Exclusive Collection becomes first UK hotel operator to achieve B Corp certification

Exclusive Collection has become the UK’s first hotel group to achieve B Corp certification after overhauling its business operations to prioritise purpose as well as profit. 

In order to achieve the B Corp certification from not-for-profit organisation B Labs, the company had to meet stringent environmental and social standards, representative of its goals outside of shareholder profit. 

Encompassing the entirety of a business’s operations, the B Corp certification has a rigorous application process, covering five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. Applicants must reach a benchmark of 80 or higher and provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, employee compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. 

In order to complete the certification, the company will also have to legally embed its commitment to ‘purpose beyond profit’ in the company articles. 

“It’s been a long but rewarding process to achieve B Corp certification and we’ve learned so much and have so much still to do,” said Exclusive Collection MD Danny Pecorelli.

“We’re now embarking on a new chapter for the Collection where we’ll build on the good that we’ve been doing for the last 40 years and looking at how we can do it better.

“B Corp is a community that we are very proud to be associated with and we too will play our part in helping to educate and spread the word that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is about profit,” he added. 

The company is now part of a 4,000-strong global community of businesses with B Corp certification status. Other B Corp certified UK businesses include The Guardian, The Body Shop, Abel & Cole and Patagonia.

Exclusive Collection’s B Corp certification is a notable step and signals a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the hospitality sector. 

Kate Sandle, director of programmes and engagement at B Lab UK, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Exclusive Collection to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good.”

“We know that Danny and the Exclusive team are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.”