Spadel, and its brands, are B Corp certified

Spadel is proud to announce it is the first family-owned mineral water group to obtain B Corp certification for all of its brands. This certification is granted to companies that meet the highest standards in terms of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Towards purpose driven companies

B Corp is an international movement of likeminded companies who want to have a positive impact on the world around them. B Corp’s unifying goal is using business as a force for good to solve social, environmental problems whilst making profit.

The B Corp movement is growing fast. Currently there are 5.000+ B Corps worldwide across more than 80 countries employing 300.000 workers in 153 industries. About 850 of them are active in Europe, of which 190 in the Benelux market and 170 in France.

B Impact Score 86,7

In order to obtain B Corp certification a company has to demonstrate the highest standards of social and environmental performance. This means achieving at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment (BIA), a rigorous set of more than 200 questions over 5 different topics.

Reflecting the different markets where Spadel is active, three different BIAs were done: Benelux, France and Bulgaria. Each individual market passed the 80 point threshold. The final Spadel score of 86,7 points is a weighted average of the underlying scores of the markets.

Every drop counts for a positive change

Many initiatives and colleagues, both at the Spadel group level and at the local level, contributed to our result.

At the group level, these include a change in the company’s articles of association and the ‘Great Place to Work’ certification for all of our sites. In 2020 Spadel was the first mineral water group in Europe to become carbon neutral for the entire life cycle of its products.

The strong local focus of Spadel’s brands (selling, sourcing and employing locally) also added to the B Corp certification. The group is committed to giving back at least 5% of its net profit to local partners and local solidarity actions each year. In 2021, this figure rose to 5.39%.

At the local level, each brand has it own valuable initiatives.

The Spa Monopole factory received the highest international recognition for the sustainable management of aquifers. The drastic measures to protect nature which have been taken for several decades ensure that biodiversity is better now than 100 years ago in the Spa region.

In France 6.3% of net profits from the Alsatian brands Carola and Wattwiller were invested back into the local community via product donations, partnerships and sponsoring of environmental, social, and cultural initiatives.

In Bulgaria, Devin’s water bottling factory has operated entirely on green electricity since 2020, while the brand is more committed than ever to protecting the exceptional natural environment of the Rhodope mountain region where Devin water comes from.

Room for improvement

Proud of passing the 80 points mark we recognise even more is to be done. The BIA showed for example we can improve our Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity at Spadel. We can also engage better with our suppliers, actively working with them to create positive impact.

Achieving B Corp certification is a key ambition of Source of Change, Spadel’s 2025 CSR Strategy. It is a fantastic recognition of Spadel’s efforts up until now but it doesn’t end here. B Corp will continue to guide us in our efforts to be a leading sustainable company and to create a positive impact on the world around us.

More information on our B Impact Score, including our Bottled Water Statement, can be found on our public profile on the B Corp website.

We’re particularly happy to have obtained this B Corp certification as it rewards the positive path taken by all of our brands towards more sustainability and a greater local impact. But it's just the start of the journey, as Spadel and its brands will aim higher and higher over the coming years. Today, citizens are asking companies like Spadel to set the example. This is part of our ‘every drop counts’ philosophy, which, as its name indicates, invites everyone to do their bit, whether they’re citizens, politicians, or companies. At Spadel, our objective is not merely to protect the environment that surrounds us, but also to go a step further, by restoring and regenerating it, as we managed to show in Spa in terms of biodiversity. Over the coming years, more than ever we want to continue questioning ourselves in order to progress in our ambition to be a company with a positive impact. – Marc du Bois, CEO Spadel