hedgehogs. Sometimes, I foster hedgehogs on their behalf to make space for more patients.
Many of our past and present clients are small, local businesses around Yorkshire. It’s always been important to me that we help these local businesses flourish. They keep local people in employment and play an important role in our community.
How is Little Seed Group planning to become more ethical in the future?
Ellen: I don’t think anyone can ever say they are perfectly sustainable and ethical. In fact, sustainability isn’t about a few people doing things perfectly. It’s about everyone working to do the best they can!
As a person with a learning difference, inclusivity is important to me which is why I am working towards making our website and social media channels more inclusive so that it makes it easier to use for people with access needs. I recently redesigned my social media template to be more readable and blogged about how companies can make their social media more accessible.
I also recently attended a webinar with KreativeInc Agency which I found really useful. I’d recommend them for anyone who’s looking to improve their website’s accessibility. I’ve also become aware of how websites can have a carbon footprint, which is something I’d never considered before. That’s something I am going to work on throughout 2022.
Why is Little Seed Group moving to work with more sustainable and ethical clients?
Ellen: Ethics and sustainability are something that I really value in business and I want to promote good practices through the work I do with clients.
A big part of doing good through business means that we are helping to boost businesses that are doing their bit to make a difference. The goal of marketing is to communicate the benefits of your product or service. We want to help consumers make more ethical choices, by promoting businesses with good working practices.
This isn’t to say that we will be holding all of our clients up to a golden, unattainable standard. Rather, we want to prioritise working with companies who, like us, want to do better for people, wildlife, and the planet.
How is sustainability becoming more important for businesses?
Ellen: Sustainability is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses to retain customers and nurture a positive public image. According to A 2021 report by Deloitte found that 30% of consumers are actively choosing brands that have ethical values. What’s more, 28% stopped purchasing from certain brands due to ethical or sustainability-related concerns.
For businesses to continue to flourish, they need to promote ethics and sustainability as consumers are raising their standards, and businesses need to raise theirs too.
This consumer trend is also hugely benefitting local businesses, with the Deloitte report finding that 46% of consumers are buying more locally produced goods. Buying local reduces your carbon footprint and boosts the local economy. But, of course, being ethical isn’t reserved for small, local businesses. Businesses of all sizes have the power to make a difference by improving their ethics. I’d love for Little Seed Group to be a part of that journey for businesses of all sizes.
If you’re a business with ethical and sustainable values (or you’re working hard to get there) and would like help with your marketing, PR, or social media, get in touch with Little Seed Group today to see what we can do for you.
