The green cleaning company with sustainability at its heart
Since 1989, Hull firm Bio-D has been manufacturing cleaning products that are effective, ethical and environmentally friendly, from hand soaps to laundry liquids and surface sprays.
In a market where many firms claim to be ‘green’, Bio-D’s commitment to sustainability is backed up by accreditations from highly-respected UK and international organisations – including B Corp Certification, a clear sign that a business is meeting the highest standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency.
We caught up with Bio-D’s sustainability, NPD and regulatory manager Heather Nixon to find out about the firm’s approach to reducing its environmental impact and its advice for other organisations seeking to cut their carbon footprint.
Let’s start with B Corp Certification – of over 5 million UK businesses, less than 2,000 are B Corp Certified. What does it mean and why was it important for Bio-D?
“Being B Corp Certified means that we meet rigorous social and environmental standards. It’s evidence of our belief in using business as a force for good, prioritising sustainability and ethical practices across all areas of the business, from employee benefits to producing and distributing our products.
“It took a huge amount of time and effort to achieve certification two years ago and to maintain it we need to go through an audit process every three years. But it’s important for us, partly because it means we can prove our sustainability credentials, but mainly because the level of transparency and reporting it requires holds us to account and keeps us focused on continuing to strive for improvements across the business.
“We were the first company in Hull and East Yorkshire to achieve certification and there are still only a handful of B Corps locally.”
So, what are your most recent achievements in terms of environmental sustainability?
“We’ve already achieved net zero in terms of our energy usage (Scope 1 and 2 emissions), thanks to measures we’ve taken over recent years, including installing solar panels and switching to 100% renewable electricity for the times when the sun isn’t shining!
“Our carbon reduction goals for last year were to cut our emissions per product, carry out a life cycle assessment of our products, install an electric vehicle (EV) charging point for use by staff and visitors and have our site reviewed by an external expert to see where else we could make energy savings.
“We achieved them all, including cutting our emissions by a massive 13% per product, which the whole team was hugely proud of.”
What advice would you give organisations at the start of their sustainability journey?
“Understanding your carbon footprint is an important first step. Before we began measuring and reporting on our emissions we were doing what we thought were the right things but having the data meant we were able to prioritise activities that would give us the biggest impact.”
How important is it for businesses who want to become more sustainable to set specific goals?
“I think setting annual goals and targets as part of an overall carbon reduction plan is vital for progress and momentum. They don’t all have to be big goals – the smaller stuff is important too, and it all adds up.
“For an organisation starting out on their sustainability journey I’d suggest setting five to 10 goals to help you stay focused. You might not achieve all of them in the timescales you hoped for but it’s an amazing feeling once you get into it and see the changes you can make.”
What are some of the simple things organisations can do to reduce carbon emissions?
“Among the easy wins for us have been switching the paper we use to recycled stock and keeping a bank of rechargeable batteries for use, rather than standard batteries.
“And of course, we’d always recommend swapping the cleaning products that use harsh chemicals for ones that have a lower environmental impact!”
And what’s next for Bio-D on the sustainability front?
“At the start of the year we published our latest sustainability report, which included our goals for 2024. They include continuing to reduce emissions per product and putting in place sensors on the lights in our staff canteen and locker room.
“Our next B Corp certification audit is due in January 2025 and we’ve also set ourselves a stretching target to improve our score. Another of our goals is to win a reputable sustainability award – as well as further evidence for our customers of our commitment to having a positive social impact, it would be fantastic recognition for the efforts of the whole Bio-D team.
“We were recently named as finalists in the SME category of the Yorkshire Sustainability Excellence Awards, so will hopefully soon have the chance to mark that goal as complete!”
If you’d like more information on the steps Bio-D has taken to work towards net zero, or are looking for inspiration on what to include in your own sustainability report, you can see Bio-D’s latest report here.