Formal B Corp certification for Smile Together
Smile Together is now officially a certified B-Corporation, and the first dental practice in the UK to achieve this prestigious accreditation.
As Paul Critchley, Smile Together Managing Director, explains: “This is a tremendous accolade. As a values-based, mission-led organisation, impact is at the heart of everything we do and it was natural for us to seek B Corp accreditation. After a rigorous and lengthy certification process, we can now proudly shout that we’re a member of this international community of like-minded organisations making business a force for good across the world”.
Smile Together is an award-winning employee-owned dental community interest company operating across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and we achieved an impressively high overall B Impact Score of 122.9. In context, 80 qualifies for B Corp Certification, so a score like this is incredibly high demonstrating our commitment to our patients, community, environment, suppliers, partners and one another.
The formal B Corp plaque presentation took place on Monday 15th August overlooking Polzeath Beach with Mark Cuddigan, Head of fellow B Corp Ella’s Kitchen. Their mission is to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food and doing everything they can to look after our planet, so all little ones can grow up in a healthy happy world. Mark is a member of the national executive for B Corp UK and explains:
“B Corp provides independent verification that an organisation meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability in balancing profit and purpose. B Corp is not just about getting a badge, it’s continuing to do the right thing as a business. It’s about collaborating to make the world a better place. We are thrilled to see Smile Together achieve their certification, and with such a great score and potential influence”.
Also in attendance was Nick Wills, Head of IT & Information Governance for Smile Together, who coordinated the B Corp assessment process, and Chris Hines MBE who works closely with the company and inspired their B Corp journey. Chris explains: “Increasingly people want to work for, buy from and invest in businesses they believe in. You often hear people say ‘there’s no Planet B’ and they are genuinely interested in businesses with an ethos that’s about making a sustainable difference. Smile Together has an impressive track record in this space and it made perfect sense for them to seek B Corp certification and in turn inspire others to become a business for good”.
Paul concurs: “From those first steps as an independent dental CIC in 2016 we have made extraordinary progress – we’re a company that can and does make great things happen, and our B Corp certification will ensure we have an even more positive impact in the future”!
B Corporations represent a global community that thinks business can and should be a force for good for people and the planet. As a CIC and now certified B Corporation, Smile Together is legally required to consider the impact of our business decisions and evaluate and measure our entire social and environmental performance. There is a strong and growing B Corp community in the UK and our ambition is to be an influential leader in this space, continuing to make a sustainable difference for one another, our patients, other stakeholders and ultimately the planet.
B Lab is the non-profit network behind B Corporation certification, transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Their intention is not to stop until all business is a force for good and remains such.
