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Proud to Achieve B Corp Status

Woolcool is a certified B-Corporation.

Woolcool. Insulated Packaging. Naturally.

Woolcool® was launched in 2008 and the innovative, sustainable design has scooped an impressive haul of awards in the packaging, business and environmental arenas.

March, 2020

Take a look at any firm’s website and you’ll usually find emblems and quality marks that illustrate their values and achievements. They can signify membership of a business guild or chamber, represent a charter or quality mark that shows the high standards the company always aspires to, and sometimes they are the ribbons and rosettes of well-earned awards.

We think these badges can be a valuable tool to clients and customers, giving them a broader understanding of a company’s background, mindset and values.

Well, Woolcool® has a new badge to wear, and we think it is one of the most important ones we have ever earned – and now we are encouraging other businesses to try to earn one too. The great thing about this badge, is it one that drives good business, social and environmental practice and is not just sat gaining dust on a shelf somewhere.

Woolcool® is now one of the only UK packaging manufacturers to earn B Corp status. Never heard of B Corp?

The B Corp certification is for all aspects of a business and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.

B Corporations (or B Corps) are a growing group of companies across the world who are reinventing business, by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Woolcool® has been certified by B Lab after meeting rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals beyond profit.

To receive certification, we had to provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices – including energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. Finally, to complete the certification, we have legally embedded our commitment to purpose beyond profit into our company articles.

As a result, we are now proud to be 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 of different sizes from a cross section of industries. These include well-known brands like innocent, Patagonia, Pukka Herbs, Abel & Cole, Divine, and JoJo Maman Bebe.

We decided to go for B Corp certification because it fits perfectly with our values as a company.

As a company founded on principles of sustainability, Woolcool® has always considered the impact of our work on the environment. By harnessing the benefits of 100% pure wool to provide superior insulation for temperature-controlled packaging, we have created a viable alternative to polystyrene and other manmade materials.

But B Corp also encourages firms to consider the social impact of its decision-making, which has always been an important part of our outlook too. Whether that’s partnering with charities, supporting our local community or creating a mutually-beneficial relationship with our colleagues, partners and clients, we try to ensure that Woolcool® has a positive effect beyond the business world.

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.

B Corp certification reflects a sense of accountability – which has always been a key part of our business ethos – and a transparency that engenders best practice across all sectors and instils confidence in our products and methods.

A great example of that transparency would be how Woolcool® has invested millions of pounds in research into the benefits of using wool as an insulator, partnering with top universities to create openly available and academically-robust data that has broadened the world’s knowledge of natural materials.

And, of course, it’s about recognising and minimising the impact of a business on the environment, and continually striving to do so. To always be better. This ethos has always been one of Woolcool®’s driving factors. For example, last year we launched a pioneering ‘Circular Economy’ scheme to allow customers to return the 100% wool liners that insulated their deliveries – so we could clean it and prepare it for re-use into new Woolcool®s.

So, that’s what B Corp is – it’s a commitment to create a new kind of business world that puts people and purpose before profit.

We’re proud to be one of the first UK manufacturers of packaging to earn B Corp status, and the only one in our county. We want to encourage other businesses, across all sectors and regions, to consider going for it too.

It was a rigorous and detailed process which, if anything, showed us how we can do more to live up to the B Corp commitment. By shining a light on how we work, it confirmed what we already knew – we’re far from perfect!

But by committing to the B Corp ideal, and embedding it legally into our company articles, we are setting out our stall to always try to be better. It’s a badge we wear with pride and an ethos we are committed to upholding.

Awards for Woolcool®

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