Set up in spring 2021, New Allotment is an audio company that’s committed to environmental sustainability in a number of ways. 

This is a starting point for us only. We’re new, we’re small, but we have big plans. Because that’s what’s needed. So, this is by no means a finished strategy. We’re going to review this every six months, educating ourselves, learning as we go, updating and improving. 

Our day-to-day rules

Firstly, we’ve thought hard about our own structures, practices and relationships. What does that mean? We’ve set up the business with sustainability running through every decision we make – carefully considering the tools we use to do our job, day-in and day-out. For a start, the website you’re on right now is powered by the greenest server we could find (Green Geeks) and our bank was selected based on its environmental credentials. 

Cutting carbon and waste

Making podcasts, like almost everything else, has a carbon footprint, so we control our footprint in all the ways we can: restrict any travel to necessary journeys only; where our job can be done with pre-owned or rental equipment, we do; and the energy supplying our workspaces is renewable. We also do all the other small but important things you expect: reuse and recycle all paper and packaging and refuse and reduce single-use plastic.

1% For The Planet

From the outset, it was important to us to sign up to the 1% For The Planet scheme, where a yearly portion of our revenue is distributed among organisations that support sustainability. It’s a vital and amazing initiative and we’re proud to be a small part of it. 

Using our voice

Our commitment isn’t just in what we do, but how we communicate. We aim to shout about the urgency of the climate crisis through some of the programming we produce. We believe audio and podcasts are the most effective way of telling stories – and there is no more pressing story than that of the climate emergency.

The New Allotment Green Bursary

Starting in 2022, we’ll create the New Allotment Green Bursary. Each year, we’ll award applicants who are new to podcasting a grant of £250 so they can create a piece of audio storytelling themed around the climate crisis. The award comes with a day’s worth of coaching from the New Allotment team. Stay tuned for more. 

What our future looks like 

We’re starting as we mean to go on – making positive promises to be as environmentally sustainable as possible – but it won’t stop there. We plan to assist colleagues and collaborators in doing what they can to effectively improve their outputs. And just because we’re digital, doesn’t mean there’s not a virtual supply chain that can’t be challenged to improve its actions and policies, too.

We pledge to update this policy every six months as there’ll always be more ways we can get better. This is just the beginning.

Last updated: 7 January 2021