At 181st Street, we work with ambitious brands, charities, campaigners and political leaders to tick the big tasks off the world’s to-do list. Our work is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and we’re driven by our mission to make better businesses more profitable, so they can make real impact.
We’re also committed to making our own business as impactful as possible – reducing our negative impact wherever we can, and maximising the opportunities to give back and do good. Here’s what we’ve achieved this year:
33 clients supported
We provide strategic communications to organisations working on the world’s to-do list. From green energy policies to food waste, maternal mental health to ocean conservation and social housing, this year we’ve worked across 16 different causes and 10 different sectors.
This year we’ve supported 33 businesses, charities and campaigning organisations, plus 1 political party.
We’ve built marketing strategies and campaigns to secure votes, get sustainable products on supermarket shelves and grow challenger brands, undertaken regulatory ESG reporting for major charities, and helped impact startups and scale-ups raise investment.
Over £1.6 million raised
We are experts in investor relations communications.
In 2023, we supported 3 startups and scale-ups to raise pre-seed and seed investment, 1 crowdfunding campaign and 1 UK University to secure funding for a startup incubation programme that will support innovation in climate impact, health tech and other ventures aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2023, we supported the raise of over £1.6 million in total.
38 hours pro bono
our managing partners have completed 38 hours of pro bono support this year, including:
- Reputation management for a mental health charity
- Strategic communications advice for a charity advocating for people living with a rare physical health condition
- mentoring climate tech and eco-focused fmcg brands on the amazon sustainability accelerator
- mentoring impact startups through two uk university accelerator programmes
- Providing advice to a uk wide environmental campaigning organisation to help them achieve greater cut-through and more public support
sharing our skills
Our team are guest lecturers, expert speakers and qualified trainers. we regularly provide workshops, training and support for institutions, membership organisations and universities – sharing our expertise on climate and sustainability, business, communications and behaviour change.
In 2023, we have provided a range of training and support to small businesses, marketing professionals, financial institutions, councils and local authorities.
We have also given guest lectures to students at 4 universities.
Microfinance loans
since 2022, we have invested in 14 microfinance loans for entrepreneurs in developing countries.
This has supported 56 entrepreneurs, helped 179 family members and created 1 job so far.
our carbon footprint
We measure our carbon footprint (scopes 1, 2 & 3) annually using Normative’s business carbon calculator and our financial data.
for our financial year 2022/23, our total carbon footprint was 4.85 tonnes co2e, of which:
Scope 1: 0
Scope 2: 0.0898
Scope 3: 4.76
protecting forests
we have protected an area of the Gola rainforest in sierra leone, through stand for trees and the REDD programme.
In 2023, we have offset 3 tonnes of CO2 and hold retirement certificates verifying permanent removal of these carbon credits from circulation.*
This forest is an important eco-system and biodiversity hotspot home to 60 globally threatened species, and this project also helps uplift 122 cocoa-farming communities after years of conflict and the Ebola outbreak, in the world’s 8th poorest country.
*Validated & verified under the Verified carbon standard (VCS) and achieved ccb gold status for exceptional climate and biodiversity benefits.
planting trees
Since 2022, we have funded the planting of 550 trees through our impact partnership with Ecologi.
Through Ecologi, the reforestation projects we fund are carefully vetted for social impact, equity and fairness, ecological appropriateness, planting and survival rates, risks from fires and logging, and tree cover over time.
carbon prevention
Since 2022, we have supported the prevention of 32.5 tonnes of co2e from being emitted, through 21 carbon avoidance projects.
Through our impact partner Ecologi, we have funded projects which are certified by either the gold standard or Verra’s verified carbon standard, as well as the community & biodiversity standard (CCBS) and the sustainable development verified impact standard (SD VISta).
These include solar generation in morocco, capturing waste biogas for energy in India, And distributing cleaner cookstoves in Kenya.
