BrewDog Loses its Certification as An Ethical B Corp

Less than two years after joining the programme that certifies a firm’s ethical commitment to the environment, community, and personnel, the contentious beer company BrewDog has lost its designation as a B Corp.

James Watt, the brewer’s fiery co-founder and CEO, tweeted at the time that he was proud to join a “global group of firms that exceed the highest standards of verified social & environmental performance to help build a better world.”

Watt stated that the recognition came after a “rigorous” year-long examination of the company by B Lab, which evaluates businesses applying for B Corp status and keeps track of complaints about member compliance. Watt promised to brew a beer with the B Corp logo to recognise the accomplishment.

Highest scores

BrewDog is no longer a Certified B Corp, according to a B Lab spokesman. “B Lab makes no comments about businesses that have left the B Corp community. I’m sorry, but I can’t provide you any further details.”

The Body Shop, Emma Bridgewater, and the parent company of the Guardian are just a few of the hundreds of companies with B Corp accreditation that exist today. They must commit to goals like gender pay parity and carbon neutrality. Every three years, they must be recertified.

According to reports, BrewDog was the focus of a B Lab inquiry after employees complained after watching the BBC documentary Disclosure: The Truth About Brewdog, which examined the brewer’s workplace culture.

Workforce objectives

The brewer and bar owner reaffirmed its dedication to upholding the promises it made to its own internal environmental, social, and workforce objectives in a strategy dubbed BrewDog Blueprint in May.

In an internal message to staff on Thursday, Watt stated, “We have chosen to temporarily resign from our B Corp designation.” The BrewDog board felt that additional actions proposed by B Lab were not something we could take at this time.

BrewDog received a score of 81.8 out of 200.