Leading pet supplement manufacturer, Lintbells, has been granted coveted B Corp status, the certification which verifies a company has met the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
Known for its leading pet supplement brand YuMOVE Joint Care, Lintbells is one of only 11 companies globally within the pet care sector to be awarded B Corp certification and one of around 2,300 businesses overall in the UK.
B Corp certification is awarded by the nonprofit international organisation, B Lab, which advocates a different economic vision whereby businesses move from a traditional financially-focused shareholder model to one that delivers benefits for all stakeholders: employees, suppliers, customers and the community. By balancing profit with purpose, B Corp businesses can take collective action to address society’s most critical challenges.
B Corp certification is hard to achieve, but is verification of a company’s commitment to do good. Each B Corp business will have met high standards across 5 key impact areas including governance, workers, community, the environment and customers – and is legally bound to maintain those standards if they are to retain their certification.
“From its inception, Lintbells was established on principles that reflected its founders’ core social and environmental values. Since then, those values have informed our approach to the environmental, social, and governance factors that are at the forefront of our decision-making, driving sustainable growth and ethical business practices”, said Kerry Doble, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lintbells. “Our B Corp certification is testament to our commitment to continuously carry these values forward and deliver not only a profitable business, but ensure we meet the needs and expectations of all stakeholders.”
Lintbells, which is proudly led by its female CEO Fiona Hope, has demonstrated robust ESG governance by integrating sustainability as a cornerstone of its business strategy. This was recently reinforced by the appointment of Kerry Doble, Chief Sustainability Officer, to the Executive Leadership Team, specifically to progress ESG initiatives.
The company is also working towards a Net Zero pathway centred on science-based targets and has not only completed mapping of their own direct carbon emissions (Scope 1), but also those for Scope 2 and 3 across their supply chain.
In relation to the sourcing of all new ingredients, Lintbells will shortly be operating within stringent 'red lines', adhering to deforestation-free, GM-free, and palm oil-free specifications – and is currently undergoing a review of any latent ingredients not adhering to those requirements. Following standards set by the Rainforest Alliance, Proterra and others, Lintbells has already successfully verified approximately 50% of their ingredients as sustainably sourced and aim to be 100% sustainable by 2027.
The company’s YuMOVE brand is also at the forefront of sustainable packaging, with notable achievements including recyclable pouches, lightweight secondary packaging, reduction of raw materials used for packaging and 85% recycled labels. Additionally, Lintbells is planning the rollout of their rePurpose Scheme – which aims to recover as much plastic as they distribute, making them plastic-neutral. They are exploring other innovative solutions such as fully recyclable blister packs, with a goal to achieve 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
Lintbells is deeply committed to social impact – both within the organisation and the community. As an accredited living wage employer, it offers employees a comprehensive support programme including workplace and external life coaching, health and wellness benefits, assistance for neurodiverse employees, and financial wellbeing through programmes such as Bippit. The company also encourages and facilitates employee volunteering within the wider community as well as contributing to charitable causes, with donations totalling £150k in 2023.
