About people2people
People2people is a mid-market, white-collar recruitment firm with operations in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Founded in 2005, people2people has grown from a small team in Sydney to a business with 130 staff, 9 offices around Australia, NZ and the UK and an annual turnover of $100 million. They specialise in recruiting for office-based roles across various industries and are a preferred supplier for major corporates and government bodies.
”Our mission is to seek out opportunities today to build the careers and teams of tomorrow. From a values perspective, we want to be a long term contributor to all of the markets that we're actually in” says Mark Smith Group Managing Director.
Challenges
Increase demand for carbon reduction in supply chains
From a commercial perspective in Australia, he noted that large corporate and government clients were increasingly demanding carbon reduction in their supply chains. He said, “Procurement teams now have targets and requirements to review their supply chains for carbon. If you’re not addressing this, you’re going to be left behind.” This made sustainability a critical factor for people2people to win contracts and remain competitive. Shannon Barlowe Managing Director of Frog Recruitment, people2people’s New Zealand business, has seen the same trend, “we’re noticing more and more that your approach to sustainability and measurable outcomes are becoming commonplace in tenders.
Aligning employees and customer sustainability values
”On the social side, Mark emphasised the importance of aligning with the values of their employees and customers. He expressed a personal commitment to fighting climate change and mentioned that their team, through an internal initiative called Good2Planet, had been urging management to do more on sustainability. Mark said, “I want to make sure that the business I’m involved in is taking responsibility for our footprint... I'm responding to what our customers and our team want.”
Remi Marcelin Marketing Manager at people2people adds that “Over the past three to five years, there’s been a continuous rise in expectations for companies to mitigate their carbon emissions, both from employees and candidates. "We run a market report every year, and the expectations from jobseekers and employees toward their employer mitigating their carbon emission has risen pretty continuously in the last four to five years."
Feeling removed from the front lines of environmental issues
Mark Smith pointed out that professional services firms, like people2people, often feel removed from the front lines of environmental issues, making it hard to know what meaningful actions they can take regarding sustainability. “It’s a bit overwhelming... People think, ‘What can I do as someone in a white-collar business sitting in an office?’” He stressed that, while these businesses may not be as involved in generating direct carbon emissions like manufacturing or energy companies, they still do generate emissions and can make a significant impact by measuring their carbon footprint and mitigating it. Mark highlighted the importance of recognising that every business, even those in services, has a role to play in addressing climate change.
Mark Smith mentioned that measuring a company's carbon footprint can feel overwhelming for many businesses. He emphasised the challenge of figuring out where to start and whether the efforts would make a meaningful difference. Mark said, “A lot of people want to do the right thing, but it can be a bit overwhelming or to be able to think, ‘How do we actually do this? And is it going to make a difference?”
CarbonInvoice as the right solution
Key factors for the decision
people2people partnered with and adopted CarbonInvoice to effectively measure and mitigate their carbon footprint, integrating the product into their everyday business processes. Key factors for their decision included:
- Ease of use;
- Ability to link with existing accounting software;
- The need for transparent, measurable environmental action that could be communicated to clients.
Seamless integration with Xero
Mark Smith noted that the onboarding and ongoing journey with CarbonInvoice was particularly seamless due to its integration with Xero, their accounting system. This connection allowed for automatic analysis of company transactions, with CarbonInvoice calculating their carbon footprint without additional manual effort. “It was as simple as linking the accounts and having our emissions data ready to go. It’s an ongoing process with minimal input needed from us” said Mark.
people2people were able to connect all 9 offices and their individual accounting files through CarbonInvoice’s support for multiple entity business units. There was no need for added resource, Mark explains “We didn’t need a whole team dedicated to managing this. It was a seamless process that helped us get started with no hassle and allowed us to start taking meaningful action right away.”
Sustainability integrated into tender responses
By integrating sustainability into their tender responses people2people strengthened their market positioning and increased their chances of success. They recognised that sustainability could elevate their brand as a recruitment provider and have leveraged CarbonInvoice’s automated content features to share their carbon measurement and tree planting efforts through marketing campaigns. “It’s been very easy from a marketing standpoint,” said Remi Marcellin. “CarbonInvoice provides all the tools we need to promote our environmental efforts to clients and candidates. It’s given us a real advantage in positioning ourselves as an environmentally responsible recruitment provider.”
Sustainability in every invoice
CarbonInvoice made it easy for the company to communicate its environmental efforts in a compelling way. Every invoice people2people sent included a stamp showing their commitment to mitigating carbon emissions, and they were able to showcase their work on social media and email campaigns with personalised content. people2people have even created their own TV channel called p2p Live where they’ve shared their CarbonInvoice partnership and progress.
Doing the right thing
For people2people, sustainability wasn’t just a business strategy—it was also about being a responsible corporate citizen. The company’s employees, clients, and leadership all believed that businesses must play their part in addressing climate change. “I want to make sure that the business I’m involved in is taking responsibility for it’s footprint,” Smith emphasised. “We’re doing everything we can to stop climate change and respond to the needs of our team and customers.”
Since May 2023 people2people and their NZ brand Frog Recruitment have been partnered with CarbonInvoice to measure their carbon footprint and plant native trees around Australia and New Zealand. The business has funded over 14k native trees.
How people2people is benefiting
Securing significant contracts
In late 2023 people2people were appointed as a preferred supplier to the South Australian Government, Smith highlighted that demonstrating their sustainability efforts, through their partnership with CarbonInvoice, was critical in securing the new preferred supplier agreement with the South Australian Government. “When tendering, they specifically asked about our carbon footprint. Being able to show our work with CarbonInvoice was a key factor in winning that contract,” said Smith.
Brand image enhancement
Aligning with sustainability goals has enhanced people2people’s brand image, attracting clients and candidates who prioritise environmental responsibility. Remi Marcelin explains, "there's a lot of companies saying they are doing their bit, but when you actually dig it up a little bit, you realise that they don't do a lot. And I think CarbonInvoice really helps you to put a significant effort to ensure you're actually doing your part to protect our environment and our planet".
Ready for new legislation
As new legislation comes into force in Australia peoeple2people are strongly positioned for the changing regulatory environment as a supplier who is already measuring and acting on their carbon footprint. On 22 August 2024, the mandatory climate reporting bill was passed by the Senate, with the Bill expected to be passed in the government-controlled House of Representatives in the September sitting period. The landmark legislation will require certain organisations to make detailed disclosures about their climate-related risks and opportunities, commencing with the largest emitters and corporations from 1 January 2025. This will impact many of people2people’s larger clients as early as 1 January 2025 and within a few years their own business.
No changes to their workflow
Finally, the operational ease of CarbonInvoice means there is no change to people2people’s internal processes freeing up employee time to focus on recruiting and building their business. Mark summarises "CarbonInvoice made it easy for us to immediately start measuring and mitigating our carbon footprint. The automation of the system means we can stay focused on what we do best—recruiting—while doing our part for the planet."
