Luke Simmons, of award-winning house builder Cora Homes, explains why the business is putting its commitment to future generations ahead of maximising its profits. Cora Homes won the Sustainability Business of the Year category at the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards earlier this year.
OUR COUNTRY continues to endure a turbulent economy as the bleak reality of the global climate crisis slowly starts to register with more and more people.
Given the uncertainty of the markets, now might seem a strange time to consider implementing sustainable changes to your business – but it really isn’t.
Almost one year ago to the day, we rebranded our business from Barwood Homes to Cora, signalling a shift to a profit-with-purpose business model that puts sustainability at its heart.
Our commitment to creating amazing places has remained unwavering, but what we have done is recognise our responsibility as a housebuilder to create climate resilient communities built for the future.
And we put that commitment above maximising profit.
That shift has seen us make numerous pledges – from halving our carbon emissions by 2030 ahead of our ultimate 2050 net zero goals, to stopping the installation of fossil fuel heating systems in our homes by 2025.
But we know that actions speak larger than words – and that’s why we are delivering change now.
Our first ever sustainability report, published in January, showed the great strides we have made so far as a business.
That includes recycling 96% of construction waste in the previous financial year, totalling 374 tonnes or the equivalent weight of 31 double decker buses.
We also contributed more than £11,900 towards nature preservation around our sites and planted more than 9,000 trees and shrubs.
We’ve partnered with organisations that share our commitment to creating a greener world and have acted ahead of government legislation to deliver biodiversity net gain on our developments.
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Read the October edition of Business Times, featuring an in-depth look at how Northamptonshire businesses are progressing in their goals to become more sustainable. Click here.
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We don’t do what we do because of legal obligations. We don’t do it because ESG is the buzzword so many businesses are latching onto right now.
We do it because we recognise the role we all have to play in combatting this crisis and protecting our future generations.
Our commitment has seen us build a truly effective strategy that goes beyond box ticking exercises.
Thankfully this is something our customers are fully behind – and I’m pleased to say these changes are having a positive impact within our business.
The demand for sustainable homes continues to increase.
Our customers know they aren’t just buying future-proofed, energy efficient homes that save them money on their monthly energy bills – they are buying genuine, excellent quality. And that’s reflected in our incredible customer reviews.
We are now introducing off-site construction on select homes, significantly cutting carbon emissions while providing the highest quality build.
We’ve already received great feedback on these homes and are excited to invest further in this new technology.
More developments are in the pipeline across the Midlands that we can’t wait to get started on. This is an incredibly exciting time for our business, and it all started because we made that shift to a more sustainable model.
To those yet to consider making the switch, I implore you to consider planting the seed and watching the benefits blossom.
Find out more about Cora and the climate resilient communities it is creating at www.cora.uk.
