REDDITCH based Oakland International has received B Corp Certification, acknowledging the company’s high standard of social and environmental performance.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab.
To achieve the status, they must meet exacting standards – B Corp certification is acknowledged as one of the most extensive and rigorous business certification processes.
Oakland International’s co-founder Dean Attwell said: “We are absolutely delighted to have attained B Corp Certification as this accreditation provides an external verified standard for several areas.
“We hope others in our sector will follow our lead as we genuinely believe better business results are delivered from practices encouraged by the standard.
“The standard is designed to encourage better behaviours across all levels of our business and our view is that B Corp should be a common standard across industry, showing customers they are dealing with an ethical and responsible partner.”
The B Corp movement aims to bring about a systemic change of the global economic system, moving from profit driven to a system that takes people and the planet into account alongside profit.
Oakland International is an integrated supply chain specialist and a leader in distress load management whereby food and non-food are saved from going to waste.
The company’s initial assessment was competed in early 2021 with the confirmation of certification given by the end of 2023.
Mr Attwell added: “Being B Corp certified is highly unusual for a company in our industry and of our size, so we are thrilled to be at the forefront of sustainable business values.
“We will have teams on each site to ensure standards are maintained and that the correct improvements are planned to advance future certification.
“We now have a structured system on which to base further improvement that will enhance team welfare, our community engagement and our business sustainability.”
