With great business comes great responsibility

It’s that time again when I’ve been busily scouring our customer’s websites looking for our next Business of the Month.  Corporate and social responsibility is always a topic of discussion in the Sage Pay office as we think about the ways we can make a difference.  We’ve just finished our annual Easter egg collection for Great Ormond Street children’s hospital and I see abnormally fit and motivated colleagues do leg stretches under the desk, about to undertake the marathon on behalf of various good causes.

All this do-gooding has got me thinking about business responsibility.  When starting an online business there’s a lot to think about.  But would your strategy involve saving the world and educating young minds? – Well, they probably wouldn’t be your first thoughts…

Keman Allen started his online business in November 09 and after seeking help from The Princes Trust to get things up and running, Council Royalty an urban clothing label, was born.

The clothes, which are exclusively online, are great; innovative and funky but what makes Council Royalty stick out for me is just how aware and dedicated founder Keman is to his corporate and social responsibility.

Council Royalty have offset their greenhouse gas emission to become a carbon neutral company and only use suppliers who have signed up to the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) that ensures the manufacturing process of each garment is conducted in an ethical manner.  They also choose garments that are free of harmful chemicals and adhere to the highest ecological standards.

Keman told us “Having a successful profitable business is not the only major goal, caring about my customers and my world is up there too.  It’s easy to find a manufacturer that will produce garments by the truck load, but as always with mass production, quality is lost. When my customers purchase my goods they are trusting me to provide quality garments, and that I do! I hope by setting up a carbon neutral company, other small start up’s will follow too and soon I hope offsetting your greenhouse gas emissions will be a necessity to all businesses”.

But it’s not just the environment that Keman is keen to have an impact on.  He understands how important it is to support young people and nurture budding entrepreneurs.  Keman is always happy to visit local schools, colleges and youth centres and talk about his experiences of online trading.  Having come from a council estate to be director of his own business, Keman is dedicated to helping youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue their dreams through business, by offering help, support and motivation from his own experiences.

So Council Royalty is April’s Business of the Month winner!  We think they deserve it for not only being a fab clothing label but for their great work saving the planet and mentoring future generations of online entrepreneurs….Wow! Just thinking about all that makes me need to sit down with a cup of tea!

Well done Keman and Council Royalty!