From B to Z: Here’s your essential guide to B Corps in the UK
Our guide to the diverse range of B Corps from all over the UK
by: Lauren Crosby Medlicott
13 Mar 2024
Image: Byway / Ella’s Kitchen / JoJo Maman Bebe
Share
From baby food to beer, travel to underwear and everything in between, B Corp companies cover an enormous range of products and services. With hundreds all over the UK, we thought we’d give a taste of the variety of areas they cover with this B-Z guide (with a bonus A).
If you want outdoor gear with a sustainable ethos, check out Alpkit. When they ran a customer survey in 2021 they were surprised to learn that 87% of respondents considered the sustainability of products or companies before making a purchase. Though they are a small, independent business, they’re adamant they don’t want to profit at the expense of others or the wild places they love. In 2019, they became the first UK outdoor brand to publish a comprehensive Sustainability Report. A year later, they became a B Corp.
In recent years, there has been a huge push towards sustainable travel. Byway is helping curious people explore the world free of flying. Rather than travelling over, they help customers travel through, using trains, boats, buses and bikes. It’s the first 100% flight-free travel platform creating customisable travel and accommodation packages away from the traditional tourist trails. You’ll see the lesser-known gems on your trip and stay in locally owned accommodation, two features that support the economies of the communities being visited.
COAT Paints is the world’s only Climate Positive Certified paint company. They don’t subscribe to greenwashing and use fresh, made-to-order paint, meaning zero waste.
And while they aren’t chaining themselves to trees, they’re “very conscious about making the right decisions for a better future – even if they’re the harder ones”. Unlike most paint produced, the entire range of COAT’s paints is wholly water-based and low-toxin, the high-quality ingredients are locally sourced and the products and packaging are all recyclable.
In 2018, Drop Bear Beer Co’s founders started experimenting with alcohol-free brews after coming home from their day jobs. By 2019, they had officially launched. The South Wales-based brewery have since won several awards at the prestigious European Beer Challege for their 0.5% ABV beers. Only two years after their launch, the company was one of fewer than 10 B Corp breweries across the entire UK, and the first in Wales. Even though it’s gluten-free, vegan and low-calorie, customers say the beers taste like the real thing.
Studies show that babies who explore food with all their senses are more likely to grow up as happy eaters. So in 2006, Ella’s dad Paul started making his little girl food that was tasty, fun and packed with healthy ingredients. Ella’s Kitchen is now one of the most recognised baby food brands on the shelves and they look after the planet, so “all little ones can grow up in a healthy, happy world”. When they were certified as a B Corp, they said the rigorous assessment is “proof that we are walking the walk, not just talking the talk”.
Brad Frankel and Ian Taylor launched Flooglebinder to create educational study tours for all ages. These hands-on expeditions cover diverse ecosystems, from the plains of South Africa to the jungles of Nicaragua. Participants learn how to help protect threatened habitats, vulnerable species and diminishing cultures – whether that’s an elephant conservation site in Sri Lanka or a coral restoration spot in Thailand. In 2016, they became the only travel company in the education sector to obtain B Corp status.
Got the after-breakfast-but-not-quite-lunch hunger pains? There’s a Graze box for that. The healthy snack maker became a B Corp in 2021, pushing the company to meet even higher standards of performance, accountability and transparency in supply chain practices and responsible materials, employee benefits and charitable giving. They are constantly reimagining unique snacks that are low on sugar and high in protein and vitamins. All snack trays are recyclable. And they’ve pledged to go carbon neutral by 2030 through decisions like reducing food miles by 42,000 miles a year.
Happiful is much more than just a magazine. Before it was in print, it offered counselling, life coaching, hypnotherapy, nutrition and complementary therapies directories. Their mission is to create a healthier, happier and more sustainable society and to challenge stigmas around mental health. They became a B Corp in 2019 and committed to continue prioritising mental health issues.
IT Naturally is “a team of empathetic humans who enjoy turning IT chaos into order”. They believe that a customer should be able to forget all about IT by having a knowledgeable support base on hand 24/7. By constantly learning, developing and adapting their processes, they provide a genuinely people-focused service, while also offering a supportive workplace, recruiting people from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in tech. A recent survey gave them a 97% customer satisfaction rating, while their overall B Corp score was 92.9.
The sweetest Breton baby clothes and quirky maternity wear is what JoJo Maman Bebe is all about. But the company isn’t only concerned about their profits from sales (even though they have done very well, growing from a one-woman start up in 1993 to a global retailer). They have pledged to put people and the planet ahead of the big bucks by being “better” with staff, customers, the planet, local communities and business.
Bookkeeping and accounts can be draining for anyone running an independent business. Step forward, Kung Fu Accounting. Their logo is adapted from the Chinese character for humanity because people are at the heart of their work and are equally as important as the financials. It’s their passion for their customers that led to the company becoming the first UK-based accountancy business to join the B Corporation movement.
The Little Soap Company has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in the Cotswolds in 2018. Emma Heathcote-James was looking for the soaps her gran would have in the house when she was a child, free from harsh products and plastic bottles. She started making her own soaps, selling locally and small-scale. Today, these divine soaps can be found in most of the major supermarkets.
“It’s a symbol of nature, of cleanliness,” Emma says. “But it’s also a revival and celebration of a product we’ve made relevant to the demands of the modern world.”
For businesses looking to grow their brand with SEO, paid ads and social media, hiring an external agency can be an attractive alternative to trying to figure it all out on their own.
