MONDAY 3 AUGUST 2020. The Jamie Oliver Group today reached a significant milestone: achieving certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp).
To become a B Corp, the business was assessed and audited against rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The Jamie Oliver Group has always had social impact at its heart – from campaigning for a better food system, and advocating high food and animal welfare standards, to creating a happy, healthy and inclusive workplace. The group’s latest Social Impact Report is published today.
The certification is recognition of the high standards the group applies and gives us the ideal framework to pursue our campaign goal of halving childhood obesity by 2030.
We are proud to join a growing group of companies around the world that use business as a force for good. Together, we can speed up progress towards reducing inequality, lowering levels of poverty, improving our environment, strengthening communities, and creating more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. We see great potential in working with the wider B Corp community to learn and share best practice as we look for new solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.
Jamie Oliver said: “I’ve always believed that businesses can and must be a key driver for positive change, and our communities, audiences and customers rightfully expect us to lead by example. I am incredibly proud that the Jamie Oliver Group is now a B-Corp. Being a member of this global community, and working with businesses who share our passion and goals, will help us amplify our focus on social purpose even further.”
Paul Hunt, CEO of the Jamie Oliver Group, said: “We have always believed that doing good is good business, and that commercial success can be combined with making a meaningful impact on our communities and our industry as a whole. So we are thrilled to achieve B-Corp certification at the first attempt, and now have an even stronger framework to deliver our vision for a business that champions best practice across everything we do.”
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, said: “The B Corp community is a movement of companies committed to changing how business operates, who believe business really can be a force for good. Welcoming the Jamie Oliver Group is particularly exciting because we see the opportunity to build on the trust and leadership of this brand to build on our momentum for change. The B Corp community in the UK and globally welcome the Jamie Oliver Group and we’re excited to work together towards a more sustainable future for us all.”
ENDS.
About B Corp Certification:
The certification is issued by B Lab, the not-for-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement. The certification covers five key areas: governance, worker, community, environment and customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach certain benchmark scores while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, staff compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company then legally embeds its commitment to purpose beyond profit in the company articles.
The B Corp community in the UK represents a broad cross section of industries and sizes of currently over 300 companies, including well-known brands such as The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, The Body Shop, as well as Abel & Cole.
For more information about the Jamie Oliver Group, please contact [email protected]
For more information about B Lab UK visit http://bcorporation.uk/ or contact [email protected]