Five by Five Breaks Top 5% in EcoVadis Sustainability Ranking

Independent creative agency Five by Five has been awarded a Gold medal from EcoVadis, the leading solution for monitoring sustainability in global supply chains. It ranks in the top 5% of all companies assessed after being scored on environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

The EcoVadis results list among Five by Five’s strengths its employee training on environmental impact, as well as its reduction of consumption and waste - seeing a 40% decrease in measured CO2 between 2019 and 2022. Regularly aligning itself with and reporting to AdGreen, Ad Net Zero, SME Climate Hub, and The Climate Pledge, the agency was also praised for its energy and carbon audits, used to drive improvement and track progress on the road to carbon neutrality by 2030. Five by Five’s full sustainability policy can be read here.

Named one of The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work 2023, the analysis also remarks upon Five by Five’s commitment towards employee development, wellbeing, and inclusion. This is demonstrated through an extensive list of policies and initiatives designed to put employees first:

As well as a hybrid approach to the office, the agency encourages employees to spend up to 90 days a year working from anywhere in the world they please - whether that be to explore new places and maximise annual leave, aide with caring responsibilities, or other ways to inspire their talent.

It’s also introduced interest-free Life Loans which can be paid within 48 hours, should any of their staff encounter unforeseen costs or financial issues. Staff are also covered with private health insurance which disregards previous medical history, with add-ons available for couples, single parents, and families.

Since 2022, its Shared Parental Leave policy has entitled parents to 26 weeks of leave (13 on full pay, and 13 on half-pay). For fathers, non-birth parents, or secondary adopters, that boils down to an additional 24 weeks compared to what the UK government offers as standard. 

Katie Whittam-Hayes, group human resources Director at Five by Five, comments: “We’re delighted to be awarded a Gold medal by EcoVadis. This is our fourth assessment now and we've seen some great incremental improvement as we implement and monitor new strategies.”

She adds: “Being in the 97th percentile across all organisations is a huge honour and really helps validate the work we're doing. Sustainability can be such a confusing and troublesome space and this supports keeping us on track and operating to the highest possible standards. I’m excited to get working on the actions from this assessment. A particular focus for us for 2024 is around procurement and the insights from EcoVadis will support these efforts enormously.”

Managing director, Annabel Mackie, went on to add: “The EcoVadis accreditation is so important to us because it not only evaluates our efforts on achieving our Net Zero targets but it also investigates how we treat our employees, so to achieve such a high mark fills me with joy.”