B Corporation (or B. Corp) are businesses that live the highest social and environmental standards for people and the planet. There are currently over 3,500 B. Corps in 150 industries and 70 countries across the globe and Tops Day Nurseries has become the first Day Nursery in the UK to become a certified B. Corp business.
To become a B. Corp, Tops were assessed and audited against demanding standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Tops Day Nurseries have already contributed a lot for an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible world – they’ve gained attention globally with their ‘Glitter ban’ back in 2017, removal of singe use plastic, installation of energy saving equipment and much, much more.
Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director, of Tops Day Nurseries says “I’m so delighted to have achieved B. Corp Certification. I first came across B. Corp in 2019 at an Adventure Unlimited Conference in London. We have been on the journey of becoming more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible for many years now, we now have plans for more solar panels, replacing our gas boilers, washable nappies instead of one-use plastic nappies, and a goal of becoming carbon neutral in 2025.
In addition to that staff and children will start visiting care homes when Covid is under control and will start taking part in community events again. We enable staff to take part in training and career opportunities and support parents with childcare while they work or train. These and many more are steps we took to become more socially responsible. With all of this put into consideration we managed to exceed the required points needed to achieve B. Corp.
Achieving certification as a B Corporation only makes us more determined to continue our mission. At the end of our financial year Tops will not only publish audited accounts but a report giving full details of progress made in every aspect of sustainability on our website, to share what we have done to educate the children of today so that they can contribute to an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible world in the future. Although the Department for Education and Ofsted don’t inspect on sustainability, we believe it should be part of every child’s education to learn about sustainability, and for all staff to know about the Sustainable Development Goals. B. Corp review our performance every 3 years so we won’t be resting on our achievements to date”.
The B. Corp Certified, Tops Day Nurseries is one of the most eco-sustainable family of day nurseries in the UK, offering childcare from children aged 3 months – school age with Hi 5’s clubs across Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.
