A FORCE
FOR GOOD
Since 2012 we've been on a mission to be the best furnishing and interior provider on the planet and now we are on a mission to make the planet a better place too. In 2023 we were proud to become Britain's first B Corp certified Interior Design collective. As a future-focused collective, we realised how much difference we could be making on eco and social levels. So instead of sustaining and maintaining our performance, AGC BTR prioritised plans to regenerate and commence a never-ending journey towards 'sustainability' and do our bit to make the planet a better place for every being.
Through initiatives with our teams, customers, our supply chain, the wider community, and by being transparent and accountable, we are are healing more than just the environment and each step of the way, proving to you that the breathtaking world of interiors can also be a beneficially breathtaking world.
AGC BTR is part of Accouter Group of Companies.
What is B Corp?
B Corps are defined as businesses that want to achieve more than just making a profit. Their company goals and values are committed to creating a positive impact on their employees, communities, clients and suppliers throughout their strategic decisions and operations.
As Britain’s first B Corp certified interior design studio:
We commit to proving to you that we can make a positive impact on the world by acting and evolving as a responsible company.
We promise to direct our efforts on measures that deliver the biggest impacts, aiming to continuously review and improve AGC’s environmental performance.
We pledge to play our part in building an industry that is filled with, and supports talent from all backgrounds, abilities, ages and identities.
We believe in the power of kindness, and pledge to use the powers of our business to create a positive impact on society. We support the Red Cross and charities that mean the most to our people.
We understand that being a ‘Force for Good’ is a journey without a destination and we are committed to continuously improve and evolve our business for good. For more information regarding our B Corp journey please click here.
In parallel with our desire to continuously create new and innovative designs, our pledge towards sustainability is an equally evolving journey.
We are constantly looking for ways to develop our awareness and knowledge of sustainability within the interior design industry. Understanding the increasingly important role we play in protecting the planet, has encouraged us to focus our efforts on introducing an increasing amount of sustainable measures.
We are investing in the future, and our dedicated ‘Eco-Warrior’ team will direct our efforts on measures that deliver the biggest impacts, aiming to continuously review and improve AGC’s environmental performance with an emphasis on minimising any destructive environmental impact.
Sustainability measures have already seen us achieve our ISO14001 Environmental certification, and we are very proud to be B Corp certified. In addition, we are proud to partner with Walpole and its members to work towards a shared ambition of creating a more sustainable industry for the top British Luxury Brands.
HOW WE ACHIEVED A CARBON NEUTRAL 2022
In accordance with AGC’s Sustainability manifesto and our ambition to safeguard the environment and preserve its natural resources, we have undertaken a thorough Scope 1 & 2 carbon audit of our 2022 operations.
2022 OFFSET
Our Offset Strategy revolves around investing in Forest Carbon’s gold standard re-afforestation projects. Through these investments, we actively contribute to projects both within the UK and internationally, resulting in an immediate impact on achieving carbon neutrality. Furthermore, these initiatives allow us to store carbon credits for the future, reinforcing our commitment to long-term sustainability.
OUR 2022 CARBON OFFSET STRATEGY
INTERNATIONAL AT URUGUAY
40 tonnes CO2e Forestal el Arriero
INTERNATIONAL AT BOLIVA
40 tonnes CO2e Cochabamba
UK
50 tonnes CO2e
NEXT STEPS
Pioneering the industry by setting ambitious target to achieve net zero emissions by 2033.
Align with the Scope 1 and 2 requirements of the SBTI (Science Based Targets initiative).
Dedicated to ongoing education of our supply chains and collaboration with industry bodies to facilitate the collection of Scope 3 emission data.
PARTNERING WITH FOREST CARBON
Forest Carbon leads the way in developing woodland creation and peatland restoration projects for carbon capture and ecosystem services in the UK. They have planted over 10.3 million new trees in 220+ new woodlands since 2006 with their partners removing over 2.1 million tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including habitat creation, biodiversity support, flood mitigation, river ecosystem improvement and public access.
Outside of the UK their partners have offset a further 1 million tonnes CO2 and protected or planted in excess of 3 million trees.
UK
We have joined their Carbon Club 50, through which we will be responsible for planting around 200 trees each year. These trees will grow in permanent new woodlands at Doddington in Northumberland, Corriechuillie in the Scottish Highlands and Tom’s Wood near York in North Yorkshire. They will accrue 50 carbon credits per year over time to address 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Once fully grown these trees will capture a considerable proportion of our annual carbon emissions and help us on our journey to net zero.
