º£½ÇÊÓƵ

A Gloucestershire start-up that supports businesses to make their operations more sustainable has been certified as a B Corporation (B Corp).

Lighthouse Sustainability and its founder, Emma Burlow, works with organisations, including international businesses such as domestic appliance brand Beko and the University of Bath, to set climate change targets, and redesign their products and services.

The business, based in the Forest of Dean, has joined a global group of establishments judged to have a high standard of ethics and that balance profit with purpose.

In order to attain B Corp status, which is administered by US non-profit organisation B Lab, companies must be able to demonstrate responsible practices in five impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

Prior to establishing Lighthouse Sustainability in 2020, circular economy specialist Ms Burlow, who has 25 years of experience within the industry, worked with environmental consultancy Resources Future, with clients including Waitrose, Central England Co-op.

Lighthouse Sustainability said highlight projects it worked on during its first year included Bristol-based company CanCan’s reusable cup scheme; Norwegian firm Packoorang’s reusable postal packaging; and environmental services group Revolution Zero’s reusable PPE for NHS staff.

Ms Burlow said: "I set up Lighthouse to offer a new kind of support to businesses facing increasing sustainability challenges. Becoming a B Corp was an important part of ‘walking the talk’ and being the first company to lead the way in the Forest of Dean is fantastic news."

This year the company is set to launch new training packages for businesses, including a course on carbon literacy from February. It will also help other businesses through the process of B Corp certification, and is currently working with three companies to achieve the accreditation.