The Botanist: B Corp 2023

WE ARE B CORP CERTIFIED

Using business as a force for good

WE ARE B CORP CERTIFIED

Using business as a force for good

Our B Corp story so far

On Monday 4th May 2020, Bruichladdich Distillery officially became B Corp certified.

Since our resurrection in 2001, our vision has been to create the world’s most thought-provoking spirits. At the same time, we want to fulfil a purpose that is bigger than our business and benefits many more people, communities, and the environment.

In 2020, we were the first Scotch whisky and gin distillery in Europe to receive B Corp certification - meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance. The B Corp movement was established to help mission-driven businesses protect and improve their positive impact over time, and we’re proud to be part of this growing, global community of organisations using their business as a force for good.

To maintain B Corp status, it is mandatory for businesses to recertify every three years. We are extremely proud not only to have retained our B Corp certification, but to have significantly improved our overall Impact Score by 21% since our first assessment in 2020.

It is another milestone on our sustainability journey, and a chance to recognise where we are now – but also how much more we can do to drive change and leave a lasting, positive legacy on Islay and beyond.

OUR LATEST IMPACT REPORT

Find out more about the impact we’ve made across our key sustainability pillars of Energy, Packaging and Waste, Islay and Community and Agriculture and Biodiversity in 2022-2023. 

DOWNLOAD REPORT
THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN

IMPACT SCORE

To become a certified B Corp, businesses must attain a minimum of 80 points out of a possible 200 to qualify. We achieved an inaugural Impact Score of 83.2 points when we first certified in 2020, increasing this to 100.7 points in 2023 – a score improvement of 21%.

We will continue to be recertified every three years, with our impact measured across five categories: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. We made gains across multiple categories, contributing to our 17.5 point increase. Yet there is still more to do.

We are committed to increasing our Impact Score year on year and we continuously strive to improve across every facet of the business, making improvements for our valued team members, the wider Islay community, and the planet.

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN

DOING BUSINESS DIFFERENTLY

Since our resurrection in 2001, Bruichladdich Distillery has existed as an antidote to tradition. Our purpose has always been bigger than making and selling single malt Scotch whisky and gin.

The commitments we have made to our community and remote island home have shaped the way we do business. Islay is the bedrock of our business and we’re the largest private employer on the island with over 80 people on site.

These actions may sound simple, but they are not the norm. Nor are they an exhaustive list of our proudest achievements. Being B Corp certified means that we are part of a global movement of changemakers, and we will continue to push our priorities forward across our four key sustainability pillars: Energy & Emissions, Agriculture & Biodiversity, Packaging & Waste and Islay & Community.

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN

PROGRESS TO BE PROUD OF…

People-Centric Policies

  • Accredited Great Place to Work® and named among the UK’s top Best Workplaces for Women and Wellbeing
  • Implemented Islay Cost of Living Allowance for team members on the island, with 66% of our valued workforce benefiting
  • Our annual Community Day sees the full distillery team support local projects on Islay

Biodiversity and Conservation

  • Through The Botanist Foundation, we’ve continued to positively impact the flora and fauna of Islay and beyond.
  • We’ve committed to funding a butterfly monitoring programme for ten years. Funding has been granted to Butterfly Conservation Scotland to monitor the numbers of the Marsh Fritillary using a team of volunteers. 
  • We provided funding to Project Seagrass to map seagrass meadows around Islay. Seagrass beds are a Priority Marine Feature in Scotland’s seas, providing carbon sequestration, ensuring the health of the marine eco-system and providing vital habitat for sea creatures.

Reducing our carbon footprint

  • We are committed to decarbonising distilling operations by 2025
  • Redesigned and removed secondary packaging from our signature Classic Laddie single malt, reducing packaging CO2 emissions by 65%
  • Exploring the feasibility of using green, hydrogen energy on site, with the aim of installing a multi-fuel, hydrogen firing boiler

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN

PROGRESSIVE ATTITUDES

As a manufacturer, we are acutely aware of our energy consumption and are tackling our usage head on. Our aim is to decarbonise distilling operations by 2025 and we are researching the feasibility of using green, hydrogen energy on site. We’ve also switched to 100% green electricity, are reducing diesel consumption by moving to a fleet of fully electric vehicles – including forklifts, cars and transporter vans – and exploring new water-cooling systems to reduce our water consumption.

The global waste crisis means we must transform our throwaway economy into one where waste is eliminated, and resources are circulated. That’s why we’ve made a commitment to use less and use better, challenging ourselves to understand what is necessary.