From the ESGmark team: our highlights for 2021

It’s been an amazing year of hard work, growth and opportunities for us at ESGmark®.

We’ve taken a moment to put together our thoughts on what have been the stand out moments in a year packed full of highlights.

portia patel, co-founder

It is really hard to pick just one highlight of 2021, as it feels like we have had many milestone moments! Personally, I have taken great satisfaction from helping prospective and current community members to understand how they can effect positive change within their organisations and beyond. It is great to be supporting our members to take steps on their ESG journey with confidence and conviction. One of the clear highlights was the opportunity to present at the MGI Worldwide UK conference in November. The level of engagement and interest in ESG from a new audience was really gratifying and it is wonderful to already be helping some of those firms on their ESG journey as a result.

justin bates, co-founder

I feel incredibly lucky to be able to say the entirety of 2021 was a highlight. The year was an incredibly busy one for ESGmark®, as we welcomed a host of inspiring new community members, each with its own unique story and at a different place in its ESG and sustainability journey. Listening to founders, management teams and employees and hearing of their desire to improve, work collaboratively and share best practice has been hugely rewarding and gives enormous hope for the future.

There were too many highs to mention but, I feel incredibly proud of the team ESGmark® has assembled in the last 12 months. The passion, drive, intellect, and professionalism with which everyone has applied to their work has been fabulous to watch and be a part of. Whether it be the reams of invaluable content, in the form of self-help guides, best-practice advice or fun and educational social media soundbites, or the insightful and thorough approach of our ESG analysts, the commitment has been absolute. The counsel and direction from our Advisory Board and growing network of global ambassadors has also been critical as ESGmark® builds out its resources for the benefit of you, the Community.

We close out the year with increasing momentum. In summary, it has been a hugely inspiring and humbling period and we are excited by what 2022 holds in store. We are here to help you, and we look forward to continuing to grow together in the new year, making positive business introductions for you and helping you on the continuous journey of improvement.

Very best wishes to you and your loved ones for what will hopefully be a peaceful and restful festive break.

julia fawsley grant, head of content and communications

It’s so difficult to choose. I always love meeting our new members because their ideas and commitment to making their business as sustainable and responsible as possible is constantly inspiring. As we build this community, every new member reminds me of the wealth of brilliant entrepreneurs and ideas there are out there. And their ingenuity something we never take for granted - at ESGmark® we’re lucky enough to learn something new every time we speak to a member or possible member. On a completely different note, I put together the weekly “Good News Stories” and that always makes me smile. There is so much climate-doom in the press (rightly so) that it’s very refreshing to read about all the developments companies are making that really are taking us in the right direction.

zsofia bekker, esg analyst

When I applied for ESGmark®, I was already sure that the work they were doing was important, but I did not dream of the potential I found when I joined the team. The contribution I am most proud of in 2021 was taking over the monthly SDG blog. Coming up with ways that we, as businesses can support a great cause, such as Agenda 2030 has made me feel empowered. I thoroughly enjoy immersing myself in each Sustainable Development Goal’s context and this column reinforced my beliefs that everyone has a role to play in sustainable development – no matter how small, or big.

Personally, I learned a lot from ESGmark® too. I was already following a vegetarian diet, recycled, and did most things you find in your everyday-green-lifestyle-blog, but I thought that green energy at home was just a way for providers to make consumers pay more. Through ESGmark®’s resources, and conversations with the team, I was inspired to do my research, understood how the system worked, and ended up getting a great deal on green energy. Now, when I work from home, I know that I have done my part.

carlota veal, esg analyst

I've really enjoyed developing projects that should greatly help community members improve their environmental credentials. This is a work in progress and will be ready next year. It will be an invaluable addition to what ESGmark® offers, especially given the direction that both financial institutions and government regulation is going in.