Chemical company Scott Bader's Northamptonshire head office sits on a 43-acre site that includes woodlands, a meadow with 25 species of nectar-rich native flowers, a 30m-wide pond and paddocks, all of which are loaned to the Wildlife Trust.

Its biodiversity project is just one of the company's green initiatives. It also uses sustainable energy by buying from low- or zero-carbon suppliers. It has made conservation and efficiency improvements by removing cooling towers, replacing old boilers, and the use of photovoltaic solar panels in its UK warehouse.

For 100 years, Scott Bader has been using its expertise in the manufacturing of products for the composites, advanced composites, adhesives and functional polymers markets. The global organisation has 14 offices across 15 countries.

Scott Bader is different from most other companies in that it is a common trusteeship with a self-governing structure. Shares are held in trust by the Scott Bader Commonwealth, a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. Having no external shareholders means Scott Bader cannot be acquired, so it is more stable and can plan ahead.

As an employee-owned organisation, Scott Bader donates 5% of its profits to the Commonwealth board, half of which is used for donations to charities that are local to its sites and the rest is shared among employees as a group staff bonus. This is the equivalent of a dividend because staff are like shareholders.

The company is looking to recruit 100 extra staff in 2022, half of which will be in the UK.