Ecologi: Helping make positive action on your ESG strategy

Ecologi is fast becoming popular with big brands, as a great way to show their social responsibility for climate action. In today’s blog post, we’ll look at what the Ecologi app is all about and why it’s a great choice for businesses in the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector. 

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What is Ecologi, and why does it make good sense for business? 

Ecologi was founded in Bristol in 2017 by Oliver Cheshire. The aim of the project was to create a simple-to-use software as a service (SaaS) that would allow individuals and businesses to come together and fund climate action projects. 

Through monthly subscription fees, people help fund anything from tree planting to renewable energy creation. So far, the success of Ecologi has seen contributions of over 67.3 million trees planted and 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 avoided from its 42,000+ members. 

The popularity of this particular platform over its competitors is not just its ease of use and adoption, particularly by businesses, but its eagerness to be transparent. You quickly find out where your money goes and how it’s used. That makes for confident reporting when it comes to environmental, social and governance (ESG). This is particularly important for businesses, that need to share their ESG strategy and results with shareholders, stakeholders and consumers. 

Why using Ecologi is a great choice for PBSA businesses specifically 

There are some other benefits to partnering with Ecologi, aside from the obvious: 

• reducing carbon footprints 
• improving environmental credentials 
• attracting new customers
• boosting employee morale 
• and even attracting new investment

The construction of PBSA sites often means clearing land or redeveloping structures. Sometimes that’s repurposing brownfield sites or regenerating commercial or residential high-rise blocks. With this comes waste and carbon emissions, as well as temporary or permanent disruption to localised ecosystems. Running large buildings with multiple occupants can also have a climate-changing effect.

The UK government recognises the environmental impact of businesses and has created governance recommendations 

• The UK Corporate Governance Code sets out principles and recommendations for good corporate ESG strategy and reporting standards. 
• The Companies Act 2006 requires companies to disclose certain information about their environmental and social impact. 
• The Climate Change Act 2008 sets a target for the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. 
   

Ecologi provides a tool to fund social action in a simplified way, making it easier for businesses to start their climate contributions. This is especially important for businesses, like PBSAs who seemingly have a bigger social perception to change. 

Ecologi Zero is our recommendation for PBSA Xero users 

Still in beta, Ecologi Zero is currently free for UK Xero users. The aim is to provide a net-zero journey plan for businesses in the UK service industry by analysing your business and supply chain data.

You can use this in conjunction with your standard Ecologi account to help neutralise your carbon emissions by funding projects that matter. 

You can also use it to plant a tree for every room booking, which is fast becoming the norm for modern service offers.

We recommend giving it a go. 
 

Check out our other tech recommendations for PBSA and BTR businesses here.