Peak Planet – embedding climate action at PeakPEO

PeakPEO is a company supporting businesses to onboard and manage global teams. As they embarked on their B Corp journey, the team was clear: they didn’t want to tick boxes—they wanted to lead by example. Their ambition was to build an actionable plan that aligned with their values and could influence clients, new starters, and the wider industry.

With a relatively low physical footprint due to their remote structure, the organisation recognised its real opportunity lay in using its influence—making values-led decisions and encouraging others to rethink “business as usual.”

Brief

As part of their B Corp application, PeakPEO asked Sustainable Sidekicks to support the development of a sustainability action plan in collaboration with their newly formed Green Team.

Objectives: 

• Engage the whole team in providing an input into the action plan development 
• Make policy commitments actionable within the team 
• Explore how to address impact areas as a 100% remote company 
• Develop an action plan with the volunteer green team 

Approach

The process began with a company-wide kick-off session—a chance for every employee to contribute to the foundation of the plan. Together, we explored what people most valued about the planet and their work with PeakPEO, the big issues facing their industry and the world, and what actions—big or small—were already happening across the organisation.

Next, the Green Team met twice a month over four months to explore the company’s key environmental impact areas: procurement and waste minimisation, energy and digital footprints, and travel. Each topic was investigated in depth. During one session, the team identified challenges and proposed potential actions; in the following session, they reviewed draft actions and targets compiled by Livvy to finalise priorities.

Though their operational footprint is light, the team identified three main areas where they had the greatest control and opportunity: procurement of technology, managing digital emissions, and employee travel. For each, the team also explored how they could influence behaviour beyond the business, including by sharing best practices and supplier choices with clients and vendors.

To close the process, Livvy delivered a summary presentation to all staff outlining the plan’s focus areas, key initiatives they would see introduced in the coming months, and the support available to them through internal channels.

Key Outcomes

The initial company-wide session helped to surface a powerful set of guiding principles, which shaped the tone and direction of the entire action plan. These included:

• Putting people first
• Using influence to inspire others and lead by example
  Prioritising reused and existing resources
• Reducing waste through conscious purchasing
• Taking meaningful steps toward Net Zero by 2030

Procurement

PeakPEO already had a strong ethical procurement policy in place for the UK and Europe, buying refurbished tech through Klyk and second-hand furniture. The Green Team focused on how to expand this approach globally, particularly in countries where they didn’t yet have vetted suppliers. Targets were set around building a supplier database and vetting new vendors against their environmental and social standards.

Energy and digital 

As a remote company, their biggest priorities from the energy sessions focused on digital footprints and data storage. The team is planning a major digital detox for Q3 and Q4, which will include file deletion, email cleanup, and removing outdated channels and content from project management tools. 

Travel

Travel planning focused less on how to travel and more on why. Together, the team developed a travel decision matrix to help assess whether travel was truly necessary, and if so, whether it could be done using a lower-carbon method. Considerations included whether the trip aligned with the business’ goals and whether employees could work during transit.

Inspired by the Climate Perks model, PeakPEO went a step further—offering employees two additional leave days to use slower, lower-carbon transport such as trains or ferries instead of flights. They also committed to replicating the UK’s tax-free cycle-to-work scheme in other countries where this benefit doesn’t yet exist.

Summary

Through a process that was collaborative, insight-driven, and grounded in their company culture, PeakPEO has developed an action plan that reflects both their environmental ambitions and their role as an influencer in the HR and onboarding space. From digital clean-ups to procurement targets and low-carbon travel perks, the plan brings their PeakPLANET values to life—supporting staff to reduce their own impacts while inspiring clients and industry peers to do the same.

PeakPEO is now awaiting the outcome of their B Corp application, with a clear plan in place and a confident stride towards Net Zero by 2030.