URUGUAY - FORESTAL EL ARRIERO
This project represents the conversion of land in the east of Uruguay previously under extensive grazing by beef cattle to high quality and high value timber production, expected to be used for long-lived products and so ensuring continued carbon storage. Forests are replanted after felling, providing continuous rotations of carbon capture.
The projects contribute to sustainable development in Uruguay, mainly through
Increased employment and quality of employment
Rural development (decentralization)
Improved national balance of payments through exports and value-added activity in country
Biodiversity preservation
Improvement and preservation of soil quality
BOLIVIA - TSB AT COCHABAMBA
Forest Carbon’s first non-UK project was Cochabamba, in Bolivia. As well as capturing CO2 the project will help halt the aggressive deforestation that has been occurring in this area of the western Amazon Rainforest and also save CO2 losses there. The overall project aims for:
Improved and sustainable land use with a total participation of 2,000 smallholders and over 2,700 site
On-farm establishment of 5,000 has of small scale mixed native species forestry plantations
On-farm establishment of 1,000 hectares of agroforestry or silvo-pastoral plantations
Production of a continuous flow of export quality hardwood timber and improved market access
Livelihood improvement through incomes generated from the sale of plantation timber under fair trade conditions.
The project is quality assured under the Gold Standard, one of the world’s leading independent carbon and climate change project certification standards.
CIRCULAR APPROACH
‘A circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.’
BREAKING IT DOWN
22 million pieces of furniture are thrown away every year in the UK*. Shocking stats that made us think, “we can do better”!
Having achieved our B Corp certification, we are in the process of setting ourselves an ambitious emissions reductions target and we want to do more! Extending the product life cycle is something we can continually look to improve, through both our furniture collections, and our circularity approach.
Saying goodbye to cheap, low-quality materials, our new furniture collections were designed with the future in mind, and selected products come with a ‘Lifetime Guarantee’. We have introduced our new Conscious Collection, using a range of suppliers, and with each piece telling its own story.
Not only that, but we have saved 1000s of furnishing items from landfills over the years with our rental offering, which sees furniture lovingly restored before being sent to its new address.
*North London Waste Authority, 2021.
HOW WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS
An internal onboarding process means our suppliers have been consciously selected, and we are also in communication with our manufacturers to positively influence the materials they’re using.
Following first use of the products, when given the opportunity, we will assess the damage, if any, and put one of the following actions into play.
Some products will be in near perfect condition, in which case they will be selected for our rental service as a second use.
If repairs are required, our magic man will work his magic and try to bring the product back to life, allowing it to be used within our rental offering.
If the product has reached the end of its lifecycle with AGC and we cannot use the product within our rental offering, we will reach out to our charity partners, British Red Cross, to sell the products on within their stores, or the University of the Arts London (UAL), who will be able to use the pieces for education and repurposing.
Where the item cannot be accepted by these initiatives, we will break down the items where possible to limit the amount of waste we are sending to landfill. The final broken down items can be reused by our suppliers, and used in the production of making a new product, where the lifecycle begins again. Our chosen recycling partners Ellgia have a 0 to landfill mission and even turn waste into energy which gives us piece of mind.
CIRCULARITY INITIATIVE
To forever increase our offering of responsible products we must seek full traceability from our suppliers. The role of our Environmental Icons is to grade our supply chain’s product portfolio to give you clarity surrounding terminology and confidence in what you are buying.
In order to make the biggest impact in the shortest time, initially we will use the Environmental Icons to badge products within our BoxNine7 Curated Furniture Packages service and Bazaar’s e-commerce range as here we are not influenced by a customer desire where there may not yet be a sustainable priority vs budget. However, our badging process will assist in educating us all and over time we are looking to achieve 100% traceability across the group.
We have just started this journey and we are actively on a mission to collect data from our supply chain to assess our ranges with a view to implementing the badging system below in 2022.
ENVIRONMENTAL ICONS
MADE TO ORDER
Made in accordance with our customer's specifications to minimise wastage in production.
FABULOUS FILLINGS & TOPPINGS
Foam, Fibre, Wool, Fur and Feather fillings are sourced in the UK for maximum quality assurance and are cruelty-free.
HANDCRAFTED
Products and/or elements have been handcrafted by artisans to preserve craft traditions and support independent artisan businesses.
