I have been an accredited member of the GBC (The Good Business Charter) for a few years now and proud to be so. Right now, I don’t feel continuing to be accredited is appropriate for me and my business.

 

The Good Business Charter Is Paving The Way to a Better Business World

First up, I want to say that what the Good Business Charter does, is amazing. I fully support their work and can see the difference that it is making. Please look them up and consider accreditation if it is appropriate for your business.

If I’m such a fan then, why am I “leaving” the Good Business Charter behind?

 

The Good Business Charter – The Ten Components

To be accredited under the GBC you have to show that you meet and actively follow the 10 Components.  These are ten conditions aimed at promoting a more ethical business and include factors such as environmental care, prompt payment to suppliers, employee wellbeing, etc. 

After working through my most recent renewal, I started to feel a little niggle. 

The niggle grew louder and so I started to listen. 

 

Being an Accredited Good Business Charter Member Doesn’t Fit My Business

I don’t feel that advertising myself as an accredited member is right unless I add a “But….” under every reference to it. This is why….

 

• I work from home, sometimes remotely (think coffee shops/coworking)
• I am a sole trader so no employees to look after therefore the living wage, fairer contracts and employee representation components aren’t relevant.
• Ethical sourcing – I don’t have stock or suppliers to pay (my overheads in terms of supplies run to a £3.99 HP Instant Ink subscription for the printer and a pack of recycled printer paper that lasts all year)
• My environmental impact statement is tied to my premises (my home) and my business’ carbon footprint, amongst other factors. I am vegan living an eco-friendly lifestyle, my web hosting is via a green company and my home runs on green energy when possible. I don’t travel for work. It’s technically appropriate for me to tick this box but again, it doesn’t feel appropriate.
• The conditions of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion components include, “The GBC requires organisations to evidence how they analyse and monitor their EDI data against a baseline, using it to address disadvantage and discrimination.” (from the GBC website). Again, this doesn’t align with the size and type of my business.

“I’m a proudly accredited GBC member, but the ten components don’t fully apply to me and my business”. It doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?

 

Respecting the Spirit of the GBC Accreditation

If I’m proudly proclaiming I’m an actively accredited member, I should be ticking all the boxes and these boxes don’t “fit”.  Honesty and transparency are important to me, and that’s why I’m pulling my latest renewal and asking to be removed. 

I respect what the Good Business Charter is doing and genuinely feel their accreditation should mean more.  I was running an ethical business and actively working on it long before the GBC and will continue to. I don’t ever intend to take part in an ethical box-ticking exercise (a step away from green-washing) and that’s what it was starting to feel like due to my specific situation.

Would I reapply down the line? If I felt it was appropriate, probably. I’ll continue to fly the flag and highlight their good works, but won’t be a card-carrying member and will remove the GBC stickers from my laptop.

 

 

Going Forward – Continuing to Do What I Do

I may no longer be an accredited member of the GBC but that doesn’t change anything in terms of how I act, work, treat my clients or consider others. If you have any questions about how I run my copywriting business, please get in touch. 

You’ll see the logo disappearing off my website and other profiles over the next few days.

Do visit the Good Business Charter website to find out more about what they’re doing, and how it could help you move your business forward in terms of your ethical business goals. The monthly Zoom chat and catch-up session, run by Sam are easy-going and a great way to find out more if you are interested in the GBC or have questions.