The HB Accountants Sustainability Report summarises the important work the team at HB Accountants has completed to reduce our impact on the environment, and to support our local community. It is written for those who are keen to ensure that their chosen accountancy and audit partner is both aware and actively working towards these important matters.
Sustainability 2024
Sustainability is a broad term used to describe actions which have a positive or neutral effect on the environment and society, or both. There is no universally agreed definition for ‘sustainability’ – many organisations have differing ideas and opinions of what sustainability is.
Our Sustainability Report is presented in 3 sections, including an overview of the company’s values, our sustainability actions with examples, and an overview of our future plans. The table at the end of the document summaries our points made throughout.
- Welcome to HB Accountants: A high-level overview of our business, mission, and values
- Sustainability and Community: Our focus
- Our Plans For The Future: What we have acheived, and our future goals & our Sustainability Roadmap
For further information about this document or any of our examples given, please contact: directors@hbaccountants.co.uk
Welcome To HB Accountants: A high-level overview of our business, mission, and values
Who we are:
HB Accountants offer a one-stop accountancy service including annual and management accounts, audit and assurance, outsourced payroll, VAT, tax planning, and startups for growing businesses and private individuals. HB Accountants are ICAEW registered auditors, and attribute the secret to their success to being serious about living their values.
Sustainability and social responsibility has been in HB Accountant’s DNA for a long time – from driving electric cars to supporting local charities and being active members of our local BID.
Our Statement
We believe that we are responsible for good environmental practices, operating in a sustainable manner, and supporting the community around us.
We are equally committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our corporate social responsibility as an intergral part of our business strategy and operating methodology.
It is our priority to encourage our cutomers, suppliers, and all our business associates to do the same. Not only is this sound commercial sense for all; it is our moral duty.
Our policy is to:
- Wholly support and comply with the requirements of current environmental legislation.
- Minimise our waste, and reuse or recycle as much as possible.
- Reduce any impacts from our operations on the environment and local community.
- Purchase products and services that do the least damage to the environment.
- Ensure that employees understand our environmental policy and CSR strategy and do all they can to support it.
- Review our policies, strategies, and plans regulary in consultation with employees and other interested parties.
A snapshot of our credentials
- Our regularly reviewed sustainability roadmap, shows what we have achieved, what we are currently working on, and what we plan to do in the future.
- Our website is now green! It is powered by 100% renewable energy.
- Our Directors have used electrical vehicles for the past 5 year. We have installed EV charging points and encourage sustainable travel for all of our team.
- We invest a significant 10% of turnover per annum in formal training for all employees and apprentices.
- We donate hundreds of working hours to support our local community through fundraising, business advice and membership of local community bodies such as BID.
- We encourage considerate, sustainable working practices for our staff and partners.
- We conserve energy in the workplace – working with large window and blinds up means we do not always need to have the lighting on, for example.
- We reuse to reduce our waste (& recycle any paper that is required to be printed into working pads)
- We have implemented a recycling programme (and are currently testing making plant pots with the overload of envelopes we receive from HMRC)
- We consistently consider our supply chain to support local and eco-friendly businesses
- We are already #ActionZero Bronze certified and are working on our silver certification.
Section 1. Welcome to HB Accountants
EXPERT, IMAGINATIVE ACCOUNTANCY SOLUTIONS
For over 100 years, HB Accountants have been supporting businesses to flourish and grow. We are a local firm, offering similar services to larger London firms but with a cost-effective personal touch. Our focus on excellent accountancy work and client service has ensured strong client retention, from sole traders to large businesses – with one client being with us for over 70 years. 75% of new clients come from reccomendations.
OUR MISSION
We are here to help business owners through the whole life-cycle of their business ownership. From setting up the company, helping it grow, to giving exit strategy advice. We are often told that we give the advice the client needed, but they didn’t know that they need it!
RIGHT SIZE, RIGHT ATTITUDE
We are happy to be a medium-sized accountancy firm, as well as being registered auditors, because it means we are the right size for our clients. We are large enough to offer in-depth expertise on all of your tax and accounting needs. It also means that we never take our clients for granted. We continually look for ways to give them a better service. We develop long-term personal relationships with clients, and our team gets to know your team and your business.
FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR COMMUNITY
We see sustainable business practices as a way of life, not just a tick-box exercise. At our HQ in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, our teams work hard to minimise our impact on the environment – regularly sharing our work and our learnings so that others can make sustainable and community-minded choices too.
Section 2. Sustainability and Community
Focused on Stability
We believe that sustainable business practices should be part of how we do business. We work hard to minimise our impact on the environment.
Passionate about our community
We know that it is our reponsibility to support our local community and share the benefits of business with others. As well as supporting staff with their own charitable activities, we act on a corporate level. We actively support our local community and businesses and we help our younger generations to learn about finance, explore their future career options, offer work experience placements and find employment through our apprenticeship scheme.
This is what we’ve achieved, what we’re doing, and our future vision
For our community:
- Hoddesdon BID – our Director, Karen Chase, sits on the BID Board and heads the training and development subcommittee – we regularly organise and offer free BID training to the local business community
- Building business community spirit by connecting people: We assist with the promotion and organisation of Hoddesdon BID’s monthly Networking Breakfasts
- Sponsors of Ambition Broxbourne’s Conference for five years, involving over 100 local businesses – our Director, Keith Grover is the Chair.
- Delivering position change as sponsors & participants of ‘Hoddesdon Give Your Town The Runaround, which connects people of all ages together through the power of fitness. Encourages community spirit by reconnecting people to where they live and more importantly, the people they live with while inspiring people to take personal responsibility for their town and do more for their local community.