DIVERSE & INCLUSIVE SUPPLIER
Supplier celebrates the values of equality, diversity, and inclusion by being an actively diverse supplier and promoting inclusivity and opportunity.
ETHICAL
Supply chain conforms with all relevant International Labour Organisation (ILO) policies surrounding child labour, workers rights, freedom of association, minimum wages and health & safety.
NON-TOXIC
Product is guaranteed to be free of harmful chemicals.
SUSTAINABLE SUPPLIER
Have an ESG and/or Sustainability strategy/Eco Manifesto in place with defined targets to achieve over a given period of time.
CONSCIOUS SUPPLIER
Working towards becoming sustainable with an awareness and adhoc initiatives set out.
ORGANIC
Product is made up of >70% naturally occurring raw materials, without the use of chemical or other artificial elements.
MADE IN THE UK
Product is manufactured or assembled within the UK.
FSC TIMBER
Wood has been harvested in compliance with rules and regulations to protect our natural resources.
NO PLASTIC FANTASTIC
100% of product packaging is reusable or ‘widely recyclable’.
THOUGHTFUL FURNITURE
Item is reclaimed, recycled or upcycled usually an Antique or Vintage item given a new life.
CARBON CONSCIOUS
Supplier is Carbon Neutral or has plans in place to get to achieve this. They are able to inform us of the carbon footprint of the product they supply.
At AGC, we want to strive to be a company that is more representative of the world we design for. We want to be part of an industry that is filled with, and supports talent from all backgrounds, abilities, ages and identities.
We recognise our privilege, and we pledge to proactively reform both our business and the wider interiors industry to be inclusive, representative of the society it aspires to serve and creatively stronger by bolstering the underrepresented talent.
EDUCATION
By committing to visiting schools and colleges to encourage awareness and present opportunities within our industry, offering mentoring programs within the courses and donating to disadvantaged creative schools for supplies such as Make Bank.
RECRUITMENT
Ensuring that the studio is reflective of society and draws on the talents of a diverse workforce by seeking advice on their employment strategy. In addition to this, offer apprenticeships to people from a disadvantaged background or someone who may have felt for any reason that the industry would not welcome them.
SUPPLIERS
By diversifying AGC's supplier database by; researching, celebrating and using the new and unheard voices of diverse suppliers and artisans from all backgrounds in society.
ADVOCACY
The team are honoured to join industry peers in a bid to deliver an equal opportunity pathway into the interior design industry. AGC will continue to share their journey in the hope of diminishing the statistics and, hand in hand, strive for a more positive future.
At AGC, we believe in the power of kindness, and we realise what a privilege it is to be able to use the powers of our business to create a positive impact on society.
With this in mind, as an organisation we have adopted the following charitable initiatives internally:
DONATIONS
We commit to donating a minimum of 2% of our profits each financial year. Profits are split between three charities, one of which is the Red Cross and the other two will be nominated and voted for annually by our team.
BRITISH RED CROSS
Furniture, which has reached the end of its lifecycle with AGC is sent from our warehouse to the British Red Cross.
CHARITY CHALLENGE SUPPORT
If an AGC crew member is participating in a charitable challenge or initiative, AGC will match the donations that AGC employees have collectively donated to this cause. In addition, we will do whatever we can to support a charity challenge that an employee would like to participate in, be it personal or industry-led.
CHARITABLE HOURS
Every AGC crew member receives 24 charitable hours each year to dedicate to raising money and awareness for their chosen charities.
CARBON-NEUTRAL DELIVERY
For every product sold on Bazaar we plant a tree via Ecologi, and all customers have the opportunity to contribute towards a carbon-neutral delivery.
Working closely with our supply chains, we are actively influencing how they package their furniture in a bid to diminish our furniture footprint. Our ambition is to supply 100% of product packaging that is reusable or ‘widely recyclable’ and we will focus on the ranges and business areas where we feel we can most impact initially.
In the meantime, our fantastic Logistics team remove all packaging and waste when installing, separating the recyclable materials, and keeping hold of those all-important reusable bags.
There are so many faces behind the doors at AGC, and each individual and team plays an equally important role in delivering the finest interiors in the kindest way to people and the planet.
Whether it be our Marketing team using only recyclable materials for literature or going digital with business cards, our Operations team reviewing the power of our fleet or Business Management reviewing recruitment policies and ‘Accouter Academy’ training packages, the responsibility lies with us all.
We look forward to sharing our successes and new initiatives over the forthcoming months and years.
