What Does B Corp Certification Mean For Red Paddle Co?

Since our inception in 2008, a commitment to equality and sustainability has always been at the heart of everything we do at Red Paddle Co. We always strive to keep our impact to a minimum, without compromising on innovation and quality when creating our range of paddle boards and equipment. Now, 15 years later, Red Paddle Co has achieved the ultimate mark of our commitment to the planet and to people: becoming the first UK paddleboard company to get a B Corp Certification.

Whether you’ve never heard of the term B Corp before, or are wondering why it is so important to us to get certified, this handy guide will explain what a B Corp is and how it relates to Red’s ethos of encouraging people of all ages to enjoy the water in the right ways. 

What does B Corp mean?

B Corp is a voluntary certification that any company in any sector can strive to achieve. B Corporations are companies that meet specific and verified standards when it comes to social values and environmental impact, as well as transparency and accountability. 

While a lot of these standards cover the way a company produces and manufactures goods, B Corp standards extend to every corner of a business, including the way employees and treated and rewarded. 

There are over 6,000 B Corps currently certified across the world, from clothing and footwear to food and drink, and Red Paddle Co is proud to sit among these.

B Corp Criteria

Becoming B Corp certified is a lengthy and thorough process, which requires a company to meet specific criteria. This criteria depends on a number of factors, including size, ownership structure, industry and revenue. 

However, B Corp Criteria can be summarised by the following clear components:

1. Pass the B Impact assessment

The BI Impact assessment is a way of measuring a company’s social and enviornmental impact. The assessment takes place online and the impact criteria leaves no stone unturned, covering how diverse the workforce is to how much waste the company produces. 

To pass the assessment, a score of 80 must be achieved. Red Paddle Co scored 89.5, so now it’s up to us to maintain our score, or even better, keep improving!

2. Be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders

The second set of criteria for B Corp certification is to do with the organisational structure of a business. This means that we have to carefully assess how what we do impacts all of our stakeholders, from our staff, to our customers, and anybody that uses UK waters.

The Red Foundation ensures that we are always giving back to our stakeholders. We support a range of charitable organisations to make paddle boarding and adventuring outdoors accessible.

3. Publicly share performance

Owning up to all of your actions can be daunting, but doing so is essential criteria for achieving the B Corp certification. For Red Paddle Co, this means we have to share our performance via a public B Corp profile. On our public profile, you can find further details about our B Impact score in all of the essential categories: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. 

Why did Red get B Corp certified?

At Red Paddle Co, getting B Corp certified just made sense. We have always tried to be responsible in everything we do, without compromising the quality of our SUPs and gear. For example, we’ve been shipping our Red paddle boards in compostable packaging since 2021, so that your order is great for the water, and even better for the planet. 

As we’ve grown, we feel our duty to the planet more than ever. Becoming a B Corp means that Red Paddle Co can continue to develop, and extend our planet and people first ethos to even more areas of what we do. B Corp companies have to re-certify every 3 years, meaning there is no opportunity to let up on social action and social innovation.