Meet the entrepreneur membership club doing things differently

Home Grown, a London members club for entrepreneurs, scaleup founders and investors, has received recognition for its sustainability and social impact efforts.

In a nod to its green ethos, the club has received a Butterfly Mark Positive Luxury accreditation – an independently verified sustainability certification that verifies to consumers and other stakeholders that a business is operating in line with the highest standards of sustainability across the entire value chain.

The private members’ club, located in Marylebone, says it is committed to sustainable business strategies and practices that minimise environmental impact.

As a community-focused club, Home Grown’s strategy is to use its immediate resources to benefit the environment while still striving to maintain a luxury experience for its members.

Building sustainability into the membership club

The club’s efforts towards sustainability include:

• Sourcing food and beverages locally to reduce its carbon footprint. The club has introduced a Supplier Code of Conduct to help assess existing and new suppliers;
• Bedroom linen is changed every other day for guests staying more than one night to cut down on energy consumption of doing laundry;
• Guest toiletries are all vegan, animal cruelty free and made with natural products where possible.

Launched in 2021, Home Grown’s Green Shoots initiative launched to support sustainable causes and help new founders – all of which must be aligned with environmental and sustainability issues supporting one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“It is great to be independently recognised for our commitment to both sustainability and luxury,” says Joost de Kruiff, general manager at Home Grown.

“There is often a misconception that these are opposites but at Home Grown, these practices go hand in hand. We believe in comfort and opulence, but not in a way that is detrimental to the environment. The club is the harmony of positive societal impact in a luxury setting.”

Learn more about Home Grown Club including upcoming events

Future initiatives for sustainability

The club is also partnered with Ecologi, which only supports responsible tree planting where ecologically appropriate species are planted at the right place and time. Trees are even guarded from natural and man-made threats.

As a club, Home Grown has funded several hundred trees and will continue to do so for every new member that joins. To further convey its environmental and sustainability commitment, the company is working towards a 100% renewable energy usage plan.

As a recipient of the accreditation, owner Home House Collection joins a community of over 170 global luxury businesses including Tom Ford Beauty, Harvey Nichols and Anya Hindmarch.

As pressure to address climate change reaches a tipping point, it is hoped that more members clubs will use their position to advocate for more positive sustainable change in business.

Further reading

• Home Grown Club membership and events schedule
• London ranked best city in the world for networking
• What big business can learn from startups to tackle the climate emergency

Kirstie Pickering - business journalist

Kirstie is a freelance journalist writing in the tech, startup and business spaces for publications including Sifted, TNW, UKTN, The Business Magazine and Maddyness UK. She also works closely with agencies such as CEW Communications to develop content for their startup and scaleup clients.