Our membership criteria
- Your business is based in the UK or Ireland
- You are committed to reducing your environmental Impact
- If part of your manufacturing is overseas, you work with your overseas partner in an ethical and positive way and have taken steps to understand the conditions and materials used in their production processes, or would like to do so.
Membership terms
In joining Blue Patch, Members are:
- Joining a community of sustainability-minded businesses, to develop and to showcase their environmental and social impact
- Embarking on a journey to improve their Environmental and Social Impact. This may include participating in Blue Patch Learning (courses and workshops) and/or using other resources available through the Members’ Hub and the Blue Patch Community.
Blue Patch recognises that all of its members are unique and that pathways towards greater sustainability will vary depending upon the type of business, its resources and progress to date.
Blue Patch is not an accredited body and does not confer accreditation or certification on its members. Membership with Blue Patch signifies alignment with Blue Patch’s values and participation in our community, but does not imply any form of official recognition, endorsement, or validation by a regulatory or accrediting authority.
Blue Patch’s logo
Once a member you can use the Blue Patch logo. If you are no longer a member you must remove our logo from your website and marketing materials.
Commission on sales
No commission is taken on sales made through leads from our directory or marketing initiatives. We are a business directory and a community with a mission to reduce environmental impact and support the transition to a low carbon economy. We are not a sales generation platform. Sales that happen due to Blue Patch’s promotional activities are incidental to our purpose.
What opportunities does Blue Patch offer?
Check out our retail partnerships. Opportunities are shared on the Members’ Hub and newsletters.
Positive Shopping
Positive Shopping is our free A5 publication. With a mixture of stories, interviews and ads Positive Shopping reflects our campaign Positive Shopping. Contact team Blue Patch at joinus@bluepatch.org +44 (0)779 272 6842
Blue Patch Learning
The programme is free for members and available on the Members’ Hub.
Blue Patch Patrons
Patrons can be businesses or individuals. Please contact Margy Newens. joinus@bluepatch.org
Ex member rejoining process
If your membership has lapsed, you can rejoin as a new member.
Your business doesn’t meet the criteria
We’ll refund 50% of your membership fee to cover our administration.
What is Blue Patch?
Blue Patch is a social enterprise limited by guarantee. An asset lock ensures Blue Patch is only to carry out its mission.
Blue Patch’s Ethical Policy
Our purpose
.1 Blue Patch is a community for sustainably-minded business owners who want to support the UK’s successful transition to clean energy and meeting net zero by 2050.
Our mission is to:
- Provide educational courses through Blue Patch Learning;
- Reward progress through providing free and low-cost promotion;
- Inspire the public and other businesses toward more climate-conscious decisions and behaviour change;
- Connect our network of experts and businesses with the objective to reduce environmental impacts and to foster the low-carbon, circular economy and further help to advance sustainable development;
- Deliver our vision of helping the UK and Ireland to transition to a more sustainable, thriving economy.
Our commitment is to
- Support businesses that are already working on their environmental and social responsibility, or need help to begin doing so;
- Maintain a free-to-use directory of sustainability-minded producers, service providers and information;
- Support our business members to engage with reducing their carbon emissions; and
- Invest in community-owned renewable energy, nature regeneration and other community projects that benefit people and the planet. (find out more).
Who are our members:
.2 The businesses in our community range from sole traders and micro-enterprises to SMEs and larger supporting businesses. They may provide handcrafted furniture, textiles, beauty products, retrofit and renewable energy, plastic-free paint, logistics, finance, insurance and many other businesses with products and services.
Our principles
.3 We consider the following principles in decisions relating to our own operations and when assessing those of organisations we work with:
- Sustainability-conscious practices: taking a holistic view, what measures are taken to minimise environmental impact?
- Responsible sourcing: if materials are being sourced, are they procured from ethical suppliers with a focus on sustainability best practices?
- Environmental reporting: are we/the third party organisation transparent about environmental performance?
- Waste management: are waste disposal practices environmentally responsible?
- Funding: is the source of funding transparent and does the provider of funding reflect our Ethical Commitments.
Small businesses
.4 We recognise our small business members have less control over their supply chains. For example, a business member may have a limited choice of environmentally transparent suppliers. In situations such as this, we aim to encourage our business members to become more aware of their supply chain, which is a skill we develop through our Blue Patch Learning courses and online workshops.
Ethical Commitments
.5 Blue Patch has made the following ethical commitments in relation to its own operations:
We will consider each offer of a gift or sponsorship on its own merits and refuse any gift or sponsorship which is unlawful. Where the value of a donation is greater than £10,000, we will undertake a risk assessment to understand whether accepting it would carry a significant risk of harm to Blue Patch where the harm is likely to be disproportionate to the benefit which Blue Patch will derive from accepting it. Examples of harm are that our ability to meet our aims or obligations is interfered with, or it jeopardises our existing or future relationships with donors, supporters or the wider public; and the environment.
Blue Patch Commitment
To reach Net Zero by 2030. We made this a formal commitment in December 2020. We will do this through our scope 1 and 2 in our operations. Our supply chain, scope 3 will include our members engagement in reducing their environmental impact as a result of our support. The proof of our impact in education will be measured on an annual basis from 2026 when Blue Patch’s annual sustainability progress check-in will be integrated into membership as a matter of course. The check-in is a new aspect of membership and in beta test from autumn 2025. For details see Apply for membership page and Environmental Statement.
Measuring Success
.6 We have identified the following areas where we will focus our impact, which we measure our success against under this policy:
- Our business community and resources ultimately create a positive impact on people, planet and society and, in particular, make a significant contribution to the low carbon, local economy;
- We encourage consumers to make direct purchases from local, sustainability-minded business to keep money in the local economy;
- We engage consumers in conversations around low-carbon lifestyles, behaviour change and how to appraise a business in terms of environmental and social impact;
- We strengthen and promote a network for sustainability-minded SMEs in the UK and Ireland.
Who founded Blue Patch?
Jane Langley founded Blue Patch in 2014. The aim was to create an organisation that would give 100% to people and planet. Many people have contributed to the mission and continue to do so. Guiding principles
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