Sustainable pharma packaging pioneers Woolcool have become the first UK packaging manufacturer to achieve certification as a registered B Corporation.
B Corporations (or B Corps) are a growing group of companies who are reinventing business, by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Woolcool has been certified by B Lab as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
The B Corp certification is for all aspects of a business and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants expected to score over 80 and provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices – including energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company will legally embed their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles.
Woolcool, based in Stone, Staffordshire, won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation in 2018, and last year were visited by HRH Prince Charles – who expressed his admiration for their ecologically-driven approach to packaging.
The firm is now officially part of a community of over 3,200 businesses globally who have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community is reflective of the UK economy with businesses from a cross section of industries and sizes. These include well-known brands like innocent, Patagonia, Pukka Herbs, Abel & Cole, Divine, and JoJo Maman Bebe.
Recent intense scrutiny and attention on the Packaging industry makes Woolcool’s B Corp certification a notable step, and signals a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the sector. As the first Packaging Manufacturer to achieve this in the UK, Woolcool are proud and honoured to once again be leading the charge in sustainability and packaging responsibility.
Woolcool are the only company in the Staffordshire region of the UK to achieve B Corp certification and hope that other local businesses will follow suit.
Josie Morris, Woolcool’s MD says “I have always thought of business as a platform to achieve good and positive things, not just making profit.
“At Woolcool we have never only considered the bottom line. The decisions we make always take into account the environmental and social impacts of our actions, to ensure they are as positive as possible.
“That can be everything from engagement with the local community to analysing and continually improving our product and its ‘green’ credentials.
“For this reason, we recognised it was important to test ourselves against the B Corp assessment. The process encouraged us to ask: ‘what are we doing well and where can we improve?’
“The spotlight is on the Packaging Industry and we know we need to start taking responsibility and be accountable for our impact. It is through networks and certifications such as B Corp that we hope to do things differently, using business as a force for good, both environmentally and socially.”
Kate Sandle, Director of Programmes and Engagement of B Lab UK, says “We are delighted to welcome Woolcool to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates, who believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Woolcool are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from startups to multinationals, and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force, and one that – as these companies are showing – can be used for good. Welcoming Woolcool is a particularly exciting moment because we’ve seen that the Packaging industry is in particular need of a shake up. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Woolcool in paving the way for a new way of doing things”.
“Being able to welcome Woolcool to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Their commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit”.
There are currently 255 certified B Corps in the UK and over 3,200 worldwide, with Woolcool being the first Packaging Manufacturer to achieve this within the UK.
About B Lab UK
B Lab UK is a non-profit established in 2015 to serve a growing community of 255 UK-based companies using business as a force for good. B Lab measures and verify companies’ environmental and social performance using the B Impact Assessment, and ensure rigorous standards are met by all UK B Corps. Together with B Lab teams from around the world, they link a global network of socially and environmentally responsible businesses and promote positive, action-led change towards a new approach to business.
Sustainable packaging pioneer Woolcool has become the first UK company from the packaging sector to gain B Corp status.
Woolcool’s products use natural wool in place of man-made polystyrene to create superior temperature-controlled pharma packaging, which is ecologically friendly.
Woolcool Managing Director Josie Morris says: “The spotlight is on the Packaging Industry and we know we need to start taking responsibility and be accountable for our impact.”
Prince Charles during his visit to Woolcool in Staffordshire last year.
