Nursery provider earns B Corp status

A national nursery group has achieved a sustainability milestone after securing B Corp certification, with bosses saying the award will encourage it to “strive” for “even greater heights”.

Partou UK, which operates more than 100 day nursery settings, has received the global accreditation after meeting standards covering social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

The certification process, independently administered by not-for-profit organisation B Lab, assesses businesses across five areas, including governance, employees, communities, environmental impact and customer relationships.

Bosses say the recognition reflects Partou’s commitment to operating responsibly while delivering services to children and families across its network.

Kirsty Jackson, Partou co-managing director, said: “We’re proud that Partou has achieved B Corp certification. 

“I want to thank team members at every level who put in a lot of hard work over many months to achieve this outcome.

“The assessment process highlighted the strength of our governance and the policies that underpin everything we do. 

“For example, our well-established feedback channels enable families to share their feedback and access support when they need it.

“We have developed detailed people policies covering those issues of greatest importance to team members including equality, inclusion, pay, benefits and employment practices, including our newly introduced menopause policy.  

“We provide additional health and wellbeing assistance through our Employees Assistance Programme and Medicash.

“We are also focussed on expanding and measuring our social impact, actively contributing to everyday lives in the communities we serve with regular fundraising activities for good causes across our settings.

“Partou will continue to strive, not only to maintain high standards in all we do but raise our performance levels across all areas of our business to even greater heights.”  

Certified organisations are reassessed every three years to ensure they continue to meet B Corp standards.

Partou joins a growing global community of around 10,300 certified B Corps, including approximately 2700 businesses across the UK.

Chris Turner, chief executive of B Lab UK, added: “We are delighted to welcome Partou UK to the B Corp community. 

“This is a movement of companies that are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good.

“We know that Partou UK is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.”

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