Newtown brewery Young Henrys has announced its B Corp certification, achieving an ‘impact score’ of 84.2.
The median business has an impact score of 50.9, while organisations need a score of 80 points to qualify for B Corp status.
The brewers join a global community of organisations in the ‘B Corp community’ – which includes businesses that have passed through rigorous testing of social, environmental and corporate practices to prove that they provide ‘Benefit to all’.
Oscar McMahon, Young Henrys Co-founder, said he was delighted to see the brewery he established in 2012 become a B Corp.
“All of us at YH are as humbled as we are thrilled to have been certified as a B Corp. As much as it reflects well on the Young Henrys business to this date, the B Corp mindset and framework more so sets the tone of what we want the business to look like, act like and feel like into the future,” McMahon said.
The Co-founder also took the opportunity to encourage additional Australian companies to follow Young Henrys’ lead.
“We urge other owners or people of influence in the private sector to look into the B Corp movement and set off down this path as well,” McMahon added.
Several Aussie breweries already have taken this path, with Young Henrys following: Brick Lane Brewing, non-alc brewery Heaps Normal, 4 Pines, Capital Brewing Co and Stone & Wood.
Young Henrys stated that the brewery’s central ethos of ‘Serve The People’ is in keeping with the B Corp mission.
‘After a decade of hard work and dedication to their staff and community, B Corp certification marks the beginning of a longer, larger journey. Alongside other B Corps around the world, Young Henrys continue the fight for change, helping lead the way for a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy,’ the statement read.
The brewery is famed for its innovative Algae Project, conducted in partnership with UTS. This initiative sees a pair of 400-litre bioreactors of algae operating at the brewery, which absorb some of the carbon dioxideproduced during the brewing process. Algae is up to five times more effective than trees at absorbing carbon dioxide, and according to UTS academics, one of these reactors can produce as much oxygen as a hectare of Australian bush.
Last year, Young Henrys introduced a brewing scholarship for people who identify as women, and non-binary folk, providing a pathway into the industry for underrepresented groups.
Young Henrys also has in place an employee share program, and makes donations to the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, Groundswell and the Dylan Alcott Foundation. In its B Corp assessment, Young Henrys received a bonus score for its continued support for ‘Local Economic Development.’
B Corp status is not a one-and-done situation. Businesses must re-apply for accreditation every three years, ensuring that they stay true to their commitments and maintain a high standard.
Ultimately for Young Henrys, this is another step in its ambition to ‘save the planet, one-beer-at-a-time’.
‘Young Henrys hopes to continue its commitment to doing better both within its close-knit family and on a global scale, by encouraging more businesses to take a leap of faith and join a transformative movement, helping the planet move towards a greener future,’ the brewery’s statement concluded.