The Edgbaston Park Hotel, owned by the University of Birmingham and which opened in 2018, has earned the prestigious B Corp Certification. This initiative, led by B Lab UK, recognises the hotel’s high social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to both staff and customers.
Joining businesses including Innocent Drinks, The Guardian and Tony’s Chocolonely, the hotel is now part of a growing community of over 9,700 businesses globally and over 2,500 in the UK.
B Lab UK is a non-profit organisation, forming part of the global B Network, which strives to lead and transform economic systems to benefit all people, communities and the planet. They create standards, policies, tools, and programmes for business, and certify B Corps who are leading the way.
Through the auditing process, the Edgbaston Park Hotel demonstrated its commitment to purpose as well as profit in its governance. For example, the hotel has embedded sustainability into its practices, by improving energy efficiency and waste management, and has also recently been awarded ECOsmart and Green Tourism Gold awards for their work to reduce single-use plastic. Working with businesses that share similar sustainability values, such as Birmingham Brewing Company, is an integral part of the hotel’s business plan.
On the certification, Richard Metcalfe, Chief Executive Officer of Edgbaston Park Hotel, said: ‘We couldn’t be more delighted. I’m grateful to my fantastic team for always going the extra mile to ensure we not only give customers excellent service, but we do the right thing by the planet, our community and our staff too.
‘We’re very proud to be recognised as a force for good, and excited to continue our journey together with other B Corporations to benefit communities, people and the planet as a whole.’
The hotel is also Hive Employee Voice Certified and committed to its staff as well as its customers. This is evidenced by outstanding benefits, including developmental opportunities, two paid volunteering days a year, a staff recognition scheme and team awards night. Beyond this, the hotel also strives to be a force for good in the community. It does this by offering discounts to graduands and their families at graduation, sponsoring beehives, donating to charities such as St Basils Homeless Charity, and reinvesting their profits into the University to fund its research and education.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, added: ‘We are delighted to welcome Edgbaston Park Hotel 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 the hotel is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.’
This certification follows numerous awards that the hotel has achieved over the last year, such as Midlands Food, Drink and Hospitality Hotel of the Year Award, Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Sustainability Award and the miaList Sales and Marketing Team of the Year, further reaffirming its position as a sector-leading organisation.
The University of Birmingham is committed to achieving operational net zero carbon and living in a way that provides the needs for us all to live a happy and healthy life, without preventing future generations’ ability to do the same. Sustainability is a key pillar within our 2030 strategy and we are driving positive change within our university by adopting environmentally responsible practices and processes. Find out more at www.birmingham.ac.uk/sustainability.
