Purpose-driven design for our changing environment

The Useful Simple Trust is a family of professional design practices driving change. Our experienced and committed engineers, architects, designers and strategists work side-by-side, and with our clients and users, to deliver valuable outcomes with positive impact. Our structure creates real value for our clients, beneficiaries and wider society.

As a B Corp™, social enterprise and employee benefit trust we do things differently. Our people are highly motivated and committed because our values mean that our combined success is shared equitably.

Expedition Engineering / We are an engineering practice with experience on a wide range of building, infrastructure and masterplanning projects.

Think Up / We develop educational strategies and best practice guidance for institutions and companies across the construction and engineering sectors.

Thomas.Matthews / We are an award-winning graphic design agency creating work that has sustainability at its heart.

Useful Projects / We are a sustainability consultancy for the built environment.

Useful Studio / We are an architecture and design practice committed to being a force for good in the built environment.

Our trailblazing work, delivered through the Trust companies, is knitted together by four key themes: Work for Good, More with Less, Restore and Adapt and Get, Set, Zero. These strands ensure that we exceed our clients’ needs, champion our communities and pioneer through design for our planet. For further information on this please feel free to visit our profile site at hello.usefulsimple.co.uk.

Our Net Zero commitment

The Useful Simple Trust is committed to leadership on climate action, through our projects and through the way we operate our business.

In line with best practice, we have calculated our corporate carbon footprint and set official science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Our near-term net zero company-wide emissions reduction target is to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 46% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline year, and to measure and reduce our scope 3 emissions.

By signing up to the SBTi we have joined the Race to Zero (a UN-backed global campaign to take rigorous and immediate action to halve emissions by 2030). Our targets are recognized on the Science Based Targets initiative website as well as the We Mean Business website and SME Climate Hub.

We have also joined the B Corp Climate Collective. In doing this we are part of a global community of learning and practice regarding climate action, climate justice and climate advocacy. To elevate what we are doing beyond science-based targets and demonstrate industry leadership, we also signed up to B Corp’s pledge to commit to Net Zero by 2030, which will require us to offset any residual emissions.

As an SME offering professional services, based in rented offices, our corporate carbon footprint is small. Our biggest opportunity to influence carbon reduction is through our design and consultancy work in the built environment. Through our GET SET ZERO approach, we are supporting all sorts of clients to accelerate their journey to net zero and to design buildings, masterplans and infrastructure projects with low whole life carbon emissions. Check out our project case studies for more information.

+44(0)20 7307 8880

info@usefulsimple.co.uk

Useful Simple Trust Limited

Temple Chambers, 3-7 Temple Avenue, London, EC4Y 0HP

Registered in England & Wales No. 06714902

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