Useful Simple Trust named ‘B Corp of the Year’

The Trust has been recognised for exceptional commitment to balancing purpose with impact at the 2025 British Business Awards.

Kate Boylan, Carrie Behar, and Carolyn Bowman with the Trust's 'B Corp of the Year' award

The Useful Simple Trust (UST) has been recognised as ‘B Corp of the Year’ at the prestigious 2025 British Business Awards, reinforcing our position as a leader in mission-driven business innovation within the built environment sector.

A celebration of business excellence

The British Business Awards stand as one of the UK’s premier platforms for recognising organisations that demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and measurable impact across various industries. More than a simple accolade, these awards identify and elevate businesses that are actively transforming markets through responsible practices and forward-thinking approaches.

The ‘B Corp of the Year’ category specifically acknowledges organisations that exemplify how commercial success can align with – and indeed be driven by – unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and transparent governance.

Measuring what matters

UST’s achievement of a 123.3 B Corp score marks a 32% improvement from our previous certification, surpassing our 2027 target two years ahead of schedule. This score reflects our strategic focus on embedding impact measurement across all aspects of our operations, from project delivery to organisational governance.

“This recognition validates our long-standing belief that purpose and profitability are fundamentally interconnected,” notes our Head of Sustainability, Carrie Behar. “By setting ambitious targets and developing rigorous frameworks to track progress, we’ve been able to translate values into tangible outcomes.”

Leadership in practice

The award particularly highlighted several key aspects of our approach:

  • Our Climate Transition Action Plan provides a structured pathway to carbon neutrality by 2030, with clear interim targets and accountability mechanisms.
  • With 50% female representation on our Executive Board and 40% in leadership positions, our diverse team brings multiple perspectives to complex challenges.
  • Our comprehensive approach to learning, including our Future Skills programme and regular knowledge-sharing sessions, ensures our team remains at the forefront of sustainable design practices.
  • Through initiatives like ‘Useful Giving,’ we have invested over £51,000 in programmes that extend our impact beyond client projects, supporting education and innovation in the broader community.

As one of the UK’s first multidisciplinary design consultancies to achieve B Corp status, we have consistently advocated for systemic change within the built environment sector. Our active participation in industry bodies demonstrates our commitment to sharing knowledge and driving sectoral transformation.

The path forward

This achievement reinforces our determination to push boundaries in regenerative design and responsible business practices. Looking ahead, we are developing enhanced methodologies to measure our ‘project handprint’ – the positive environmental and social impacts of our work beyond basic compliance or standard practice.

We remain focused on strengthening our capabilities in areas such as circular economy principles, carbon literacy, and inclusive design. By continuously evaluating and refining our approach, we aim to create solutions that contribute meaningfully to a more equitable and regenerative built environment.

The 2025 British Business Awards recognition serves not as a culmination, but as a milestone in our ongoing journey to demonstrate how purpose-driven business can catalyse positive change at scale.

Advancing to Carbon Literacy Gold status

We have reached a significant milestone in our climate action journey, advancing to Gold certification as a Carbon Literate Organisation.

Gold Carbon Literate Organisation

The Useful Simple Trust (UST) has reached a significant milestone in our climate action journey, advancing from Silver to Gold certification as a Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO). This achievement demonstrates our commitment to embedding climate-conscious practices across our family of brands and throughout our organisational culture.

Our carbon literacy journey

Climate action stands at the heart of our ‘Get Set Zero’ initiative and unites all the Trust brands in a shared purpose. While many of our team members already operate as leaders in carbon reduction within their respective fields, we recognised the value of formalising and expanding this expertise through the Carbon Literacy Project’s certification framework.

The CLO accreditation uses a tiered system – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum – requiring increasingly robust commitments to climate action and low-carbon cultural transformation. Having achieved Silver certification last year, our progression to Gold reflects our organisational commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

Secured Gold status

Our certification journey involved several strategic initiatives:

  • Specialised Carbon Literacy (CL) training to 55% of our workforce, using materials tailored to the specific needs of organisations transforming the built environment.
  • Development of our first external-facing Carbon Action Plan (coming soon!), establishing a clear pathway to carbon neutrality that incorporates our employees action ideas generated during our CL training sessions.
  • Appointed dedicated sustainability leadership and embedded carbon literacy throughout our updated People Strategy, ensuring climate consciousness is present at every stage of an employee’s journey with the Trust.
  • Conducted a local needs assessment and initiated knowledge-sharing sessions with neighboring organisations in our Temple Chambers office building.

Impact beyond certification

This certification represents how CL has become intrinsic to our organisational identity. The 468 collective hours of learning across our team have translated into tangible changes in our operations, from updated procurement policies to refined recruitment practices.

Our CL initiative has strengthened our internal capabilities, enabling us to address complex challenges in climate resilience and develop net-zero strategies with greater confidence and expertise. By embedding this knowledge within our professional development processes, we ensure its lasting impact.

Collaborative climate action

As we continue our journey, our focus extends beyond internal practices to external collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Looking to the future, we aim to implement this by:

  • Expanding advocacy through our professional networks.
  • Partnering with organisations seeking to commence their own CL journey.
  • Continuing engagement with our community through planned learning sessions in 2025.

This achievement reinforces our mission to balance purpose with profit while establishing benchmarks for sustainable and responsible business practices. As we progress toward Platinum certification, we remain committed to sharing our experience and supporting others in their climate action endeavors.

Learn more about how you can become a Carbon Literate Organisation here.