House of Baukjen named highest-scoring SME fashion B Corp globally

House of Baukjen, the purpose-driven London-based fashion company featuring womenswear maternity wear brands Baukjen and Isabella Oliver, has been recognised as the highest-scoring fashion small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) B Corp in the world.

The British fashion company received a B Corp score of 153.6, which propels the sustainable and socially conscious womenswear brands into the top five global fashion B Corp companies including Patagonia.

House of Baukjen, which has been B Corp certified since 2021, saw its score increase by 42 percent following its most recent recertification, underscored by its dedication to people and the planet, alongside its desire for scientifically backed, cutting-edge solutions to reduce its environmental footprint.

In a statement, the family-run fashion business said it had reached the “extraordinary milestone” by adding a fourth ‘Impact Business Model’ (IBM) to its B Corp profile, described as a rare feat in the B Corp community.

Baujken continues to showcase excellence in responsible fashion

Key aspects that helped to drive the impressive score was its continuous approach to sustainability, such as sourcing and partnering with its pioneering Portuguese manufacturers to add innovative dyeing technologies to their current practices. This new approach requires fewer and cooler washes, slashing supplier and dyehouse emissions by 50 percent. According to the House of Baukjen sustainability department, if adopted industry-wide, this dyeing auxiliary could cut the global fashion sector’s carbon footprint by 6.7 percent.

That innovative approach to its collections can also be seen with its upcoming autumn/winter 2024 collection, which the fashion house states is its most sustainable to date, with recycled, organic, regenerative or certified fibres forming the majority of its pieces.

This builds on the brand’s ‘Baukjen Lab’ collection utilising low-impact, "future-focused" fabrics introduced last November. The innovative and responsible collection seeks next-generation solutions and alternatives to carbon-heavy options, such as Nativa Regenerative Wool, H2Color, and Tencel denim. For AW24, ‘Baukjen Lab’ will be adding 100 percent recycled PET sequins.

House of Baukjen also offers its consumers pre-loved, rental and subscription services, and introduced a Sustainability Index, sharing environmental and social impact scores for each product in its collections to help customers make better-informed purchasing choices. The brand rates every product using Life Cycle Assessment data to calculate water, chemical and carbon footprints.

The company is also an active member of the Fashion Pact, the United Nations Fashion Charter for Climate Action, the Science-Based Target Network and the Terra Carta programme working to drive lasting, positive change in the fashion industry.

House of Baukjen receives a B Corp score of 153.6 in strong recertification

Geoff van Sonsbeeck, chief executive and co-founder of House of Baukjen said in a statement: "We are incredibly proud of this achievement. You can’t cheat a B Corp certification; you can't greenwash this - you have to earn it.

“This recognition proves our dedication to truly balancing people, planet, and profit."

For companies to be certified as B Corp they must demonstrate high social and environmental performance, make a legal commitment to change their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, demonstrate that they use profits and growth to a greater end, and exhibit transparency across its practices, supply chain and input materials.

The certification process addresses every aspect of the business in five key impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers.

Van Sonsbeeck added: "B Corp itself is not the end game; what matters is the journey towards a better world. For the sake of the planet and the people, we encourage other businesses to join us on the B Corp journey and become better businesses. Better Business, for Good.

"We believe in change and hold ourselves accountable. There's no going back from here; it's about continuous progress. This certification is part of the multiple external commitments that we pledge to."