LONDON — Milk & Honey PR has embarked on a number of ethical initiatives as part of an evolving positioning for the business, on the back of achieving B-Corp accreditation last year.

The agency, founded three years ago by Kirsty Leighton (pictured), has launched the Purpose Academy, which not only covers its pro bono work for NGO clients but goes a step further, with monthly mentoring and training clinics for charities and other emerging B-Corps so they are better equipped to handle their own communications.

The two foundation clients of the new division are recent account wins: development and humanitarian organisation Plan International, which advances children's rights and equality for girls, and rePurpose, a plastic neutral organisation that is also a B-Corp. RePurpose helps companies assess and reduce their plastic footprints and finance the removal of waste through a global network of recycling projects.

With Plan International, the agency will be reaching even further beyond a traditional PR agency remit, to deliver classes on communications skills into schools across Africa to improve life chances for impoverished young people.

Milk & Honey also this week published its first “People, Purpose, Planet” B-Corp impact report, outlining how far the firm has come over the past year in a wide range of areas from equality and diversity to environmental factors.

The report outlines the agency’s improvement pledges, which it will report progress on in subsequent annual reports: to go plastic neutral this year; disclose the percentage of turnover from high carbon clients; invest 5% of team time in volunteer projects and fundraising initiatives; increase team ownership from 20% to a third by 2021; and to go carbon neutral by 2022.

The agency has also identified the five UN Sustainable Development Goals that it will align with in the coming years.

Last month Milk & Honey achieved another independent quality mark, Investors in People (IIP); it is believed to be the only PR agency to hold B-Corp, IIP and PRCA Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) accreditation.

Leighton told PRovoke Media: “Purpose has become an overused word but it fits how we want to behave and the organisations we want to work with. The report pulls together what we’ve learned and solidifies what we’re doing, with complete transparency, and the Purpose Academy means we can really make a difference, particularly with charities and other emerging B-Corps.

“It’s not just about doing our job well, but about being part of a community pushing for more professionalism, sharing best practice and mentoring, with a practical wrap around, and then extending that right down to the grassroots.”

Milk & Honey PR expanded into Australia at the end of last year. Other recent account wins for the agency include global life sciences and tech recruitment firm RBW Consulting, and collectable silver coins and medals brand Sterling Mint, for which it is launching a campaign to raise £2 million for the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 appeal.