1284 has been accepted for the Good Business Charter - the 10-stage independent test of business ethics and responsibility.

The GBC accreditation process enables UK organisations of all sizes to apply for recognition of their responsible business practices.

Among the more than 1,000 accredited organisations are FTSE100 companies, partnerships, local authorities, universities, SMEs, charities, and sole traders. 

Organisations must meet 10 commitments to receive GBC Accreditation. They are then listed in the public GBC Directory.

And they must demonstrate that they are doing specific, practical things that show they care about people and planet.

The need for Good Business Charter  

The GBC framework was founded by retailer Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds in 2020 to clearly signpost clients towards organisations which commit to responsible business practices.

According to Re-generate (2020), 53% of people favour brands doing good in the world.

Many believe in a fairer society and want to work for and purchase from organisations that are ethical and responsible.

However, 55% of people say they cannot tell the difference between those acting responsibly and those who are not.

The Good Business Charter seeks to provide a clear accreditation for all stakeholders to recognise those businesses operating responsibly in these areas.

The 10 GBC components

The GBC consists of 10 components. As an accredited business, 1284 has committed to:

1. Paying our directly employed and regularly contracted staff the Real Living Wage.
2. Only using zero or minimal hours contracts when it is mutually beneficial and accepted by both us and the employee.
3. Actively supporting and encouraging employee wellbeing.
4. Having a system whereby every employee can make suggestions or raise issues with management.
5. Encouraging diversity at key stages of recruitment, selection, and retention of employees, and preventing harassment or victimisation in the workplace.
6. Caring about the environment and encouraging the development of good environmental practice as an organisation. 
7. Paying our taxes where applicable and being transparent in our relationship with HMRC.
8. Addressing and learning from stakeholder feedback - seeking to put negative issues right.
9. Committing to ethical sourcing of anything we purchase.
10. Paying our suppliers promptly, and within 30 days at most. 

Changing business practice for good

The Chairman of the GBC Board, Simon Fox, the former CEO of Reach PLC and HMV, said: “The Good Business Charter brings together 10 standards, most of which already exist, but in separate places.

“We have brought them together to give a coherent overall position for businesses to aspire to. We believe that the GBC has enormous potential to change business practice for good.”

George Oliver, Managing Director of 1284, said: “We were long-time readers of Julian Richer’s column in The Times and became interested in his approach to business.

“During a recent recruitment exercise we realised that we were already delivering some of the GBC components - such as paying the Real Living wage and following the Prompt Payment Code. Our approach had developed organically.

“Upon looking into it further, we realised we were actually aligned with all 10 components, so we applied for the standard. It was approved within a week.”

George founded 1284 in July 2020. He is a CIPR Chartered PR Professional and a Fellow of the Institute of Consulting.

1284 is an award-winning strategic communications consultancy, specialising in telling the story of East Midlands innovation.