Why sustainability is a community effort with Adam Bastock

Adam Bastock was enjoying a successful career in digital marketing when he realised the planet was in crisis and decided to do something about it. In 2020 he set up Small99 with a mission to help the UK’s small businesses become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. He’s gone from strength to strength since then.

Adam is the brain behind People, Planet, Pint – a social meetup for anyone concerned about climate change and sustainability. Originally devised as a meetup after COP22 in Adam’s hometown of Glasgow, PPP has gone on to operate in 75 cities across 10 countries. Community, it’s clear, is a great catalyst and enabler of change.

In this episode Jen, Cat and Dom chat with Adam to hear how SME’s are responding to the climate crisis and what role he thinks communication plays in successful community building and behaviour change.

About Adam

Adam is the founder of Small99. Small99™ is helping small businesses to take positive action to reduce their carbon footprint to become more sustainable and profitable.

Vision - Our Ambition

To create the Small99™ Carbon Reduction Community – a positive and energetic force that supports small businesses to make their vital contribution to the UK’s carbon reduction targets.

Mission

At Small99™ we provide practical support, tools and local meetups to start 1 million small businesses on their path to net zero by 2025.

We’re doing this because existing guidance often overlooks small businesses, yet 99% of businesses in the UK employ fewer than 49 employees - together they can make a huge contribution to reducing the UK’s carbon output.

Our Story

Small99™ is helping small businesses to take positive action to reduce their carbon footprint to become more sustainable and profitable. The UK’s small business community has the power to make a vital contribution to our carbon reduction targets.

Small99™ is creating a movement for change – a movement that is empowering small businesses by creating a portfolio of practical tools, support and networking opportunities.

The Small99™ process is practical, approachable and, importantly, it aligns with the targets of companies like Microsoft. It enables small businesses to evaluate their footprint, set targets for reducing it and measure their progress.

The Small99™ team is ambitious for change and aims to connect with one

million businesses by 2025 – businesses that can, with our help, improve their sustainability and profitability and help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets.

How we do it

You can join us at our People, Planet, Pint™ events held across the UK and

internationally. They’re a great way to meet other small businesses, to share your challenges, ideas and experiences so that you can learn from others.

You can attend one of our CRAB (Carbon Reduction Action Box) workshops where, in a couple of hours, you can create a baseline for your carbon reduction plan, scope your next steps and make some good connections along the way.

You can access our online Carbon Reduction Measurement tool to help you take action and monitor your progress. It’s a simple, effective and accessible and provides the information you need to plan for and reduce your carbon Footprint.

You can get expert support from our team when you need help to stay on track.

You can estimate your digital carbon footprint quickly in detail too.

Already, we’ve engaged with more than 9,000 businesses in the past 2 years through our workshops, tools and events.

We organise around 60 events a month across the world to bring small businesses together - including Chicago, Singapore and Australia.

Join the Small99™ Carbon Reduction Movement – it’s simple, accessible anddesigned to help you and your business to become more sustainable and

Profitable.

Our Work

Small99 has directly trained over 6,000 businesses in the past 2 years on the topic of Net Zero, focusing on small businesses that were feeling overwhelmed and confused by the existing guidance available.

Adam Bastock, Small99 Founder, studied at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leaders (CISL), and has since worked with multiple organisations throughout the UK under the Small99™ brand.

Some of Small99’s partnerships include: “Net Zero 360”, with Clean Growth UK, to guide hundreds of businesses to measure and reduce their footprint. The development and delivery of lightweight, first step, sustainability workshops with Small Business Britain. “Step up to Net Zero” with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, a fully funded placement program for 60 businesses. Scottish Council of Voluntary Organizations, to develop tools for “Growing Climate Confidence”, a ‘where to start’ resource for the third sector.

For full details, see “Our Work”.