Parisian womenswear brand Ba&sh has become a B Corp-certified company after obtaining an “outstanding” score of 98 points for its social and environmental standards.

Pierre-Arnaud Grenade, chief executive of Ba&sh, said in a statement: “Ba&sh is a staunchly optimistic brand with an eye on the future. As we all know, obtaining this B Corp certification is an important step in the right direction, but it’s by no means the end of the journey, it commits us for years to come.

“More than anything, we are proud to join the international B Corp movement and stand alongside the many other businesses. I would like to congratulate all of our employees for their hard work and unwavering commitment. Together, we believe in the optimism of action.”

For the B Corp Certification, Ba&sh's operations were assessed across five key impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers, and the French brand was awarded an impact assessment score of 98 points, ahead of the industry standard of 80.9.

French brand Ba&sh commits to social and environmental responsibility with B Corp

Ba&sh B Corp certified Credits: Ba&sh

This follows on from the womenswear brand creating a sustainable development strategy, placing environmental action (climate, biodiversity, water), social compliance and traceability, certified and innovative materials, circularity, and a diverse and inclusive community at the heart of the company.

Key commitments include increasing the circularity of its products so they have more than one life cycle. In 2023, the brand took back 20,000 pre-loved items and is aiming for 50,000 in 2026, pledging 100 percent traceability on its products right back to the manufacturing of the thread used, as opposed to 60 percent in 2023, as well as obtain 30 percent of its wool through financing three regenerative agriculture farms.

Ba&sh is also looking to reduce its carbon footprint and help to preserve ecosystems and water resources. It reduced its CO2 emissions by 15 percent between 2021 and 2022 across all of its operations. It is now aiming to relocate 60 percent of its production to nearby countries by 2025, as well as power 100 percent of its points of sale with renewable energy and reduce its use of flights for business trips by 25 percent.

Other priorities include expanding its efforts to support women through entrepreneurship, health and education and choosing materials that have less impact on people, nature and animals. By summer 2024, 80 percent of the materials used in Ba&sh’s collections will be certified, as opposed to 66 percent in 2023, with the ultimate aim to be 100 percent by 2025.

Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief, co-founders of Ba&sh, added: “We founded Ba&sh in 2003 when our children were still little. The brand has grown and so have our teams, but we have never lost sight of our vision to create clothing with a positive mindset and a desire to do better.

“Getting Ba&sh officially B Corp certified is one way of living up to the promise we made to ourselves.”