As another summer of heatwaves and wildfires comes to a close, and communities across the UK – and the globe – prepare for a winter of extreme weather, sustainability will be a concern for many.
When thinking of sustainable businesses, the conference and events space, might not spring to mind, but Gilly Bain, the founder and CEO of Edinburgh-based events and experiences company YourScene, is determined to mitigate the carbon emissions associated with her industry.
In contrast to some governments and many larger businesses that have been seen to dial down their commitment to Net Zero in recent years, the latest report reveals that sustainability continues to inform decision-making in smaller ventures, impacting elements from vision and business culture to operational processes and customer engagement.
Recent UK market research conducted by Novuna Business Finance showed that 37% of Scottish small businesses rated sustainability as being core to their business culture and planning (compared to a national average of 31%), with a further 35% of respondents saying they are taking practical steps to do their bit on sustainability this year.
In Series 12 of the Novuna Sustainable Business Podcast, Novuna Business Finance sat down with Gilly to find out how her small business – now a certified B Corp – keeps sustainability at the heart of how it works.
Progress over perfection
YourScene’s sustainability journey began in 2021, when the team worked at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and heard some of the speakers.
Gilly Bain recalls: “I started looking at how we behaved as a company, particularly exploring how we can be accountable for the fact that the events industry, by its very nature is about bringing people together and we cannot escape our carbon emissions.
“Something I like to keep in mind in terms of sustainability is the idea that we don’t need one person or one company doing sustainability perfectly, we need everybody to be doing it imperfectly.
“Human beings will always need to come together and events need to happen. So, we just need to think about how we can do it the best we can.
“I feel like it was never a hard sell. Our own values have always leant in that direction and generally speaking, the people that work within events are younger.
“Fortunately for everybody, the younger generations seem to be much more tapped into what’s going on and their part to play in it.
“Where we want to try and push the boundary is in helping our clients understand – or indeed care – about the carbon that’s created in their events. That’s the challenge at the moment.
“We offer them the opportunity to work with us to understand the carbon that’s being created in their events. We’re always trying to find ways to offer our clients solutions that reduce carbon.
“A lot of those solutions end up costing more, so there’s still a fight to be had there in terms of what their budget expectations are. Everybody cares about sustainability, but I think the moment that it starts costing people money, that becomes a much harder sell.
“For other small business beginning their sustainability journey, I would advise understanding the bigger picture first. Understanding the urgency of the situation and how important it is that everybody does the best they can within the industry that they’re in is all we can ask people to do – and it’s all we’re asking of ourselves.
“We are not perfect – we can’t be – but we are doing the best we can. I think that should be your grounder – to inspire you to be okay with the work that comes with caring.”
Gilly particularly cited the benefits of YourScene becoming a registered B Corp, acknowledging that the process was challenging, but encouraging other small businesses to explore the idea, as many are already fulfilling some of the requirements of certification.
Interviews from the latest podcast series have been collated into a new report, offering valuable insight into how UK small businesses are continuing to survive in today’s difficult financial climate, while still keeping sustainability at the heart of what they do.
Commenting on the interview, Jo Morris, Head of Insight at Novuna Business Finance, said: “I’d like to thank Gilly Bain for sharing her story.
“What is interesting about the conversations across the latest series of Novuna Sustainable Business Podcast is the different definitions of sustainability across different businesses, and the unique ways this idea is implemented in their work.
“At Novuna Business Finance, these insights shape how we support businesses. Our conversations continue to show that sustainability means different things to different organisations depending on their priorities, customers and ambitions.
“That’s why we take a flexible, practical approach, adapting the support we provide to help each business achieve its own goals.”
