We all have a role to play in protecting our planet and the species that live on it. However this role, if played, is often done so outside of workplace obligations, depending on your profession. Doing our part outside of work, such as: committing to protests, charity giving or partaking in fundraisers can prove difficult to maintain, with these activities often clashing with social activities or paid work obligations. Whilst we may have the best intentions to commit to such activities, we can often find them falling by the waste side.
But why is protecting the planet, animals, insects and humanity seen as something that exists outside the workplace, or if within, on one off occasions? Whilst developing business models that do the utmost to limit and reduce damage to the environment and all life, we need to give time and space for company employees to engage with and explore ways they can make a difference. I believe allowing employees time to find and work for causes they believe in is instrumental to having a significant impact on improving the world we live in.
Paintgun.io is a distributed creative-performance-agency that grows b2c apps. We promote new and exciting apps, who spend at least $100k per month on paid social, and possess an inspiring mission. We believe in the work we do, but also understand that we have a responsibility to do more for the planet and all of the living life that inhabits it. Earlier this year we made the decision to sign up to Patagonia’s 1% for the Planet, where we committed to contributing 1% of our total annual revenue to grassroots environmental organisations. However reflecting on what I have said in the previous paragraphs, we didn’t feel we would be truly playing our part by just sending money to another bank account. We needed to find ways to improve our practices, reduce our impact on the planet, further engage Paintgun employees in ethical practices, build relationships with grass roots organisations and individuals committing their life to doing good, and create a strong ethos within our company that protecting life and the planet, can be part of our current objectives: performance, growth and creativity.
We therefore present our new initiative 7–4 Species. Building on Patagonia’s 1% for the Planet initiative, we are dedicating 7% of Paintgun revenue to protecting our planet, and all species that live on it. Every month we are sponsoring an individual or organisation that is doing something amazing for the planet and the life that inhabits it! We want to support the people really making a difference. This could be anything from climate activists, to a group advocating for the rights of the homeless, or even someone making slippers out of recycled bottles. Currently we are donating £1000 to our chosen individual or group, and then continuing this relationship by providing them with a disposable film camera to record the intimate moments of their activities. We will then work with them to promote and tell their story through our blog and social channels. Anyone can apply through our website, and we will also work with Paintgun employees and our clients to find causes that they care about.
When building 7–4 Species we created a company manifesto that focuses on the below points:
- Reduce our environmental impact
- Create trust through transparency
- Support those protecting humanity and the planet
- Influence other Companies to do good
With point 3, ‘supporting those protecting humanity and the planet’ at the heart of the 7–4 Species initiative, we will be using the remaining 7% revenue to reduce our environmental impact and run the initiative. This includes building a pot of money to bring all our collaborators together for an exciting event in 2020. We will be publishing our financial reports every quarter on Medium.
Paintgun.io operates using remote working model with employees based across a variety of countries. Whilst we expect our carbon footprint to be relatively low, we will be creating a plan to dissect and improve remote working. Remote working is the future of work and understanding the impact it has on the environment is complex, but we look forward to making our emissions public, reducing them, and helping other companies do the same.
If you would like to learn more about 7–4 Species, or if you would like to know how your company can become part o the initiative, please get in touch through our website.
