Celebrating our B Corp Certification

This week, UMi achieved something no other business services company in North East England has managed. We became B Corp Certified.

B Corp is a global movement that champions social good. An inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for people and the planet. It champions business as a force for good, as do we.

And that’s where UMi has worked so hard. To achieve a support system for businesses across the UK, to stand by them as the ebb and flow of the cost of trading continues to influence our fragile small business ecosystem.

We’ve grown our forward-thinking, ethical, business operation that has people, environment and sustainability at its core. Through the evaluation process, which includes more than 200 criteria, we were able to demonstrate the positive impact UMi has across governance, environment, workers, community and customers and comfortably surpassed the 80-point pass mark by achieving a final score of 121 points (the average business scores just 50).

One area that stands us apart is our approach to what B Corp calls Workers. Over a decade ago, UMi became employee-owned, giving each and every employee a say in the growth and development of our enterprise. Then in 2021, we were voted one of the best companies to work for by Best Companies. B Corp certification has been a long-standing aspiration for UMi. The rigorous certification process, putting people at the heart of everything we do has played a big part in securing our place in the B Corp hall of fame, alongside global brands like Patagonia and Innocent Drinks and many much smaller challenger brands setting out to change the world.

Employee ownership has created a culture of togetherness by simply doing the right thing, helping UMi become a better business for both our customers and our staff. Our sense of togetherness played a big part in our B Corp journey and every employee has had a part to play in this milestone.

The B Corp accreditation comes at a crucial time for UMi as it galvanises its partners and experts to help address the cost of trading crisis. UMi is taking the hard work out of finding the best advice, tools and resources needed to survive in the market as businesses become heavily impacted by factors including skills shortages, high inflation and rising interest rates.

How will this shape UMi’s future? Attaining B Corp certification is not a tick box for us. It will keep us accountable and set our direction of travel as we pledge to continue measuring, managing and improving the positive impact is has on other businesses, its employees and most importantly the environment.

Find out more about what it means to be part of the B Corp family at https://bcorporation.uk

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