BrewDog is hit with more controversy after having its B Corp Certificate revoked
(Picture: PA Wire)BrewDog has lost its status as a B Corp – a certificate offering a company’s ethical commitment to the environment, staff, and community.
Two years after joining the scheme, and a year after apologising to staff and former employees after a signed open letter alleged a “culture of fear”, the brewery is once again in hot water.
A B Corp Certification is a designation which means a business is meeting the high standards of verified performance, including accountability and transparency.
But a spokesperson for B Lab stated: “BrewDog is no longer a Certified B Corp.
“B Lab does not comment on companies that are no longer in the B Corp community. I’m afraid I cannot share any further information.”
Brewdog loses B Corp certificate. Time to recognise a trade union https://t.co/qXGSxGLbj9
— keith flett (@kmflett) December 1, 2022
BrewDog and the BBC documentary
Tweeting his response after initially being granted the B Corp Certificate, James Watt – the brewer’s co-founder and chief executive - wrote how proud he was that the company was joining a “global community of businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social & environmental performance to help build a better world”.
Yet the company has been accused yet again of hypocrisy after having the certificate revoked.
It was rumoured that BrewDog were allegedly being investigated by B Lab after staff complaints of an unhealthy workplace culture were submitted after the BBC documentary, Disclosure: The Truth About Brewdog.
B Lab says it investigates “material, credible and specific claims” against a company on the grounds of either “intentional misrepresentation of practices, policies, or outcomes claimed during a company’s certification process”, or “breaches of the B Corp community’s core values”.
We would like to make a brief statement regarding the removal of BrewDog’s B Corp status by @bcorporation. pic.twitter.com/jdiovSAtFa
— Punks With Purpose (@PunksWPurpose) December 2, 2022
Qatar World Cup
Recently, the beer giants were branded “hypocritical virtue signallers” after slamming the Qatar World Cup despite are doing business in China.
Mark Sabah, of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said: “It’s completely hypocritical.”
He added: “You cannot call out an authoritarian regime and support another just because they buy and make your beer.
“If they are going to be calling out human-rights abuses in Qatar, they should be doing the same in China.”
Watt wrote in an internal memo to staff on Thursday, December 1, stating: “We have decided to step aside from our B Corp certification for the time being.
“B Lab had requested additional measures from BrewDog and the BrewDog board decided that these were not something we could do at this time.
“Though we remain committed to the values upheld by B-Lab, we believe our business is currently best served by focusing on the blueprint.”
