Brighton students help local marketing agency cut carbon and boost sustainability ranking

Final-year University of Brighton Business students Isabelle Donohoe and Rosie Whalley spent the past year working with local marketing agency, Arke Agency, as part of the university’s Carbon Accounting module, putting their learning into practice.

The pair audited Arke’s carbon footprint, analysing its business processes and practices before developing practical recommendations to help the agency reduce its environmental impact.

Their recommendations have since contributed to a number of changes at Arke, including updating its waste collection service to recycle more materials and food waste, while reducing collections to once a week.

The changes led to an increase in recycled waste at the same cost, while also reducing emissions associated with waste collection.

Recommendations around everyday office practices have also been incorporated into Arke’s employee handbook, including guidance on using appliances and devices more efficiently and encouraging staff to use public transport for work-related travel in 90 per cent of occasions.

The agency has since introduced a Cycle to Work scheme to encourage more employees who live locally to cycle rather than drive.

The students’ work also supported Arke’s EcoVadis sustainability assessment, which evaluates businesses on their environmental, social and ethical practices. Their recommendations helped the agency strengthen its submission, with Arke now ranking in the top 35 per cent of organisations assessed globally and holding a bronze-level rating.

For Isabelle and Rosie, the project provided an opportunity to apply their learning to a real business and work with data and sustainability challenges they would not encounter through a theoretical case study. Both Isabelle and Rosie have now graduated from the University of Brighton. Isabelle studied BSc Business Management, while Rosie studied BSc International Tourism Management.

The Carbon Accounting module gives final-year students the opportunity to work directly with local businesses to measure their carbon emissions and develop tailored recommendations for reducing their environmental impact.

Steph Noble, Founder and CEO of Arke Agency and a University of Brighton alumna, said: “Having worked with businesses during my own studies, I remember how valuable it was to see theory being applied in a real-world setting. That experience changed my perspective on what was important and, crucially, what was realistic to implement.

“Taking part in this project gave Isabelle and Rosie access to our business data and allowed them to work on a genuine sustainability challenge, while also giving us practical recommendations ahead of our EcoVadis submission.

“We were already a relatively low-impact and ethically focused business, but the students identified areas where we could improve further. Some of those recommendations have now become part of how we operate, which is a fantastic outcome for everyone involved.”

The project builds on the University of Brighton’s wider work with local businesses, providing organisations with access to emerging talent and fresh perspectives while giving students experience of applying their learning to genuine commercial challenges.

Arke Agency has confirmed it will take part in the Carbon Accounting programme again next year.

The agency has a longstanding relationship with the University of Brighton. Steph Noble is a university alumna and has previously delivered employability talks to students, taken on year-long placement students and worked with the university on student recruitment strategies.