The three things that stuck with me the most from PurposeFest 2025
This March is Bright’s first B Corp Month as an official B Corp and to kick things off I headed to the Bristol Beacon to join over 300 other passionate businesses for PurposeFest 2025 - Bristol’s all day event for organisations looking to use their business as a force for good.
It was a great day full of insightful discussions, panels and networking with like-minded people but here are the key things that left a lasting impression with me.
“We don't need a hundred perfect activists, we need millions of imperfect ones" ~ Clover Hogan
Tori Tsui (Author of It’s Not Just You) talked about what failure would look like in her eyes in the transition to Net Zero - thinking there is nothing you can do to make a difference as an individual.
When you consider your impact as one person alone, it can quickly become overwhelming, often leading to anxiety and inaction. However, shifting your focus to the progress already being made, and looking to join smaller community action groups can help you to overcome some of those worries and empower you to contribute meaningfully alongside others.
One action that could make a big difference.
When you think of the most impactful individual action when it comes to environmental action, what springs to mind? Recycling? Cycling to work? Installing solar panels?
Actually, it’s your pension. Research by Make Money Matter showed that switching to a pension pot with sustainable investments can save 19 tonnes of carbon a year, which is 21 times more effective than giving up flying, becoming vegetarian and switching to a renewable energy provider combined.
Many providers have ethical pension fund options, but Andy Hawkins also shone a light on B Corp.
Pangea is the UK’s first completely positive impactful solution provider, but making the change is something I hadn’t thought of before, and definitely something I’ll be looking into.
B Corp is changing (for the better).
One of the key topics for the day was focussed on how B Corp are making the biggest change to the their assessment in 15 years - moving away from the ‘80 point system’ to minimum requirements across all areas.
This is a pretty revolutionary move and something I am excited for (even if it is a little daunting). The world has changed a lot since B Corp started and the need to bring more impactful social & environmental change has become more pressing, so collectively we need to be working towards the same goals, not just some of them.
But most of all, it was great to see so many local Bristol and Bath businesses that have committed to their own B Corp journeys, and to be surrounded by like-minded people who are all driven to create a better future. Can’t wait for next year!
