Since 2012 we've been on a mission to be the best furnishing and interior provider on the planet. In 2023, we were proud to become Britain's first B Corp certified interior design collective.

Driven by an understanding of how much difference we could be making on eco and social levels we prioritised plans to regenerate and commence a never-ending journey towards 'sustainability', doing our bit to make the planet a better place for every being.

Through initiatives with our teams, customers, our supply chain, the wider community, and by being transparent and accountable, we are are healing more than just the environment and each step of the way, proving to you that the breathtaking world of interiors can also be a beneficially breathtaking world.

As Britain’s first B Corp certified interior design collective:

HOW WE ACHIEVED A CARBON NEUTRAL 2022

In accordance with AGC’s Sustainability manifesto and our ambition to safeguard the environment and preserve its natural resources, we have undertaken a thorough Scope 1 & 2 carbon audit of our 2022 operations.

PARTNERING WITH FOREST CARBON

Forest Carbon leads the way in developing woodland creation and peatland restoration projects for carbon capture and ecosystem services in the UK. They have planted over 10.3 million new trees in 220+ new woodlands since 2006 with their partners removing over 2.1 million tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including habitat creation, biodiversity support, flood mitigation, river ecosystem improvement and public access.

Outside of the UK their partners have offset a further 1 million tonnes CO2 and protected or planted in excess of 3 million trees.

UK

We have joined their Carbon Club 50, through which we will be responsible for planting around 200 trees each year. These trees will grow in permanent new woodlands at Doddington in Northumberland, Corriechuillie in the Scottish Highlands and Tom’s Wood near York in North Yorkshire. They will accrue 50 carbon credits per year over time to address 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Once fully grown these trees will capture a considerable proportion of our annual carbon emissions and help us on our journey to net zero.

CIRCULAR APPROACH

‘A circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.’

BREAKING IT DOWN

22 million pieces of furniture are thrown away every year in the UK*. Shocking stats that made us think, “we can do better”!

Having achieved our B Corp certification, we are in the process of setting ourselves an ambitious emissions reductions target and we want to do more! Extending the product life cycle is something we can continually look to improve, through both our furniture collections, and our circularity approach.

Saying goodbye to cheap, low-quality materials, our new furniture collections were designed with the future in mind, and selected products come with a ‘Lifetime Guarantee’. We have introduced our new Conscious Collection, using a range of suppliers, and with each piece telling its own story.

Not only that, but we have saved 1000s of furnishing items from landfills over the years with our rental offering, which sees furniture lovingly restored before being sent to its new address.

*North London Waste Authority, 2021.

HOW WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS

An internal onboarding process means our suppliers have been consciously selected, and we are also in communication with our manufacturers to positively influence the materials they’re using.

Following first use of the products, when given the opportunity, we will assess the damage, if any, and put one of the following actions into play.

Some products will be in near perfect condition, in which case they will be selected for our rental service as a second use.

If repairs are required, our magic man will work his magic and try to bring the product back to life, allowing it to be used within our rental offering.

If the product has reached the end of its lifecycle with AGC and we cannot use the product within our rental offering, we will reach out to our charity partners, British Red Cross, to sell the products on within their stores, or the University of the Arts London (UAL), who will be able to use the pieces for education and repurposing.

Where the item cannot be accepted by these initiatives, we will break down the items where possible to limit the amount of waste we are sending to landfill. The final broken down items can be reused by our suppliers, and used in the production of making a new product, where the lifecycle begins again. Our chosen recycling partners Ellgia have a 0 to landfill mission and even turn waste into energy which gives us piece of mind.

CIRCULARITY INITIATIVE

To forever increase our offering of responsible products we must seek full traceability from our suppliers. The role of our Environmental Icons is to grade our supply chain’s product portfolio to give you clarity surrounding terminology and confidence in what you are buying.

In order to make the biggest impact in the shortest time, initially we will use the Environmental Icons to badge products within our BoxNine7 Curated Furniture Packages service and Bazaar’s e-commerce range as here we are not influenced by a customer desire where there may not yet be a sustainable priority vs budget. However, our badging process will assist in educating us all and over time we are looking to achieve 100% traceability across the group.

At AGC, we want to strive to be a company that is more representative of the world we design for. We want to be part of an industry that is filled with, and supports talent from all backgrounds, abilities, ages and identities.

We recognise our privilege, and we pledge to proactively reform both our business and the wider interiors industry to be inclusive, representative of the society it aspires to serve and creatively stronger by bolstering the underrepresented talent.

EDUCATION
By committing to visiting schools and colleges to encourage awareness and present opportunities within our industry, offering mentoring programs within the courses and donating to disadvantaged creative schools for supplies such as Make Bank.

RECRUITMENT
Ensuring that the studio is reflective of society and draws on the talents of a diverse workforce by seeking advice on their employment strategy. In addition to this, offer apprenticeships to people from a disadvantaged background or someone who may have felt for any reason that the industry would not welcome them.

SUPPLIERS
By diversifying AGC's supplier database by; researching, celebrating and using the new and unheard voices of diverse suppliers and artisans from all backgrounds in society.

ADVOCACY
The team are honoured to join industry peers in a bid to deliver an equal opportunity pathway into the interior design industry. AGC will continue to share their journey in the hope of diminishing the statistics and, hand in hand, strive for a more positive future.

RESOURCES

PODCASTS

BOOKS

CHANGE MAKERS

At AGC, we believe in the power of kindness, and we realise what a privilege it is to be able to use the powers of our business to create a positive impact on society.

With this in mind, as an organisation we have adopted the following charitable initiatives internally:

DONATIONS
We commit to donating a minimum of 2% of our profits each financial year. Profits are split between three charities, one of which is the Red Cross and the other two will be nominated and voted for annually by our team.

BRITISH RED CROSS
Furniture, which has reached the end of its lifecycle with AGC is sent from our warehouse to the British Red Cross.

CHARITY CHALLENGE SUPPORT
If an AGC crew member is participating in a charitable challenge or initiative, AGC will match the donations that AGC employees have collectively donated to this cause. In addition, we will do whatever we can to support a charity challenge that an employee would like to participate in, be it personal or industry-led.

CHARITABLE HOURS
Every AGC crew member receives 24 charitable hours each year to dedicate to raising money and awareness for their chosen charities.

RESOURCES

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

CHARITIES

PODCASTS