Woolcool believes the world needs business at its best

How can we do business better? Woolcool® is one of a growing number of companies across the globe that is dedicated to finding ways of doing business responsibly. In fact, we’re the first UK packaging company of its kind to gain B-Corp status, joining a worldwide community of firms who have pledged to put social and environmental impact on the same level as profitability.

The result has been that our insulated boxes outperform manmade alternatives such as polystyrene, saving millions of tonnes of non-biodegradable pollutants from clogging up landfill sites across the world.

We are passionate about our social responsibility too and proud to have always considered the social impact our business, operating under a caring and supportive team ethic that includes our colleagues, suppliers, partners, clients and customers. External to the day to day business of producing our insulated packaging, we actively engage with and support the community in which we are based, as well as the business community in which we operate. It’s all part of what we call the ‘Woolcool® family’. Now, we’re throwing our support behind an exciting campaign that hopes to encourage all businesses to think about the impact they have on the world around them, in terms of society, environment and the communities they serve – by enshrining it in law. It’s a brilliant idea – called The Better Business Act – and Woolcool® is one of many, many progressive companies backing the campaign to make it happen. The idea is simple. As a B Corp, we believe that business has become separated from the communities it needs to serve. The relentless pursuit of profit at all costs has contributed to a set of enormous challenges that threaten people’s health, wealth and the natural world. The fact is that 76% of people in the UK want the business to be legally responsible for their impact on society and the environment. If anything, the huge challenges of the last 12 months brought by the pandemic have illustrated even further what profound and pressing problems the climate emergency and social inequality are. The campaign we are backing believes that harnessing the enormous potential of entrepreneurs, innovation and enterprise can help overcome these challenges. Quite simply, the world needs business at its best now more than ever. So, what’s the big idea? The Better Business Act would amend Section 172 of the existing Companies Act 2006, which governs how firms do business. The new Act would ensure that companies are legally obligated to operate in a manner that benefits their stakeholders, including workers, customers, communities and the environment, while still seeking to deliver profits for shareholders. The Better Business Act will transform the way we do business, so that every single company in the UK, whether big or small, takes ownership of its social and environmental impact. We are urging all of Britain’s business leaders to call on the UK Government to amend Section 172 of the Companies Act to ensure businesses are legally responsible for benefiting workers, customers, communities and the environment while delivering profit. What would it mean? It would mean that companies would have to consider the impact of their business, and report on it. However, this would not mean a load of red tape to add to companies’ workload. In fact, the amendments proposed by the BBA require a statement in a strategic report for a financial year that describes how the company has advanced its stated purpose and in consideration of its key stakeholders, community and the environment. Once a year. What’s more, the Act suggests that this would only be required for larger companies. Crucially, we believe that running your firm in a responsible way is good for business. Customers like it, your team likes it and research shows it helps to attract top talent to your business. It will also help to secure a better future for generations to come. The more businesses that get involved and take steps, however small, to improve practices, the larger the positive impact we can have together. It’s also important to know that similar laws already exist across the world and have been successful in encouraging business to do better. The “benefit corporation” legislation, which takes a similar approach, has now been successfully introduced in 40 US states, as well as Italy, Colombia, and levitra Canada. Woolcool® has joined a coalition of 200 businesses behind the campaign for the Better Business Act – and we urge more companies to join. To find out more, visit: www.betterbusinessact.org