CASE STUDIES

Sustainability advisers

Business psychology provider

Tackling climate change

Commercial printers

Environmental consultants

Packaging

Management consultancy

Events company

Developer of therapeutic formulas and lab diagnostics

Chartered accountants

Real ale brewery

Manages charitable trusts, foundations and almshouse charities

Soap manufacturers

The Little Soap Company achieved B Corp certification in February. The Broadway company was founded in 2008 by Emma Heathcote-James to make pure soap and help reduce the amount of unnecessary synthetics people unwittingly rubbed into their skin.

Emma said: “We’ve always been mindful of our social and environmental impact as a business. As we have grown, B Corp certification has been a key goal. It is the gold standard and a trusted logo, meaning businesses really practise what they preach. To be certified by such a well-respected industry body and be one of the only British soap companies among such august company takes our environmental efforts and brand to the next level. It also reinforces what more we need to do to become better in all aspects of the performance standards against which we are measured.”

Not just talking but ‘being’

“There was never a question of ‘should we?’ but always ‘why wouldn’t we become a B Corp?’,” according to Emma Welstead, founding partner at Warwick Events, which secured B Corp status this year. “The business has always been a company with purpose and values. As individuals and collectively, we have a passion for doing the right thing. Our ethos, to use suppliers within a 50-mile radius of our base in Stratford-upon-Avon, means that we have always supported our local business and artisan community. That could mean commissioning anything from a flash mob community choir, to a local street food vendor or a hidden gem of a hotel retreat in rural Warwickshire or the Cotswolds.”

The impact of the 2020 pandemic was substantial and devastating for the events sector. “We had events booked through 2020 and into 2021. Suddenly we found ourselves wondering what the future held for us,” said Emma.

“However, lockdown restrictions gave us the opportunity to start the initial assessment with the aim of becoming accredited during the first part of 2021. It was challenging and time-consuming but massively worthwhile, making us look closely at everything we do and why.

“We learned so much about ourselves during the process. It’s now our shared responsibility to encourage and educate others about how they can make small (and not so small) changes that have a positive and lasting impact on our planet. We also have a responsibility to do, rather than just say something, to protect the future for our children and grandchildren. This is our legacy to them.

“We are looking forward to a future when we can proudly wear the badge that says ‘We Care’ not just because we are talking, but being that company that cares.”