Why Be a Responsible 100 Business?

More than an accreditation

At Responsible 100 we’re doing things differently. Responsible 100 is so much more than an accreditation. It’s a business improvement activity, a process mapping tool, an employee engagement exercise and a ‘badge of honour’ all rolled into one.

It’s an acknowledgement that the world — and business — is messy, and imperfect. 


It’s a race to the top — where doing business responsibly drives profit; where responsibility becomes an intrinsic part of your on-going business development. But it’s also about the normalisation of ‘poor’ — of acknowledging that this is the starting point for many, many businesses, and that’s OK.

It’s about responsibility as a driver of profit — rather than an add-on that’s the remit of one person or department, it becomes part of your business DNA.

Being a Responsible 100 business means…

Simple Steps

Working through our three-step process, to identify where you are, prioritise what to do next, and make change happen.

Trackable Progress

Using your “Responsibility Indicator” dashboard to track and support your progress in becoming more responsible.

Tailored Support

Receiving tailored business support and responsibility guidance from our experts across all relevant responsibility issues. 

Responsible 100 Badge

Using the Responsible 100 badge to demonstrate your commitment to responsible business to customers, suppliers and investors.

Shared Learning

Learning from other businesses and access to a range of ‘extras’ — from Responsible 100 and expert-led events to networking.

Normalising Imperfection

Normalising imperfection — and even ‘poor’ performance — and working across the entire workforce to change that.

It’s a race to the top

We know that genuine responsibility drives success

We know that businesses can compete on price and quality, AND in respect of their positive impact on people and planet. Responsible 100 is the catalyst for making this a part of your business.

The beauty of Responsible 100 is that it’s not simply a snapshot — a measure of a point in time when you gain an accreditation. It’s about recognising that all kinds of businesses, no matter where they’re starting from, have the potential to be genuinely responsible.


Responsible 100 helps you answer these questions

  • How can business be part of the solution to the scary global challenges we face, rather than add to them?
  • As businesses, how do we make sure we spend our time and effort on the right things?
  • What are the right practices to adopt — which make us more responsible and sustainable, and improve commercially?

Normalising poor

The types of businesses that will gain the most from Responsible 100 are those who are upfront about where they currently are. Here at Responsible 100, we normalise ‘poor’ performance — because that’s where most businesses are on many of the Responsibility Indicators.

Many businesses will be inspired by Responsible 100 because they are uncomfortable with the sort of accreditations that allow businesses to meet a ‘minimum standard’ in certain areas, accreditations that are developed in good faith but are open to greenwashing by those who choose not to operate in the spirit the accreditations were intended. 

Others are here because they recognise their strengths and expertise across some of the Responsibility Indicators — but are also keenly aware that they don’t have the experience, knowledge or focus to truly improve their performance in relation to other Responsibility Indicators.

Openness and transparency

Being a Responsible 100 business helps you be open and transparent about your journey. Those who want to do business better face an uphill struggle. 

  • Talk about responsibility in the wrong way and you get chastised for not being perfect.
  • Go through accreditation processes in good faith; then realise that others are using those same accreditations for greenwashing, and are now hanging onto your coat tails.
  • Even knowing where to start can be overwhelmingly difficult: identifying which issues to tackle urgently, which to park — never mind what to actually do about it.