How a Skipton business is planting 240,000 trees from Yorkshire to Madagascar

A business that employs 75 heroes in Skipton is making a world of difference to the planet .

Beyondly Global Ltd helps firms comply with complex environmental regulations across the UK and internationally, as well as empowering businesses to achieve their sustainability goals.

Working with businesses in Yorkshire and around the world, they help businesses exceed environmental compliance standards and help shape policy in many industries, including the food and drink, toy, beauty and electrical sectors.

Jessica Aldersley, managing director of Beyondly Global, says her company tries to not just talk the talk, but put their ethos into action.

“Our defined purpose is to lead, inspire and educate; to positively impact society and the environment.”

And while they help their clients achieve their own corporate goals every day of the week, Beyondly’s own work goes further.

Jessica said: “We've always, since inception, been a business that tried to give back as soon as we became established and we were in a position to do so, but becoming B Corp™ accredited in 2022 served as a vehicle for us to consider how we could do even more.”

Sowing the seeds of change

They have created the Beyondly Forest, working with groups including Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and Ecologi, “sowing the seeds for a brighter tomorrow”.

They plant a tree for every new client and project they work on, and so far have donated 240,096 trees. These are growing in the UK, in Brisbane, Mains Scotland, and overseas across East Africa.

As a company, they also pledge five per cent of their profits through their annual Fund For Change, which invites applications from charities, good causes and community enterprises whose aims align with their own. They also consult all of their customers every two years to find out what matters to them, then donate a proportion of the Beyondly profits to charitable projects and initiatives that make a difference.

Jessica said: “We’ve had about 30 applications so far this year, and we try to prioritise locally where we can.”

Initiatives helped recently have included RECOUP Pledge2Recycle Plastics programme, a Preston-based project to increase plastic recycling and reduce recycling contamination, and funding Skipton Eco Day to help ensure the event remains free for attendees.

Lucy Boyes, Talent and Culture Manager at Beyondly, said: “Our staff are massively involved in community events too. For example, we hold clothes swaps, to avoid unwanted items going to landfill. Any clothes left over go to the Skipton Eco Day, where people could perhaps pick up an interview outfit or a Christmas outfit they wouldn’t otherwise have. Then anything left after that goes on to charity shops.”

Everyday heroes

She describes her staff as “heroes”, saying: “The sort of dedication and commitment that we see from them every day to each other, to our business purpose, and to our local community, is heroic and something that sets us apart from other businesses.”

Supporting Beyondly Global in Skipton is their HR platform Employment Hero, an online streamlined HR processes and payroll system.

Lucy added: “They are a one-stop shop for everything people.

“I think the reason we moved to them was that ability to listen and take on feedback and implement that in their system. And I really liked how they were really open to suggestions. We've seen some of those come through in the changes on their platform and how they're always looking to be better.

“The reporting tool is something that is massively helpful to me versus our previous system. And it is so much easier for me to just get on with everything I need just from the reports that we've got in the system.”

That streamlined process allows the team at Beyondly to get on with what matters most to them – delivering for their customers, and committing time and money to meaningful causes.

Maisie Goss, VP Marketing UK, Employment Hero said: “Beyondly is exactly the kind of business our Yorkshire Runs on Heroes campaign was created to celebrate. They're proof that commercial success and genuine community commitment aren't trade-offs and very much go hand in hand. It's a privilege to support a team doing so much good for the region."

This interview is part of a content series called Yorkshire Runs on Heroes, supporting Employment Hero's campaign “All Heroes, aren’t we”?, which aims to celebrate the everyday heroes and businesses throughout the county making a huge difference to the region

To find out more about Employment Hero UK’s campaign All Heroes, aren’t we? go here.