The Botanist: B Corp 2023
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
LOOKING AHEAD…
