Mulberry is the latest retailer to announce it has achieved B Corp certification.
The luxury brand, famous for its bags and accessories, called the B Corp certification “a milestone in the brand’s journey to a regenerative and circular model, and a reflection of its purpose-led approach to progressive British luxury”.
Gaining B Corp certification entails a rigorous analysis of an organisation’s social and environmental impact. Ultimately, the achievement indicates that a company is meeting high standards of performance, responsibility, and transparency on a range of factors, including how it runs its supply chain to how it treats its people.
B Corp certification requires a score of 80, and Mulberry notched up 87.1, earning a particularly high score in the environment category, which the business said was “underpinned by the brand’s commitment to responsible sourcing and product circularity”.
Other retailers to achieve B Corp certification in 2024 include The White Company, Seasalt, and Pentland Brands-owned Endura.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Mulberry said this was “not the end goal” but rather a framework to help move forward and achieve all its targets made in the business’s 2021 ‘Made to Last’ manifesto.
Mulberry’s head of sustainability, Rosie Wollacott Phillips, also took to the social platform to welcome the news of the certification, saying the new status “isn’t a “one and done” moment – it’s just the beginning”.
“We’re motivated by the opportunity to continue improving our score with each recertification, and more than ever, I feel really proud to work at Mulberry,” she added.
Wollacott referenced Mulberry sustainability coordinator, Harriet Gardiner, and change management consultancy, Goodness & Co, for their significant contributions to gaining the certification.
In July, Mulberry announced its near-term Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reduction targets had been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), confirming the company’s ambitions are based on the latest climate science.
Mulberry, which worked with The Carbon Trust to establish its targets, also set a specific Scope 3 target using the SBTi’s Forest, Land and Agriculture sector guidance – known as FLAG – in recognition of the significant role leather plays in Mulberry’s product offering and its commitment to supporting regenerative agricultural practices.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
