We believe many of the world’s problems are the result of economic growth and yet, ironically, it is only business that can develop the capital, knowledge and drive to solve those same problems. Capitalism has been a force for great good and at the same time harm, but only capitalism, applied correctly and responsibly, can provide the solution.

We believe that profitable growth is vital; not to simply fund business as usual but to enable it do its part in solving some of the problems the world faces. We’re investing our profits back into the business to ensure our growth is sustainable and that we are putting more back than we’re taking out from the planet. Our customers can rest assured, if they buy from Heaps they are dealing with a Climate Positive company.

Already a multi award winning company for our environmental work, we decided in 2012 to raise the bar by aiming to become the first company in our industry to be carbon neutral. In 2017 we achieved that goal. Heap & Partners is now a carbon neutral company and we believe the first in our industry to achieve that aim, but we didn’t stop there.

So far we’ve undertaken 28 projects (some big, some small) to lower our carbon footprint. We have now doubled our carbon offsetting efforts so that we are now climate positive. We are now planting almost 400 trees a month as well as helping to fund green projects like solar and wind in third World countries. If you click on the Ecologi logo at the bottom you can actually see some of our trees and the projects we are helping to fund.

Every company must focus on reducing waste and we know that in trying to achieve carbon neutrality we have delivered serious cost savings to the bottom line. In an industry that has to operate on slim margins, that should be of interest to every company.

Aiming for carbon neutrality is not some tree-hugging whim, but a hard-headed realisation that every tonne of carbon saved is more profit on the bottom line. We live in a World of finite resource, which we can’t afford to squander.

Some of our projects are very small scale. For instance, each week the company offers a vegetarian meal.  For a £2 donation to charity, a member of our staff can get the ingredients and recipe for a veggie meal for four people. We aim to encourage slightly less meat eating and, maybe, develop our cooking skills.

Perhaps the most radical measure we implemented is our volunteering program. Each member of staff is given 6 days paid volunteering time a year. For Heaps this equates to the company donating one person full-time for a year to a charity, a major investment for any company!

We believe companies have a vast range of skills that can make a massive difference to all sorts of charities. We put our skills to good use by letting staff have time off from their normal duties to provide hands-on support where it’s needed. In return the company hopes to see staff morale boosted and perhaps some nice local PR.

If companies are to remain profitable they must retain their best staff. Sometimes work is not enough to keep people motivated. Some work for a company because they love the company, some work because they love their job and some work simply to pay the bills. People move between each category depending on their mood and most recent experiences, but it’s the last category that should worry employers. If you have good staff that are only working for the money how will you motivate them? Answer – Help them get more out of life by giving something back!

We also believe that by widening our focus from a single P (Profit) to the 3 Ps, the whole company will benefit, including the bottom line. So, how do we sum it all up? “We hope that our 3 P’s program will do some good and enable us to have some fun on the way”.