- Responsible for Hoddesdon BID & Teen’s Unite’s charity stands at Love Hoddesdon BID town fairs
- 5k and 10k Teens Unite Charity runs with 7 of our team.
- Charity Dragon Boat Race
- 3 of our team participated in a sponsored Sky Dive for Teens Unite Charity
- Sponsors of ‘Your Town’ – a start up community initiative.
- Encouraging collaboration and connection: We host quarterly HB Accountants Ladies Business Networking Lunches
- Charity fundraising activities have raised over £5k for local charity Teens Unite who look support young people with a cancer diagnosis.
- Gov.UK’s ‘Kickstart’ champions.
- Organise free webinars with independent advice for business owners.
- We invite local business to join our weekly wellbeing sessions.
- Join Love Hoddesdon BID’s Spring Litter Picking.
- Founders of SNAP networking for young professionals.
- Hosted a quiz night for Singing Down Memory Lane – a local group who help those suffering with dementia, and their carers. We raised just over £1.6k.
- Awarded Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employer by the Department of Education
- Proud members of the Ambassador Apprenticeship Network for the East of England, promoting and championing apprenticeships and work experience placements
For our future generations:
The Directors of HB have always had a passion or recruiting and developing young talent, and developing the wider team. As a training firm, we have a philosophy of investment in people.
- Our bespoke apprenticeship scheme offers local people the chance to learn a new skill and forge a career path. In a firm of just 17 people, our investment is significant – we currently have 8 apprentices, 47% of the workforce.
- We offer work experience for those considering accountancy as a career.
- We visit local schools and our borough’s careers fairs to talk about business and accountancy.
- We run mock interview practice and discuss CV’s.
- We produced a Finance Guide For School Leavers pamphlet which we have distributed freely across local schools.
- Ongoing engagement with Hertford Regional College.
From our team:
- Well-being is an intergral part of our daily life. We hold regular sessions with external experts but we’re also there for each other. It’s really important.
- Health is equally important. We do gym sessions, walks, runs and a whole host of physical activities together – for those that want to.
- We deliver a full CPD programme for trained staff far above the basic requirements of the profession, encouraging everyone to reach their maximum capacity. A collaborative review process identifies learning opportunities for every member of the team.
- Summer outings, team building and special birthday celebrations!
For our planet:
Looking at our operations and office life. we have started to analyse how we can demonstrate more sustainable behaviours in our day-to-day activities.
- We plant a tree for every new client that we work with.
- Our company vehicles are all electric powered and we have installed EV charging points.
- Reviewed marketing collateral including merchandise; choosing the most sustainable options.
- Our website is now green! It is hosted by servers run on 100% renewable energy.
- We buy local whenever we can to support local businesses and reduce supply miles.
- We turn off electronics when not in use.
- We take advantage of the natural light in our offices by working near windows, so we do not need to rely on overhead lighting.
- We are becoming a ‘minimalist’ office. This means not accumulating ‘stuff’ because it might be useful. Such as buying excessive stationary “just in case”.
- We only print documents when essential.
- We utilise CCH’s OneClick and Adobe E-Sign which allows clients to e-sign documents without having to print them out.
- Any promotional material is printed out onto recyled paper.
- We discourage business card use
There is always more we can do, but this is a great start.
Section 3: Our plans for the future:
There is so much more we can do so we have to put a clear plan in place to continue our work. We are keen to work towards reducing waste and lowering our emissions, our next steps include measuring our carbon footprint and setting emission reduction targets. We are already #ActionZero Bronze certified and are working on our silver certification. There’s lots going on and we’ll keep you informed of our progress.
An overview of our future goals
Sustainability Roadmap
| high level action | What we have achieved | our goals for 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Proven sustainable supply chain | Yes – Reviewed our suppliers list. Yes – Secured a 100% renewable energy host for our website. | We will continue to move to local suppliers, wherever possible, as well as choosing the most planet and people-friendly products and services. We will monitor and list our suppliers to be transparent about our success in this area. |
| Accreditations | Yes – Discovered accreditations that prove our sustainability and community passion. | We aim to secure the #ActionZero silver accreditation by December 2024.Moving onto gold accreditation by December 2025. |
| Become Carbon Neutral – we are working hard to reduce emissions but we want to know what else we could do that would make a tangible difference and prove that we are doing what we say we are. | Yes – Awareness of the importance of becoming carbon neutral throughout the business. Yes – Commitment made to work to become carbon neutral. | To understand and measure our carbon footprint by December 2024 and put a mitigation plan in place by December 2025. |
| Share the sustainability message | Yes – Written our sustainability and community passion. | Continue on our mission to reduce waste, support the local and wider community and continue sharing the message loud and clear |
| Reduce our own carbon footprint | Yes – Installed EV charging points and moved to electric vehicles. Yes – reduced the number of single-use plastics in the office. | Form an office green team to implement ideas Recycling Plants in office to increase oxygen levels. ‘Turn it off’ message to all team members to turn off all unused gadgets, monitors, and computers Paper-free office, or use recycled paper. Monitor water, gas, and electricity usage to determine where savings can be made. |
| Social Responsibility | Yes – Donated to local charities. Yes – Attended multiple careers fairs. Yes – Supported many local people to find work. | Review our CSR strategy again it to ensure it aligns with our goals and ethics. |
For more information, contact Vicki Foster on vickif@hbaccountants.co.uk
We are accountants for all, please do get in touch if you would like to discuss your accounting or tax needs – you can call us on 01992 444466 or email directors@hbaccountants.co.uk
The information contained above is for general guidance purposes only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, please note that each individual has different circumstances and it is essential that you seek appropriate professional advice before you act on any of the information contained herein. HB Accountants can accept no liability for any errors
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