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We are thrilled to announce that dryrobe® is now a Certified B Corporation™!
This is an incredibly exciting step in our sustainability journey as being a Certified B Corp™ means that our business practices are recognised in promoting positive environmental and social change.
About B Corp
Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. They meet high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.
In order to become certified as a B Corp™, businesses are required to go through a certification process. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. We are really proud to have scored 110 points in our B Impact Assessment™ first time round!
What we have done to get here and what it means to dryrobe®
We have used the B Impact Assessment™ to help shape our sustainability strategy and in the last couple of years we have made multiple company-wide changes to increase our points across the five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.
Before we started on the B Impact Assessment™ we were already doing great things across these five areas. Our continuous and growing relationship with our suppliers has contributed to our points. All our factories are regularly audited under BSCI or SMETA. All our products are made from certified recycled fabrics which are produced and verified in a non-harmful way to the environment.
Other actions we have taken at dryrobe® which have allowed us to score so highly include:
- Continuing to look after our employees wellbeing through satisfaction surveys, health and life insurance, formalising existing procedures like our volunteer days and charity donations, introducing new policies which benefit employees
- Measuring our carbon footprint and ensuring all emissions are offset through effective carbon offsetting projects
- Ensuring all our products are sources from recycled materials
- Improving our packaging materials and ensuring our energy use is from renewable suppliers
Recent attention on the apparel industry makes our B Corp™ certification a notable step and signals a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the sector. We are excited to be part of a community of 5,575 businesses globally (950 based in the UK) that have been certified as B Corps.
Sustainability has always been integrated into dryrobe® and we have built our reputation on creating durable, high-performance products. We produce less items but focus on quality ensuring our products meet the highest possible standard whilst lasting longer than alternatives on the market. Through buying less and buying better, we want to help our customers think and live sustainably.
Next steps
Achieving B Corp™ status is a huge milestone on our sustainability journey. However, we are not done yet and as a business we have a responsibility to continue to help transform the economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Through B Lab, we must recertify every three years and the goal is to keep building our score each time through making company wide changes and implementing new practices.
The next steps for dryrobe® in our sustainability journey include working on improving our repairs and refurbishment of our products by offering a take back service to our loyal customers.
Sustainability is a continual journey and we are excited to now be able to connect with other B Corps through the B Hive. We are proud to be able to continue to grow our North Devon business in a way which also benefits people and our planet.
Find out more about B Lab™:
bcorporation.net