Fennies Nurseries: Proud to Join the Global Movement as a Certified B Corporation®

At Fennies Nurseries, we’ve always believed that businesses can and should be a force for good. We’re incredibly excited to announce that Fennies is now officially a Certified B Corporation®! This certification is a monumental milestone in our journey, reflecting our ongoing commitment to providing exceptional early years education while maintaining the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.

What Does B Corp Certification Mean?

B Corp certification is awarded to companies that meet rigorous standards set by B Lab, the nonprofit organisation behind the B Corp movement. This certification is not just a recognition; it’s a seal of approval for a company’s entire approach to business. B Corps are evaluated across five key impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. The process ensures that businesses are not only focused on profit but also on making a positive difference in society.

For us, becoming a B Corp means we’ve met the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. We’ve worked hard to ensure that every part of our operations, from the way we design our nurseries to the way we support our teams, is aligned with our values of sustainability, fairness, and inclusivity.

Why It Matters to Us

For over 30 years, Fennies has been dedicated to creating nurturing, enriching environments for children to thrive. Our approach to education has always been grounded in the belief that every child deserves a strong foundation for learning and development. But our mission has always gone beyond the nurseries. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the communities we serve, which includes our families, our teams, and the wider environment.

Becoming a Certified B Corporation® isn’t about changing who we are; it’s about recognising the alignment between our long-standing values and a globally recognised framework for doing business better. It’s a recognition of the hard work we’ve already put into ensuring that our practices are ethical, sustainable, and supportive of social and environmental well-being.

The Power of the B Corp Community

As part of the global B Corp movement, Fennies joins over 9,500 businesses worldwide that are leading the way in transforming the global economy into a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative system. This community is diverse, with companies of all sizes and industries working together to prove that businesses can thrive while creating positive social and environmental impact.

In the UK, the B Corp community is one of the largest and fastest-growing. Well-known names like Patagonia, Innocent Drinks, and The Guardian are part of this movement, demonstrating that big business can work alongside small and medium-sized enterprises to bring about positive change. Now, Fennies is proud to add our voice to this collective effort, helping to drive the conversation forward about how business can be done differently.

Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement

B Corp certification is not a one-time achievement, it’s an ongoing commitment to continuously improve. While we are incredibly proud of this certification, we know that our work is far from over. We are committed to ongoing improvement in every area of our business. Whether it’s expanding our sustainability efforts, ensuring the wellbeing of our employees, or finding new ways to support our communities, we’ll continue to push ourselves to do better.

We have transitioned all of our support team to electric vehicles and are in the process of replacing our maintenance teams' diesel vans with hybrids. EV chargers have also been installed at 90% of our settings. At the site level, we focus on energy efficiency, using programmable controls to manage hot water, heating and cooling systems, while our AC is centrally managed via an online portal to reduce energy consumption. We are also upgrading older nursery settings with new LED lighting, integrated with a Dahli system that adjusts based on PIR sensors and natural daylight. In line with waste management legislation, all sites separate general, recycling and food waste, maintaining a zero-landfill policy to ensure nothing harmful to the planet goes to waste.

As we move forward, we’re excited to deepen our connections with other B Corps, learning from one another and working together to make an even greater impact. We know that businesses can be a force for good, and by partnering with other like-minded organisations, we’ll continue to raise the bar and build a more inclusive, regenerative economy.

What This Means for You

This certification isn’t just for us, it’s for all of us. Our children, families, and teams have always been at the heart of everything we do, and this achievement is a reflection of the strong relationships we’ve built with you over the years. As a Certified B Corporation®, we’re committed to making a positive impact on everyone involved with Fennies, from the children we teach to the families we support and the team members who bring our values to life every day.

This is just the beginning of a new chapter for Fennies. We’re excited to continue growing, innovating, and making a lasting difference in the world. Thank you for being part of our journey, we couldn’t have done it without you. Together, we’ll continue to build a brighter, more sustainable future for the next generation.