Naked Sprout: Proud to be a B Corp!
You might have spotted the round B Corp logo popping up on shop fronts and packaging in the last few years. At Naked Sprout we make it hard to miss, printing the logo on our boxes, displaying it on our website, and including it in our emails. We are proud to be part of this movement for change, and we want to let everyone know about it.
So what’s a B Corp? Let’s jump in.
B Corps - the Gold Standard for Sustainability
B Corps are companies that have been assessed and found to meet the highest standards in ethics, sustainability, and transparency.
The assessment is carried out by B Labs, whose rigorous process has become internationally recognised as the gold standard for sustainable business. The B Corp logo is proudly displayed by responsible companies around the world, like Patagonia, Ben and Jerry’s, and The Body Shop.
Companies that apply for B Corp status are declaring that they have a responsibility to create positive change, people and place matter, and that businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
What do these mean for us at Naked Sprout?
1. We Have a Responsibility to create positive change
This is baked right into our business. Toilet rolls and other tissue products are an everyday household item for nearly everyone in the UK, and traditional methods of manufacturing pollute our atmosphere and waters. We knew that making a positive change to the 127 toilet rolls the average person in the UK uses every year could do a huge amount of good.
By refusing to use bleach, plastics, or harsh chemicals, and by manufacturing with renewable energy generated onsite at our factory, we are making the most sustainable toilet rolls in the UK.
But we’re not stopping here. We are doing everything we can to shift the dial in the direction of meaningful change, and working with Science Based Targets allows us to constantly monitor our operations to learn what we can do better.
2. People and Places matter
We know exactly where our raw materials are sourced and where our products are made. Our bamboo comes from FSC certified forests, and the cardboard that we use to make our recycled rolls and packaging comes from businesses near our factory.
It’s at our factory that the real magic happens, as pulp is turned to rolls and sheets with renewable energy, generated on site. We regularly test the river Fluvia, which supplies our water, to make sure the water we return is just as clean as when we borrowed it!
We are also certified by the Living Wage foundation. Everyone who works at Naked Sprout, including the team at our factory, is paid a living wage. As a result of these standards our factory is a B Corp in its own right - the only B Corp tissue factory in the world.
3. Businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all
Whichever way you cut it, the amount of trees, fossil fuels, and chemicals that go into the production of standard toilet rolls is harmful and unsustainable.
Some companies try to “offset” their emissions by making donations to organisations that plant trees. But the science of offsetting is being urgently called into question, and even if it worked it would not meet our aspiration to do no harm in the first place.
At Naked Sprout, we keep our emissions low, instead of offsetting. By showing that tissue products can be manufactured in a way that is sustainable and socially conscious we aim to set an example for other companies in our sector.
Our Score
These are the standards we set for ourselves, and they’re the standards that B Labs look at when they assess our operations.
Their assessment results in an overall score that shows how a company is doing and the scope for improvement. The minimum score for B Corp certification is 80. So how do we score at Naked Sprout?
Our score is 128.4, the highest in the industry. We aim to go higher.
Our toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, and tissues are the most sustainable in the UK, and we're only making them better. Our next assessment will be in 2024 so watch this space!
