PYTCH, a creative media, experiential, and production agency based in Bristol, have become the most recent member of the 80-strong Bristol B Corp Community.
B Corp is a movement that focuses on using business as a force for change, and being a member of the B Corp community is reserved for companies that meet ‘the highest standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency’ (B Corp, bcorporation.net). In order to become verified as a B Corp, a business must:
- Demonstrate high social and environmental performance
- Make a legal commitment by adopting a business form that requires them to treat the planet and community as equal stakeholders in the business to their shareholders
- Exhibit transparency by allowing certain information to be made publicly available.
Bristol now boasts over 80 B Corps, making it one of the most richly populated cities in the UK. Bristol B Corps include Ecologi, a climate action platform to help reduce your carbon footprint and become climate positive, and Neighbourly, one of the UK’s very first B Corps providing investment support for socially responsible investors.
Jordan Tomkins, Senior Operations Manager at PYTCH, said: “Bristol has long had a reputation for being a city of activists, rebels, and people with social good at their heart, so it’s no surprise to see that the city has become a hub for B Corps. I’m delighted to be a member of this unique movement, and I hope we can now use our resources and platform to help others make a positive impact”.
The events and creative media industries have had a chequered environmental past, with Conference News reporting in 2019 that the events industry was responsible for 1.2 Billion Tons of CO2 emissions per year, around the same as the entire country of Malta. However in recent years, there has been a marked effort to make change, and organisations such as isla have been formed to help organisers and companies improve their impact.
There are currently only three event production companies in the UK with B Corp status, and PYTCH is the only one of these companies whose breadth of services places them into the ‘service with a significant footprint’ category, meaning they have to meet an even more rigorous set of standards than a traditional retail or service business.
Jordan goes on to say: “The creative industries need to make some real changes fast if they are going to kick their carbon habit and remain sustainable long-term. Achieving B Corp is just the next step in our contribution to this, and I really want to help others do the same.”
PYTCH are hosting a monthly B Corp brunch at their headquarters for B Corps or those looking to achieve B Corp status. The first Bristol B Corp Brunch takes place on Wednesday 26th April 2023. You can find out more by contacting PYTCH.
