Thrilled to be recognised on the Net Zero 50 2024 list
When I heard last month from Digital Leaders that I had been included on the Net Zero 50 list 2024, it really did make my day.
Created by Digital Leaders in partnership with CGI, the Net Zero 50 list 2024 is a ‘definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK’s push for net zero’ – so you can imagine how proud I felt that A Good Thing was getting a mention. The list features business leaders like Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy, but also representatives from government, like Chris Howes of DEFRA. Also those raising awareness of environmental issues, like Andy Cato of Wildfarmed.
Digital Leaders state that the aim of the list was to ‘identify the 50 most important people in the UK delivering the net zero target’. The list was announced last Monday 8 July at a reception at the House of Lords, and there are some amazing people who really stood out to me when I spent some time looking through it: Fiona Daly at Barts Health NHS Trust, for example, who has spent eight years driving the sustainability programme at the Trust; Tracy Eve from the London Borough of Redbridge, who works with young people to spread the message about the net zero opportunities that exist for them in the world of work; and David Seymour, a project manager working on initiatives to achieve net zero within the British Army. To name just a few!
It really was fascinating looking through the list: it struck me that each one of these people is doing something very different, in a different sector, but we are all working towards that one common aim – which is the net zero goal. I loved the fact that the list was so diverse: there are people who have been working in their sectors for decades, and others who have only very recently begun their work in this area.
Being included on the list has made me stop and reflect on the journey that has brought us to here: when my husband (and co-founder) Richard and I first set up A Good Thing in 2020, with a handful of businesses and charities on board, I don’t think either of us had any real idea where it might go. But it turns out that businesses have been crying out for a fast and seamless way to give things away to their local charities – just as individuals have been doing for decades via charity shops and other routes. And charitable causes have been desperate for a way to connect easily, at the click of a button, with businesses in their local areas.
One of the many things I have learned is how incredibly resourceful charitable organisations are when it comes to reuse: they will put almost anything to good use, and will often be so creative with how they do that.
Our stats say it all: looking back at my notes today, I see that two years ago we had 318 charities and 74 businesses signed up with A Good Thing. Today we have more than six times that number of charities, and more than seven times the number of businesses. It has been a heady two years for the A Good Thing team! We also now have paying subscribers, including enterprise-level businesses, and matches happening every day.
I can’t wait to see what the journey holds next, and am so very proud that this growth and the achievements of our whole team have been recognised by the Net Zero 50 list.
