You may have seen more breweries and other businesses talking about becoming B Corp certified, but what is a B Corp and which UK breweries have gone through the process of getting the business certified?
What is a B Corp?
A B Corp is an organisation that has been recognised for meeting “the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose”. As of January 2023, there are over 6,000 companies certified as B Corps in 89 countries around the world. In order to become a B Corp, companies must go through a rigorous assessment.
Any organisation can use the free impact management tool to measure their social and environmental impact but in order to gain certification, a company must:
- Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing a risk review. The highest score possible is 200 and businesses are judged in the areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.
- Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
- Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance to be publicly avaiable on the internet.
You can learn more about the process of becoming accredited here, or pick up a copy of the B Corp Handbook.
So, which UK breweries have gone through this process?
Brewgooder
Founded in 2016, Brewgooder have been a certified B Corp since 2018. The Glaswegian brewery has made it their mission to provide clean water to a million people through the power of craft beer. By donating 100% of their profits to clean water charities they have funded more than 140 projects around the world.
B Impact score: 104.3 (link)
Drop Bear Beer
Freestar
No alcohol brewery Freestar have been a certified B corp since June 2020. According to their website, instead of de-alcoholising beer and never brewing higher than 0.5% ABV. Freestar’s beers are made using 70% less water and emitting 50% less CO2 than the industry average.
B Impact score: 88.4 (link)
Jubel Beer
Fruit beer brewer Jubel has been a B Corp since March 2022. The company offset 2tCO2 fo every 1tCO2 they emit and are certified carbon negative, they also turn discarded pastic into tap striking tap handles for pubs and bars that pour their beer.
B Impact score: 81.2 (link)
Lucky Saint
Another no and low alcohol brewer, Lucky Saint have been B Corp certified since November 2022.
B Impact score: 83.1 (link)
Small Beer
‘Think Big, Drink Small’ is the ethos of the low alcohol London based brewery Small Beer that has been certified since 2019. The company’s dry floor policy reduces the amount of water needed in the brewing process and has saved the company more than 6.5 million litres of water to date, plus the iconic bottles are specially designed in order to maximise the number that can fit on a pallet, reducing the carbon footprint per delivery.
B Impact score: 83.2 (link)
Stroud Brewery
Stroud Brewery produce premium organic beers brewed using Cotswold grown barley. Established in 2006, they have been a certified B Corp since 2018. The brewery puts the local community at its heart, featuring multiple event spaces and hosting regular social events.
B Impact score: 89.4 (link)
Toast Ale
“Toast Ale is a social enterprise brewery. It brews planet-saving beer with surplus fresh bread and all profits go to charities fixing the food system. Food production is the biggest contributor to climate change but one third of all food is wasted. Toast’s mission is to change that.” They have been a certified B Corp since 2018.
B Impact score: 111.8 (link)
Simpsons Malt
Founded in 1862, Simpsons Malt is an independent, fifth-generation family-owned business and worthy of an honorable mention. The company’s passion is a focus on making malts with taste, flavour and consistently high quality with the world’s best brewers and distillers in mind, helping them to craft the finest beers and whiskies. From grain to glass, the company’s malts are certified, sustainable and fully traceable, produced only from 100%, certified seeds of the finest UK two-row barley. They have been a certified B Corp since 2021.
B Impact score: 89.6 (link)
What about Brewdog?
Brewdog were certified as a B Corp in February 2021, but allegations around treatment of workers surfaced in early 2022 and a BBC documentary was made, covering the complaints made against the company. In December 2022, Brewdog was stripped of it’s B Corp status.
Links, scores and information correct January 2023. Have we missed something? Contact us