Helping CIL build a B Corp Climate Transition Plan fit for a global consultancy

Overview

CIL Strategy Consultants had consistently taken their environmental responsibilities seriously. As a certified B Corp with an active ESG team, they were already tracking key indicators and making progress. But with B Corp standards tightening and stakeholder expectations rising, they needed to put real data behind their environmental strategy.

"With new B Corp standards on the horizon, we knew good intentions wouldn't be enough. We needed robust carbon data, a clear plan to reduce emissions, and a way to bring our whole team with us."

About CIL

CIL is a growth strategy consultancy of around 250 people, with 6 locations across the UK, Europe, US, and the Middle East. Founded on the principle that good strategy and responsible business go hand in hand, CIL holds B Corp certification - a standard that reflects a genuine commitment to social and environmental performance.

"Tracking and reducing our emissions matters to us, firstly, because it's the right thing to do. As a B Corp, we really care about the impact of our work, including our carbon footprint."

It is also increasingly expected from the outside. As a firm that advises investors and management teams on growth and strategy, CIL operates in a world where clients and talent alike are paying closer attention to the values and practices of the firms they work with.

"Within our sector, clients and employees are also setting a higher bar on climate action, and we're keen to go above and beyond."

The Objective

CIL's goal was to build a carbon management programme that was robust enough to meet B Corp's evolving climate requirements, credible enough to share with clients and employees, and practical enough to maintain alongside daily operations. With B Corp recertification on the horizon, and the new standards placing greater weight on Climate Transition Plans and measurable progress, there was considerable pressure to move from intention to action.

The Challenge

CIL had made a meaningful start. Key metrics were being tracked, but the picture was incomplete.

"Before Seedling, we were tracking some key KPIs like energy data and business travel, but we didn't have a reliable, comprehensive picture of our emissions."

Part of the challenge was the scope of the footprint itself. For a consulting firm, it might seem intuitive to focus carbon reduction efforts on the office - but for CIL, over 90% of emissions sit outside the office environment entirely - this is often the case for professional service businesses. Business travel, employee commuting, and a wide supply chain covering everything from IT procurement to events and other professional services, all contribute significantly. Building an accurate, full-scope view of those emissions, and then engaging the wider team in managing them, was a significant undertaking for a lean ESG function.

Why CIL Chose Seedling

CIL needed a carbon management platform that was able to handle the complexities of their business. It needed to be rigorous enough to produce outputs they could stand behind, and accessible enough for people without a sustainability background to use with confidence.

"We chose Seedling because it's built for businesses like ours - intuitive and easy-to-use for anyone without a sustainability background, and robust, accurate reporting we're confident sharing."

How Seedling Helped

1) Built a full-scope, GHG Protocol-aligned carbon footprint

Seedling helped CIL pull data from across the firm and translate it into a comprehensive, GHG Protocol-aligned footprint covering Scopes 1, 2 and 3. Given that the majority of CIL's emissions stem from areas like business travel, commuting and supply chain activity, capturing a complete and accurate footprint required both the right methodology and expert guidance on where to focus. Seedling’s employee survey made it straightforward to track commuting and homeworking emissions across a large and geographically dispersed workforce.

"The Seedling platform makes it really straightforward to pull data from across the firm and build a full-scope footprint, and our Seedling expert is always on hand to help with any tricky data and guide us through our results."

2) Turned data into an evidence-based Net Zero roadmap[AT4.1]

With clear hotspots identified, CIL worked with Seedling to build a quantified Climate Transition Plan aligned with B Corp's new requirements. They also set science-based targets in line with the global 1.5 degree reduction pathway, including a long-term net zero goal and interim milestones to track progress against.

"We now have a transparent view of our key emission hotspots across the business, and an evidence-based plan for reducing them."

3) Brought everything into one place

Seedling's carbon management platform consolidates CIL's footprint, targets and reduction plan in one place, with their Impact Page making it easy to share progress externally with clients, employees and B Corp assessors.

"Everything now lives in one place: our footprint, our targets and our emission reduction plan, all shared transparently on our impact page - for clients, employees and B Corp to see."

4) Turned carbon management into a firm-wide effort

One of the standout results for CIL has been the shift in how the wider team engages with sustainability. Seedling's employee engagement tools helped bring the conversation beyond the ESG team and into the firm as a whole.

"The employee engagement tools have also sparked genuine interest from our team. It's gone from being an ESG team action point to something people across the firm actually want to be involved in."

5) Invested in verified UK climate action projects

Alongside measuring and reducing their footprint, CIL is using the Seedling platform to invest in verified climate action projects that offset emissions that cannot yet be eliminated. Their focus is close to home - supporting UK nature projects, including regenerative agriculture initiatives that work to lock carbon back into the soil while improving biodiversity. It is a practical, transparent way to balance out unavoidable emissions while the longer-term reduction work takes hold.

Looking Ahead

With a solid measurement foundation, clear targets and an active reduction plan in place, CIL is focused on building momentum year-on-year.

"Looking ahead, we're using Seedling to keep tracking against our targets and to refine our Climate Transition Plan, which will help us to meet B Corp's new standards when we recertify."

CIL's Advice to Other Businesses

For any business thinking about getting started - and especially for fellow B Corps - Meg's advice is clear.

"Don’t wait. Get a credible carbon baseline in place sooner rather than later to give yourself a solid foundation, even if it isn't perfect first time round. And work with Seedling - they'll help you to cut through the complexity and make clear, data-led decisions. It turns climate action from overwhelming into achievable."