Sustainability Matters

The Blade appeals to a huge range of organisation types. With the opportunity for occupiers to take an entire floor at The Blade, we do attract some bigger businesses, but our location and the style of the building also appeals to new, innovative leading edge companies. We’ve also got a number of fast growing occupiers who like the ability to base themselves in a single location that can grow and adapt to support their business through periods of expansion. Whilst there is no one size fits all template for what an occupier at The Blade looks like, they do all tend to share a particular focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

CSR is a broad term that can dictate a company’s charitable activity just as much as it can its office location. Essentially it reflects that the owners, directors and shareholders wish to run their business in a way that understands, respects and, where necessary, mitigates its trading activities. From our perspective, we believe we have a responsibility to support those aims and ambitions through our own actions. As a result, we strive to put sustainability at the heart of our operations. It’s not solely about eco credentials too. It’s about how we conduct ourselves, who we let the space to, the sense of community we nurture and the care we actively demonstrate for the people in the building and the environment around it.

So we’ve got a challenging carbon reduction target and are investing in electric car charging points, low energy lighting systems and solar power, but show us a conscientious property owner that’s not doing those things right now. These actions appeal in a very obvious manner and provide some of those commonly expected ‘frills’ that appear on the office particulars for commercial agents and their clients. But what we’re working on at The Blade is bigger. It’s an ethos, a way of being.

Some of our clients are actively seeking or have already been awarded B Corp status, the focus of which is about building communities, not just profits. It’s about transforming economies to benefit all people, communities, and the planet – becoming a force for good. And we know we have a role to play in helping our occupiers deliver this – whether they seek formal certification or not.

The team at Blue Array, the first occupier at The Blade to attain B-Corp status, are clear that being located here helps them ensure their business practices are a force for good. When they came to choosing their office space they highlighted several aspects of the building’s features that help ensure a synergy between their commitments and the space the team works in. Unrivalled eco credentials, connectivity and the building’s location are key. But more than that, they felt the working space resonates with the way in which people in it conduct themselves – “Ultimately the people at The Blade are the real beating heart of the building” according to Blue Array Founder, Simon Schnieders. He even identified the work that goes into encouraging the Peregrine Falcons to nest on the roof, saying “It shows we’re in a building where people care about this space and the wider environment” which he says, “Strikes to the essence of this building”.

True sustainability is not a one-off project or series of actions. It’s a continual trend of improvements - innovating, inventing and invigorating the space - and it’s something we’re committed to, for the benefit of our own business and those we support.

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