Bath named UK’s most sustainable city for work, study finds

New research from instaprint has revealed Bath is the most sustainable city to work in after analysing data from 40 major locations across the UK.

Instaprint, an online printing specialist company, examined key sustainability factors across 49 towns and cities within the UK with an aim to inform the general public of where the best places to work are.  

Whilst gathering their research experts considered the number of parks and green spaces, cycle routes, EV charge points and stations, ‘sustainable’ related job advertisements, emissions per square kilometre (KM2) and B Lab certified employers – an organisation offering certification as a way to measure a company’s social and environmental impact.

After reviewing these factors researchers concluded that Bath, a city in Somerset, was found to be the most sustainable as it received an overall percentage score of 86%. The city boasted the lowest emissions per km2 in the top ten cities and also provides 739 different cycle routes.

The research also found that over 1,000 job adverts listed in Bath feature key terms such as ‘sustainable workplace’ or ‘sustainable employer’.

Although, sharing some of the glory, At Albans in Hertfordshire came in a close second as the area received an overall sustainable rating of 79%. Despite the city only having one B Lab certified employer, St Albans has the highest number of job listings with sustainable phrasing involved spanning within a 25-mile radius.

Shockingly, London came in third regardless of its vast amount of EV charging points and Ultra Low Emission Zone. Research found the capital city had one of the highest amounts of emissions, at 17.8 per km2 although it also had the largest number of parks, green space and cycle routes.

On a more negative note, the study found the Northern town of Middlesborough to be the worst town for working in terms of sustainability in the UK and it was overall rated a mere 19%. The area was found to have no B Lab certified employers and has just nine EV charging stations, which equates to two for every 100,000 residents.

Alongside looking for the UK’s most sustainable city, Instaprint also surveyed 2,000 UK adults to determine how important it is to them that businesses and employers in their area operate sustainably and have environmentally responsible policies in place.

Researchers discovered nine in 10 adults believe it is important that employers and work places are sustainable and of this statistic, 42% stated the issue is very important to them when considering where to work.

Laura Mucklow, Head of instaprint, said: ‘Sustainability continues to be a focus here at instaprint, as we are committed to creating world-class print in a way that preserved the planet.

‘We recognise the environmental responsibility we have and have implemented a series of initiatives such as becoming a carbon neutral print manufacturer, removing plastic tape from our packaging, and achieving a 68% carbon intensity reduction between 2020 – 2021.

‘Furthermore, our research shows where in the UK is championing a more sustainable workforce and highlights the other locations where there is opportunity for businesses to introduce more sustainable practices.’

Image: R Spegel