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By Paul Baxter, 19th September 2023

Category: The Green Insurer

Since the concept for The Green Insurer was created, we have had several discussions about who and what we are. Are we a business, a not-for-profit, a charity? In fact, we are a commercial organisation, funded and run as a profit-making business, but how does this fit with our environmental and social aspirations? There are some interesting articles and debates around this issue and the conclusion seems to be that businesses which have a strong ethical purpose are better for employees, customers, and shareholders. When employees and customers can relate to a business’ purpose, they feel more aligned to that business, more loyal and happier to be a customer or employee. This results in employees being more committed to their employer and doing a better job for them and for their customers.

The concept of a Business with Purpose (or a Purpose Driven Organisation) was borne out of this. The business’s purpose is something that all stakeholders can buy in to and become personally invested in. So, we defined our purpose as:

The Green Insurer exists to help people to drive a vehicle, own or rent somewhere to live or travel whilst minimising the harm they do to our earth.

We want our people and customers to feel that they are working or insuring with an organisation that reflects their own values and therefore they feel comfortable and happy dealing with The Green Insurer. Clearly this is just part of what makes a business good to deal with and we have worked hard to make The Green Insurer a great place to work, where everyone has a say in how things are done. Also, to help our people understand what good service looks like for our customers.

The Green Insurer’s commitment to enabling customers to drive in a carbon neutral way is something that many people can buy in to. Our employees all sign our Green Values before they can start working with us. This leads to us employing people who are well aligned to our business strategy and to our customers’ values.

This is an ongoing commitment, and we will continually work to ensure that we are delivering and communicating our purpose and that the purpose is something that our customers and people can relate to.

Also, The Green Insurer has to make sure that we operate in a way that aligns with our purpose. For us, this has meant becoming authorised as B Corp Pending. This means that we must operate in a way that considers the needs of all stakeholders and not just the owners of the business. We must also demonstrate high levels of environmental and social performance and be transparent in the way we work.

You can find plenty of material written on this subject, but can get a good flavour from the article by Robert E Quinn and Anjan V Thakor in the Harvard Business Review - Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization.

We feel that this approach is right for The Green Insurer and are proud to be a purpose Driven Organisation.