Watermark Coffee’s Journey to B Corp Certification: A Commitment to Purpose Beyond Profit

Nov 28, 2024 | News

At Watermark Coffee, we are thrilled to announce that we have become B Corp certified! This milestone represents not only an acknowledgement of our values but also a significant step forward in our ongoing journey to make a positive impact on the environment, our community, and our industry. As a family-run, boutique Irish coffee company with over 25 years of dedication to sustainability, fairness, and exceptional coffee, earning this certification reflects our commitment to purpose beyond profit.

 

What is B Corp Certification?

For those new to the concept, B Corp Certification is awarded by the non-profit B Lab to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Corps are recognised globally for their commitment to using business as a force for good, balancing profit with purpose to deliver long-term benefits for society, the environment, and their stakeholders. This certification requires a rigorous assessment across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.

Our certification journey pushed us to scrutinise and improve our practices, ensuring we meet B Lab’s high standards in all areas of our business. We’re incredibly proud to now join a global community of over 4,000 businesses that share a similar mission to prioritise purpose and impact.

 

Why B Corp Certification Matters to Us

From the beginning, Watermark Coffee has operated with a strong sense of responsibility towards sustainability and social impact. This certification formalises our commitment to these values, holding us accountable and inspiring us to continuously improve. For us, it’s not just about the coffee – it’s about how we can contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world.

Our dedication to environmental responsibility includes a range of high-impact projects funded through our coffee sales, each of which drives meaningful change. These projects range from community-led climate initiatives to educational outreach, helping to foster awareness and action across Ireland. Our Woodland Coffee and Green Ocean Coffee brands exemplify our belief in collaboration to expand our impact and support projects that benefit both people and the planet.

 

How Our Certification Impacts Our Clients and Community

Becoming a B Corp strengthens our commitment to delivering value and impact for our clients and community. As a B2B company serving corporate and hospitality clients across Ireland, our clients can be assured that their choice to work with us supports a business that upholds high ethical and sustainable standards while contributing to high-impact environmental projects here in Ireland. For our community, this certification reaffirms our dedication to our local environmental projects in Limerick, Dublin, and Mayo.

We’ve always believed in taking an active role in our community, offering educational programmes and participating in community-led environmental actions. B Corp Certification only intensifies our dedication to these initiatives and our drive to create a more inclusive and environmentally sustainable future.

 

What’s Next for Watermark Coffee as a B Corp?

With our B Corp Certification, Watermark Coffee is more energised than ever to amplify our impact. As we expand our Green Ocean and Woodland Projects each year, we’re committed to increasing our transparent, positive climate actions that create tangible local environmental impacts. Moving forward, a primary focus for Watermark Coffee will be to enhance our efforts in nature-positive business practices—aligning our growth with the principles of environmental regeneration and biodiversity protection.

Our journey to reduce our carbon footprint by lowering emissions is ongoing. While we’ve already achieved a significant 55% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions over the past six years, we remain committed to further reductions, recognising that every step counts in building a more sustainable future. This focus is essential to our long-term environmental goals and aligns with our dedication to responsible business practices under our B Corp values.

Becoming a certified B Corp is more than a milestone; it is a pledge to continuously improve—for our clients, our community, and the planet. At Watermark Coffee, we are excited about this new chapter as a B Corp and look forward to deepening our role in purpose-driven business for years to come.