Mermaid Achieves B-Corp Certification
The Isle of Wight Distillery is in high spirits! The Distillery, producers of Mermaid Gin and Mermaid Salt Vodka, is the first business on the Isle of Wight to achieve B-Corp status from B Lab, the non profit network. The Isle of Wight Distillery also earned an overall score of 88.6, making it the highest scoring gin distillery in England to date. The home of Mermaid Gin is the 27th distillery in the world and the 13th distillery in the UK to achieve B-Corp status.
The Distillery achieved B-corp Certification by meeting and exceeding rigorous benchmarks across five categories of the B Impact Assessment: Community, Customers, Environment, Governance and Workers. This involved working with its employees and customers to reach a high level of inclusion and working with its supply chain to achieve a high level of transparency and accountability. The Distillery met these criteria independently and, unusually, without guidance from external consultants.
Xavier Baker, co-founder, Mermaid Gin, commented: “Since our inception in 2014, the team at the Isle of Wight Distillery have been committed to the environmentally friendly production of spirits and the preservation of our island and marine environment.
“We want to use our brand as a force for good within the local community and are delighted to join a community of B-Ccrp businesses that have been recognised for their commitment to operate in a way that has a positive impact on the planet.”
The company’s B-corp certification comes three years after the distillery relaunched Mermaid Gin in a strikingly sculpted, plastic-free and fully recyclable bottle. The Distillery is now in the process of setting its near-term science-based targets to eliminate and reduce its emissions.
One of the key efforts recognised as part of the scoring and certification is the dedication of the Distillery to reduce its impact on the environment by minimising waste and preserving resources. The Isle of Wight Distillery has engaged in a number of initiatives that reinforce its commitment to sustainability. These include working with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to monitor and restore seagrass meadows in the waters surrounding their island home. As well as financially supporting the project, the team take part in surveys and beach clean-ups, working as ‘Marine Champions’ for the Trust. Mermaid Gin is also working with Surfers against Sewage, a national marine conservation and campaigning charity tackling plastic pollution and protecting the UK’s coastline for people to enjoy safely and sustainably.
Xavier continued: “Our mission when we founded Mermaid Gin and Vodka was not only to create great quality spirits but also install responsible practices in everything we do. We are a small team, the majority of whom live and work on the island, and I am so proud of what we have all achieved. To be considered as a company that holds some of the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability in the world of business, is a great honour.”
Xavier Baker and Conrad Gauntlett - the Distillery's founders
