Wine Buyer, Simon Jones delves into the ethos behind the B Corp certification.
We hear increasingly often about B Corp accreditation both in the world of wine and more widely, but what is it? It is an abbreviation used by Certified B Corporations; the certification comes from B Lab, a company founded in 2006 advocating a “different type of economy”. The premise seems to start from the position that businesses as a whole are failing to meet their potential and promise to create a positive impact on people, communities and the planet. It seeks to change this with the anticipated outcome that businesses become a force for good, transforming the global economy towards a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative system. All laudable aims without doubt.
The process of accreditation is very thorough and is time consuming, lengthy, and potentially expensive but it is a way for companies to take a good hard, and sometimes painfully revealing, look at themselves. It encourages companies to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. It is also an ongoing process of measuring and improving a company’s impact, based on good working practices, stakeholder governance as well as consideration of climate and nature. In essence look after your staff, customers, local community and planet... sounds simple!
For the wineries that we deal with that have undergone and passed the tests, in practical terms it means encouraging biodiversity in their vineyards, foregoing chemical interventions; managing water use and recycling; using clever architecture to harness natural cooling effects; construction using recycled materials; being energy efficient and using renewable sources such as solar and/or wind; planting, or more often re-planting, trees and hedges in and around vineyards; looking after their employees and supporting local community projects and charities.
If you wish to support our suppliers who have undertaken this rigour, then you could look to The Coterie in New Zealand – suppliers of our excellent Tanners New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Stoller in Oregon and their sister winery Chehalem are both certified, as are our friends at Symington Family Estates, producers of super wines (and Ports) in the Douro Valley, such as the Altano range. South African trailblazers, Journey’s End are the latest to have achieved the certification.
Happy drinking, content in the knowledge you are supporting these projects!