Good Business Charter accredited
Phoenix Media Marketing is a Good Business Charter accredited agency. That means we have publicly committed to ten standards covering how we treat our team, our clients, our suppliers and the environment, and we are held to every one of them.
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What the Good Business Charter is
The Good Business Charter (GBC) is the UK’s benchmark for responsible business. It was founded by Julian Richer of Richer Sounds and developed with the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress and the Federation of Small Businesses. Accreditation is free and open to any organisation, but it is not a badge you can simply buy. To be accredited, a business must commit publicly to all ten of the Charter’s components, and it can lose the accreditation if it fails to live up to them.
Phoenix Media Marketing Ltd was accredited on 29 September 2026. You can see what accreditation means and why it matters on the Good Business Charter website.
The ten commitments we have made
Real Living Wage. Everyone directly employed by Phoenix is paid at least the real Living Wage, as set independently by the Living Wage Foundation, and we expect the same of the contractors we work with.
Fairer hours and contracts. We do not use zero hours contracts. Our team have proper contracts with predictable hours.
Employee wellbeing. We have clear policies to support the wellbeing of our team, and nobody is penalised for taking legitimate sick leave.
Employee representation. Our team have a genuine voice in how the agency is run, and they are involved in the decisions that affect them.
Equality, diversity and inclusion. We monitor and review how we recruit, pay and promote, so that we can spot and fix anything that is unfair.
Environmental responsibility. We have an environmental policy and we are working to reduce our impact, from how we travel to how we handle IT equipment at the end of its life.
Fair tax. We pay the tax we owe, in full and on time, and we do not use artificial schemes to avoid it.
Commitment to customers. We publish our commitment to clients, we ask for feedback regularly, and the results go straight to the people who run the agency.
Ethical sourcing. We choose suppliers who treat their own people fairly, and we check.
Prompt payment. We pay our suppliers on time, aiming for 30 days or better unless a different term has been agreed.
Why we applied
Marketing does not always have the best reputation. Big promises, small print and results that never quite arrive are common enough that many business owners have been burned before they reach us. We have always wanted Phoenix to be the opposite of that, and most of our clients would tell you that we are. Accreditation gives that a shape that anyone can check.
It also keeps us honest. Committing publicly to ten standards is easy on the day; keeping to them for years is the point. The Good Business Charter can remove accreditation from any organisation that stops meeting the components, and we welcome that.
What it means for our clients
If you work with Phoenix, or you are thinking about it, accreditation tells you three things.
First, the people looking after your marketing are paid properly, have secure contracts and are looked after. Happy, settled teams do better work, and they stay, which is why the same faces look after your account year after year.
Second, our commitment to you is written down and public. You can read our commitment to clients, which covers plain English, honest advice, transparent reporting and how we look after your data.
Third, the agency behind your account is run fairly and openly, from how we pay our suppliers to how we pay our tax. If that matters to you, and to your own customers, it is one less thing to wonder about.
What it means for our team
For the people who work here, the Charter is a promise about the kind of place Phoenix will keep being. Fair pay, proper contracts, real support for wellbeing and a say in how things are run are not perks we can withdraw when times are tight. They are commitments we have made in public, and our team can hold us to them.
Encouraging other businesses
Accreditation is free and takes an afternoon for a small business that is already doing the right things. As part of our own accreditation we have committed to talking about the Charter with the businesses we work with across Sussex and the South East, and to sharing what we have learned. If you would like to know more about how to apply, we are very happy to help. Visit goodbusinesscharter.com to find out more.
Frequently asked questions
Is Good Business Charter accreditation the same as B Corp?
No. B Corp is a paid certification with a detailed impact assessment. The Good Business Charter is free, is designed to be accessible to organisations of every size and focuses on ten clear commitments. Many businesses hold both. For a small agency the GBC is a practical, public way to commit to responsible business without the cost of B Corp certification.
Who checks that Phoenix is meeting the ten components?
Accreditation is based on a public commitment by the business, and the Good Business Charter can remove accreditation from any organisation that fails to meet the components. Our commitment to clients is published on this website, and we welcome questions from clients, staff and suppliers about any of the ten areas.
Does accreditation change what Phoenix charges?
No. Accreditation is free and has no effect on our fees. It simply puts on record the way we already run the agency.
Can my business become Good Business Charter accredited?
Very likely, yes. Accreditation is open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations of any size, and it is free. If you are already paying the real Living Wage, paying suppliers on time and treating your people well, you are most of the way there. We are happy to talk you through it.
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