Mastered Marketing creates simple and profitable marketing campaigns that they promise will attract more customers. Although both making money and helping customers to make money is their business, they believe the way money is made is just as important as how much money is made.
Advertisement
The company donates over £500 a month to environmental, animal welfare and social justice charities, have strong anti-discrimination policies in place and are 100% paperless.
Businesses can use this platform to find out how to donate their time, money and surplus products to local causes. As one of the UK’s very first B Corps, Neighbourly helps businesses deliver meaningful and sustainable community investment. They enable businesses to do good, and to be recognised for it. It makes planning, managing, demonstrating and scaling community programmes easy.
Wonky, misshapen carrots? An overabundance of red cabbage? Oddbox will take them off the hands of farmers and deliver the fruits and vegetables all over the UK. As much as 40% of food produced globally is wasted and food waste is responsible for approximately 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Oddbox wants to change this, one odd piece of produce at a time.
Patagonia create well-made clothing which can be repaired easily. Patagonia will either fix the purchase at one of their repair centres or help you to repair it yourself. If it can’t be salvaged, they’ll figure out a way to recycle the product. It’s one of the ways they aim to be a zero waste business.
But in getting B Corp certification, they’ve promised to continue doing less harm and more good, using business to protect nature.
Quiet Storm believe in the power of creativity to positively transform businesses, lives and society. They were behind the “letting out the inner child” Haribo ad, and their campaigns boosted the growth of Zoflora, Yakult and the Women’s Equality Party. As well as delivering transformative business results, Quiet Storm started Create Not Hate, a diversity and inclusion initiative aimed at helping people from underrepresented backgrounds get into the creative industries.
A face-to-face fundraising and calling agency, Real Fundraising have clearly stated that their vision is to change the world. They do it by helping charities like Unicef, Barnardo’s and Centrepoint raise money with face-to-face contact, telephone calling and digital advertising.
Since being founded in 2009, REAL were looking for a way to measure their values of respect, ethics, activism and love. Becoming a B Corp did just this. They believe ethical business practices can play a huge role in helping to create a society we all want to be part of.
This home fragrance company is a pioneer in ethical and sustainable manufacturing practices. For 30 years, they have been creating candles inspired by nature from their farm in North Cornwall, where they also work on projects to create and nurture wildlife havens. Their values focus on three key areas: keeping ancient traditions alive, protecting the planet and caring about people. All candles undergo rigorous testing for safety and quality. In 2021, St Eval received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.
Green neobanks are a new model of online banking that work in sustainable projects with a focus on climate change. Tred aims to be the UK’s leading green neobank, with accounts for both business and personal customers. Its new debit card “plants trees as you spend” by paying into environmental restoration projects every time you tap. And it allows you track your own carbon footprint, with the option to offset as you spend.
By bringing people closer to the origins of their food, Urban Leaf motivates people to make more sustainable food choices. They also teach people how to garden; showing city dwellers how to grow microgreens in their kitchen window. When Urban Leaf became a B Corp in 2022, they said, “Ever since we began, we’ve strived to make thoughtful decisions that respect our planet and its people. That’s just the way we do things around here.”
Belief that the future of food is plant-based is what drives Vegetarian Express to create unique dishes that are meat-free. They’re using seaweed instead of tortilla wraps, experimenting with Brazilian flavours and perfecting vegetarian classics.
Advertisement
They believe that business should be a force for good – for workers, communities and the planet, so made it a priority to become a certified B Corporation in 2019.
Work.life aims to make work feel like a home away from home by transforming workspaces. They offer private offices, coworking spaces and meeting rooms across London, Reading and Manchester.
Their biggest challenge has been reducing energy use, water use and waste. Currently, 88% of their electricity is provided by renewable energy suppliers and the next goal is to increase their recycling rate from 56% to 70%.
XUnlocked is a learning platform making sustainability and finance engaging and effective so that organisations can transition to a more sustainable future. They offer learning experiences that help professionals to make decisions that will be better for the world. They’ve got industry specialists with on-the-ground experience from all over the world on board to educate customers. The experts speak the language of the customer and teach actionable frameworks that will give businesses results.
The team volunteers in the local community, provides products to underserved groups, delivers free financial education to thousands of students, and provides enhanced benefits for employees.
In 2022, this underwear company ranked one of The Best for the World B Corps, with a score of 160.5 (you need a score of 80 to qualify as a B Corp). They’re also the highest scoring fashion brand globally.
Advertisement
All of their underwear is made with super-soft organic Fairtrade cotton and is PETA-approved vegan. For every item bought, Y.O.U donate two to Smalls for All, a Scottish charity that distributes underwear to vulnerable women and children in Africa and the UK. They’re working with India’s leading sustainable manufacturers to eliminate exploitation in their supply chain. They have also embraced ethical marketing, actively promoting body positivity.
The UK has one of the worst rates of social mobility in Europe, with so many smart students held back by factors outside of their control. These are the people that mentoring platform Zero Gravity wants to support.
“We’re defined by our postcode rather than our potential,” their promotional short video says. “What if there was another force out there? Something powerfully intent on releasing you instead of forcing you down?”
They offer mentoring, masterclasses, internships and scholarships designed to take talent to the top. The platform has already doubed the chances of securing top university offers and career paths. It’s a value-driven movement powering people to tackle the UK’s biggest challenges.
This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!
If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play
This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.
