Gloucester-based kitchenware brand, ProCook, has been awarded B Corp certification, making it a member of a select worldwide group of socially and environmentally conscious companies — in a year which has also seen it float on the London Stock Exchange.
The sought-after rubber stamp is awarded only after a ‘rigorous assessment’ by B Lab, the non-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement, and proves ProCook is mindful of its energy consumption, emissions, waste and water use, employee diversity and corporate transparency.
It puts the firm in a select group of just over 1,000 B Corp certified companies in the UK, including innocent, Graze and The Body Shop; as well as joining international brands like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s.
In Gloucestershire, B Corp lists less than 30 businesses that have achieved the grade, including Stroud Brewery and Hobbs House Bakery.
Daniel O’Neill, founder and chief executive officer of Quedgeley-based ProCook, which employs 600 staff and won Growth Business of the Year at the SoGlos Gloucestershire Business Awards 2021, said: ‘We’re incredibly proud. ProCook is one of very few companies, and the first retail brand which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, to have achieved B Corp status.
‘This is an enormous achievement by everyone at ProCook.’
The business, which has a turnover of £70 million, was also recognised as one of the UK’s Best WorkplacesTM in 2022.
Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, said: ‘We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from start-ups to multinationals and across many different industries.
‘Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that you can do good in any sector.’
