English sparkling wine brand achieves 'B Corporation' certification

By James Lawrence

Published: 06 January, 2022

A niche sparkling wine brand, The Uncommon, has become the first UK wine business to be certified as B Corp.

The charitable organisation B Lab (responsible for the certification) was set up to promote social and environmental responsibility among the businesses community. It uses a strict set of criteria for judging potential new members.

The certification programme assesses the entirety of a business’ operations and covers five key impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. The process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 (for which The Uncommon scored 107.4, with 100 being considered ‘Outstanding’) while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.

To complete the certification, The Uncommon has legally embedded its commitment to purpose beyond profit in its company articles.

Founded in 2018 by entrepreneurs Henry Connell and Alex Thraves, The Uncommon is packaged in a can format. The endeavour started when the owners purchased some Bacchus grapes from Denbies in Surrey and started marketing the product at Selfridges.

Henry Connell, co-founder of The Uncommon, said: “From day one, The Uncommon’s mission has been simple; to make great quality wine in the right way, with a positive impact on people and planet. We’re proud to be the first UK winemaker to join the B Corp community and hope to pave the way for others in the industry to break tradition for the better. Our ultimate ambition is to be the most sustainable wine brand in Europe, and we wholeheartedly believe that our format and small footprint has a part to play in the future of the wine industry.”

He added: “We’re particularly proud of our low carbon footprint, achieved through a fully domestic supply chain, absence of single use packaging materials and commitment to local production. Our vineyards are all located in the Southeast of England, within 50 miles of our Sustainable Wine of Great Britain accredited winery.

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