Naturalmat has become the first UK bed company to achieve B Corp status.
According to the company it had an impact score of 96.3: 80 is required to achieve B Corp status and the average score for applicants is 50.9.
B Corp aims to recognise purpose-driven businesses committed to being a force for good for people, communities and the planet. Achieving the accreditation has taken Naturalmat two years of assessment of every aspect of its business: from staff welfare, packaging and energy supply to its commitment to suppliers and wider role within its community.
‘From day one more than 20 years ago, we’ve been at the forefront of making planet-friendly mattresses with organic, sustainable and renewable materials. So needless to say, it feels truly rewarding to be recognised as the ethical business we’ve always strived to be and join this powerful global community of organisations working together for a better tomorrow. We started off making mattresses for boats with natural and breathable materials, eventually expanding into organic, chemical-free mattresses for babies and adults, championing safe and healthy sleep for everyone. Over the next few years we made every effort to grow as a force for good. We pioneered sourcing organic wool directly from local farmers, installed solar panels on the roof of our workshop and moved to 100% renewable energy, and developed innovative plastic-free packaging,’ says Mark Tremlett, Naturalmat founder.
In order to achieve B-Corp certification companies must also make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction and exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.
