15 Nov 2022
Kent-based practice becomes the first veterinary business in Europe to achieve B Corp accreditation.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Pennard Vets staff celebrate their award of B Corp accreditation.
An employee-owned veterinary practice group has become the first in Europe to achieve B Corp accreditation for the standard of its social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
Pennard Vets has joined some of the world’s biggest brands, including The Body Shop, BrewDog, Ben and Jerry’s, and Innocent Drinks, in achieving the standard.
Veterinary surgeon Caroline Collins said the accreditation was a natural and “transformational” step for the Kent-based firm, which became employee-owned last year.
She said: “Ultimately, we exist to benefit our people, the communities we work in and the environment, rather than solely focusing on profit, and becoming a B Corp is the highest level of external recognition of this.
“Pennard Vets has been around for more than 125 years, and we want the business to be here in another 125 years or more.”
She added: “We’re extremely proud to achieve B Corp status and there’s no doubt that it will be transformational for the business, in the same way that becoming an EOT (employment ownership trust) has been.
“Being employee owned and socially minded is a huge draw for vets and nurses seeking a change in their career, who want to be part of an organisation where they can have a real say in the running of the practice and make a tangible difference to the environment.
“It also means that we can now make very long-term decisions that could even take several decades to pay off, which would be very difficult to do in a traditional shareholder business, and that gives our team the authority to always do the right thing.”
Operations manager Joy Cole, who led the process, said the award would not be the end of the group’s activity on sustainability issues.
She said: “This accreditation has taken a long time to achieve, but throughout the process it opened our eyes to the fact that we were already doing a lot of what was required, which was hugely inspirational for everyone involved.
“We’re now looking forward to building on this further as we continue to focus on reducing our carbon footprint and making other positive changes that will benefit our team, our clients and the local community.”
