Sustainability at ALLpaQ: Our Journey to B Corp

Sustainability at ALLpaQ

Over the last 4 years, we have been committed to improving our impact on the environment.

Our progress hasn’t happened overnight, but it is the result of weekly meetings, implementing small changes, better processes, new standards, and teamwork.

Here at ALLpaQ, we’ve built an in-house sustainability team, measured our carbon footprint each year, and brought in Green Small Business – a sustainability consultancy for SMEs, to see where this could take us.

Our Journey to B Corp

Step 1: How it all began

4 years ago, our finance director, Kirsten, decided that we needed to do more for the environment. And, as a business working in plastics and pharma, we aren’t in a position to ignore the importance of sustainability. This wasn’t due to a demand from customers, but because we felt it was the right and moral thing to do.

This led to the creation of our very own in-house sustainability team with the help of our stellar peers Ed, Jake, and Bernie. This team was vital in keeping us accountable and measuring our carbon footprint annually – providing both focus and evidence for our mission.

Without this process, we wouldn’t have had access to the data, which showed significant improvements, such as:

• Our total emissions decreased from 5,010.45 tCO2e (2021/22) to 847.66 tCO2e (2024/25).
• Our carbon intensity (tonnes of CO2e per £m turnover) improved from 506.11 to 241.5 over the same period.

We’re extremely proud of these achievements and are excited to see what’s still to come.

Step 2: EcoVadis

EcoVadis represents the goal standard of global sustainability ratings – providing trusted classifications based on environmental, social, and ethical performance. This certification assesses policies, actions, and results and tailors them to the company, diligently checking evidence and documentation. A gold medal is awarded to the top 5% of companies each month across all industries.

Here at ALLpaQ, we moved from bronze to silver before finally achieving gold in 2025. During our most recent assessment, we achieved an overall score of 79/100, with 85/100 in the environment portion, placing us in the 97th percentile.

In particular, our environmental policies on water, customer health and safety, product end-of-life, materials, chemicals, waste, and energy consumption and GHGs were noticed as strengths. We were also recognised for our comprehensive policy on a majority of environmental issues and quantitative objectives set for energy consumption and GHGs.

These steps wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Sandi Goddard and Jake, who both took on huge responsibilities and really pushed the business forward.  This was a result of hard work as a team, including implementing the right policies, collating evidence, and reinforcing strong day-to-day habits.

Step 3: ISO 14001

ISO 14001 is recognised internationally for environmental management systems (EMS) standards. It outlines a framework for businesses to improve environmental performance by undertaking proactive measures to achieve objectives. 

Following advice from the ISO 14001 framework can have a number of benefits, including:

• Minimising resource depletion
• Reducing biodiversity loss
• Countering climate change
• Reducing waste
• Conserving energy
• Saving costs

When a business achieves ISO 14001 status, it often also leads to an improved reputation and an increased stakeholder trust.

We successfully secured ISO 14001 status thanks to the help of our Quality Team – signalling our commitment to relying on beneficial systems and not just good intentions.

Step 4: B Corp

B Corp, often also referred to as B Corporation, is awarded by B Lab – a global nonprofit organisation. Their goal is to ameliorate people and the planet by holding high social, environmental, and governance standards. B Corp awards transparency and accountability, rather than perfection.

This global movement has created a community dedicated to taking action on today’s most prevalent issues, and measures and assesses a business’s impact on governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.

Initially, we were a little hesitant about the possibility of achieving this, as it isn’t common practice in our industry, but Bernie really believed in our potential to take this next big step – and so, we got to work!

Pursuing this certification required a lot of teamwork, including weekly calls to work through the essential submission and verification stages.

We’re now delighted to announce that we have achieved B Corp certification – signifying our commitment to continuously evolving and improving.

What’s next for ALLpaQ?

Despite our successes, we aren’t done yet. We aren’t perfect, but we are committed to doing better and proving it. This is just the beginning for us, and we’re looking forward to embedding what we’ve built, strengthening reporting, and bettering ourselves as a business.

This isn’t just a win for our business, but belongs to the entire team. It wouldn’t have been possible without their dedication, leadership, consistency, and hard work.

What’s more, we will be continuing to specifically train team members on elements of sustainability, including measuring carbon footprints.

Want to discover our services? If you’re looking for a B Corp-certified solution for fluid management systems, contact the ALLpaQ team today, or take a look at our sustainability hub to learn more.

Author

Niamh Allen

As a dedicated and detail-oriented Marketing Assistant, Niamh brings a strong passion for creativity and analytics to the marketing team.

Follow me