Rowlinson Knitwear is on a mission to use the power of business as a force for good by becoming a Certified B Corporation. CWB’s Laura Turner reports.

 

Guided by the core values of trust, care and be better, Rowlinson Knitwear has made ethical practices part and parcel of its business model. Since becoming the first schoolwear supplier to bring an Oeko-Tex certified product to the market in 2007, the firm has been steadily cultivating a company-wide ethos that prioritises both people and planet.

However, Rowlinson’s ethical journey is now approaching a pinnacle. With the support of new sales and marketing director Matt Clark, Rowlinson is focusing current and future strategies to meet its ultimate goal; becoming a Certified B Corporation. Not only that, it also recently achieved The Planet Mark accreditation.

“The Planet Mark certification programme recognises a commitment to continuous improvements in sustainability,” says Clark. “It will help us to measure and reduce carbon emissions, energy and water consumption, travel and the amount of waste we create. Certification is an important step for us as we strive to reduce our negative impact on the planet.”

 

 

Making the grade

So how do you become a Certified B Corporation? Certified B Corporations, also known as B Corps, are a new kind of business that balance purpose and profit. Becoming one, however, is no mean feat.

B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. As well as being the gold standard for good business, it is the most powerful way to build corporate credibility, trust and value.

Going beyond product or service-level certification, it is also the only accreditation that measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance. From supply chain and input materials through to charitable giving and employee benefits. B Corp Certification is proof a business is meeting the highest standards of verified performance.

 

 

To achieve the status, businesses must go through what is called the B Impact Assessment. This evaluates how the company’s operations and business model impact its workers, community, environment and customers. The Assessment is scored out of a possible 200 points. A minimum of 80 points is required for a company to qualify.

Rowlinson’s role model and main inspiration on its journey to becoming a B Corp is the outdoor clothing company, Patagonia. Holding an impressive 151.5 B Impact score, Patagonia’s products represent function, repairability and durability. They are designed to last for generations or be recycled so that the materials in them remain in use. Inspired by Patagonia and its practices, Rowlinson has already managed to eliminate two tonnes of the plastic annually used to protect its garments by simply folding them differently.

Whilst Rowlinson has a number of new initiatives underway to support its goal, much of what will qualify the business as a B Corp is already in place.

Commitment to care

Caring about how it does business is Rowlinson’s mantra and within this it prioritises being a caring employer. “Until now the most significant step in the firm’s history was in 2015 when we became employee-owned,” continues Clark. “As well as being an ethical investment, implementing this fair-for-all philosophy has resulted in increased productivity, enhanced customer satisfaction and retained profit. All confirming that ethical business also makes commercial sense.”

The same year Rowlinson transitioned to employee ownership, the company’s commitment to caring for its people and its core values was strengthened further through its first Investors in People (IIP) Gold Standard accreditation. Two years later it was also the first in the schoolwear market to become a foundation member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) to drive improvements throughout its supply chain.

By 2018, Rowlinson had published its first Modern Day Slavery Statement. It had also become an accredited Living Wage employer, meaning everyone who works for the business receives a minimum hourly wage that is above the statutory minimum hourly rate. Rowlinson was also the first schoolwear manufacturer – and the first clothing manufacturer in Greater Manchester – to become Living Wage accredited.

 

 

Changing lives

Rowlinson invests heavily in socially responsible initiatives. One of its proudest accomplishments is a project that gifts water filters to workers in its Bangladeshi factory. Launched in 2014, the programme sees everyone employed by the factory, regardless of position, receive a water filter to take home to share with family and friends after two years of employment. Based on the success of the project, both in terms of loyalty and more importantly the far-reaching health benefits, Rowlinson has since reduced the qualifying service time down to one year.

Furthermore, an additional project for the Bangladeshi factory launched this year granting access to the Amader Kotha Worker Helpline. Established following the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, the confidential telephone helpline enables people working in the manufacturing sector in Bangladesh to report and resolve safety issues as well as any other work-related concerns. In conjunction with its partner New Horizon, Rowlinson is providing the people who make its garments in Bangladesh with free-of-charge access to the helpline.

Other humanitarian schemes Rowlinson is involved in include supporting work to promote women’s health. Also, tackling period poverty in its local communities. It has also signed the Responsible Sourcing Network’s Cotton Pledges, which means it will not source cotton from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan until forced labour in its cotton sector is eliminated.

A transparent approach to business

A fundamental element of being an ethical business is being a transparent one, an approach that Rowlinson has embraced wholeheartedly. As part of this agreement, the company is mapping all of its supply chains.

In 2017 it published its tier 1 suppliers, which include two factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh. One manufactures Rowlinson’s cotton knitwear and sweatshirts, while the other produces sweatshirts and the company’s new eco blazers and jackets. There is also its acrylic knitwear factory in Egypt and its polo factory in the Philippines.

For each of these sites, published information includes the location of the factory and the type of goods produced. Also, names of the Rowlinson QC colleagues based at each site, the number of employees and a gender breakdown. For further transparency, Rowlinson mapped its tier 2 supply chain last year.

To help meet the B Impact Assessment criteria, Rowlinson is currently working hard on reducing its environmental impact. For this reason, by the end of 2019, it is pledging to be carbon neutral. Also, to comply with ISO14001 (the International Standard for Environmental Management Systems).

Similarly, as a Sedex member, Rowlinson is completing Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA). This will enable it to conduct high-quality ethical audits. These will cover all aspects of responsible business practice across Sedex’s four pillars; Labour, Health and Safety, Environment and Business Ethics.

 

 

Using business as a force for good

Becoming a B Corp will be the ultimate public declaration of Rowlinson’s longstanding work to protect people and planet; representing over 10 years of striving to meet the highest standards in social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

On joining this global movement, Rowlinson will become part of a network that revolves around attracting like-minded followers. Of sharing knowledge, and being responsible for its broader impact on employees, communities and the planet. It’s time for businesses to be more than just their numbers. It’s time to be responsible.

 

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