We’ve joined a global community committed to using business as a force for good.
‘You Can Turn a Profit, Or You Can Do Good.’
At least… that’s what we’re used to hearing about the way business works. But inspired by a growing community of over 4,900 likeminded businesses around the world, we’re on a path less trodden. To attempt to do both.
It’s because we believe in doing business differently. From the products we sell to the service we provide and our Climate Pledge; we founded Project Merchandise with a view to be the change we wish to see in the world. To do things the ‘right’ way.
Profit, People and Planet… On Equal Terms
To be transparent, we’re not not here to make money. However, rather than focusing on our financial bottom line alone, we’ve committed to a better way of creating profit, while also benefitting people and the planet.
As the only distributor in the UK committed to delivering exclusively items with eco-friendly credentials, our mission is to help our clients reduce the environmental impact of their campaigns. It’s for this reason we’re doing away with things like unnecessary packaging and chemical pesticides in our supply chain.
But here’s the thing: We can shout all day about what we think we’re doing well. But ultimately, it’s third-party certifications that you can truly trust.
That’s why we are thrilled to share that we are now a Certified B Corporation™.
Verified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming the global economy, the B Corp certification means that Project Merchandise meets extremely high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
B Corps Make Up 0.0001% Of UK Businesses
Gaining the certification is no easy feat. We spent the better part of 18 months completing B Lab’s Impact Assessment to measure our social and environmental impact. So naturally, we are delighted to be accepted as part of a community of only 700 B Corps in the UK.
Much more than a badge, the assessment delves into all business areas, assessing its impact on stakeholders, including its workforce, community, customers, and the environment.
Assessed, And Assessed Some More
To gain that all-important B, we shared evidence of policies and practices that affect these stakeholders.
Where our workforce is concerned, this meant proving things like our status as a living wage employer, our professional development policies, and our employee health benefits.
On the environmental side, we deep dived policies like source reduction, end of life waste, and the material makeup of our products. And there were further questions on our governance, our community, and our customers too.
The certification process has been a massive undertaking… but one that has given us confidence that we’re on the right path as a business. And it has also given us a long list of things we can improve on in the future. And that’s exactly why we did it.
The Next Steps
We’ve already highlighted some things that we want to work on over the next twelve months. These are set out along some of our achievements to date in our impact statement, which you can read here.
B Corps must recertify every three years, and like many, we’ll be looking to improve our score next time round. So in short, the work doesn’t stop here.
“Becoming B Corp certified is without doubt the proudest moment I have had since we launched Project Merchandise. It has enabled us to build better processes, elevate our environmental standards, and put our employees & clients at the heart of our decision making.
“Since starting the process 18 months ago we’ve learnt so much and evolved continuously, improving standards across the business.
And this is very much the start – we have exciting plans on how we can keep improving! This will include working closely with our supply chain and clients to ensure we continue to be leaders in sustainable merchandise and help our industry move to a truly green future!”
Chris Dawson – Sales Director
