Spadel takes important step towards B Corp certification

shareholders approve change in articles of association

Many consider sustainability to be about reducing negative impact on the planet. From keeping a paperless office to reducing waste, until recently, corporate social responsibility has mostly been about ‘doing less bad’. However, today’s leaders in sustainability are taking things much further. Not only seeking to minimise their organisation’s impact, they are actively looking to create a positive impact by providing solutions to today’s societal challenges. The B Corp movement tries to do just that.

A Next Level of Sustainability

Ten years ago, we set out to structure our sustainability approach with clear ambitions and targets. Successfully so, as in 2020 we achieved the internationally renowned CO2-neutral label and the bottling plant in Spa achieved the highest possible accreditation for sustainable water management. Even so, we continue to push the envelope when it comes to creating a better world for all. So, in our CSR Strategy 2025 we included the ambition to become a certified B Corp.

B Corp: Using business as a force for good

Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balance purpose and profit. Believing that society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and non-profits alone, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.

B Corp is both a global movement of likeminded companies and a certification. Certified organisations meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

Certification requires passing the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and meeting the legal requirement. The BIA evaluates how a company’s operations and business model impact workers, community, environment, and customers. The legal requirement commits you to consider stakeholder impact for the long term by building it into your company’s legal structure.

Unanimous Shareholder Approval

Our CSR Strategy 2025 includes our aim to become a positive impact company, and we have now officially updated our articles of association to reflect this.

Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but it is. By changing our statutes, we are explicitly stating that one of the goals of our company is to have a material positive impact on society and the environment. We presented this change in the company’s goals to our shareholders and we are pleased to report it was approved at the extraordinary general meeting held this June.

Officially changing our articles of incorporation is an important step and sends a strong message to all of our stakeholders. We are also working hard on the other requirement of becoming a B Corp: passing the Impact Assessment. To be continued!