Ethical manufacturer Morgan Innovation & Technology has today announced its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit.
Morgan, whose stated aim is to have positively impacted 1.5 million lives by 2025, has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
The B Corp certification addresses the entirety of a business’ operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.
Nigel Clarke, CEO of Morgan Innovation & Technology and son of company founders Sue and Howard Clarke both of whom were awarded an MBE for their services to engineering and business earlier this year, said, “I am absolutely delighted to announce that we are now a certified B Corp, joining a global community who use business as a force for good.
I started looking into B Corp a couple of years ago as I felt that a lot of what we try and achieve at Morgan was worth shouting about. Our ethos has always been to develop only those products which will have a positive impact on society, getting new ideas to market with both parties securing a fair return. Our focus is not simply on the bottom line, but on whether we can make a positive impact on society whilst running a successful business and for this reason we set out to apply to become a B Corp.
There is still a huge amount I think we can improve on as we grow in the coming years and this will always be our driver to become an even better business for ourselves and our stakeholder community. I am deeply grateful to everyone at Morgan for their dedication to making it the company I am proud to be part of”.
Rebecca Quest, Clinical Advisor at Morgan Innovation & Technology, echoed Nigel’s delight, “I know the team have worked incredibly hard on collating all the information required to achieve this certification. Of course we are used to operating to the very highest standards as our customers rightly demand nothing less, but for this ethos to spread throughout the organisation in everything we do is testament to the culture that Sue and Howard created and which continues today. I see this daily in the way every member of the team engages with our customers, suppliers and the wider community in both our work and our many charitable and environmental activities”.
Morgan Innovation & Technology is now part of a community of 5,575 businesses globally who have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK, representing a broad cross section of industries and sizes, comprises over 950 companies and include well-known brands such as The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, The Body Shop and organic food pioneers Abel & Cole.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says “We are delighted to welcome Morgan Innovation & Technology to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Morgan are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from startups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that you can do good in any sector. Welcoming Morgan Innovation & Technology is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the manufacturing industry. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Morgan in paving the way for a new way of doing things”.
“Being able to welcome Morgan Innovation & Technology to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Their commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit”.
