BrewDog has lost its status as a B Corp company less than two years after joining the scheme after a BBC documentary and an open letter from workers alleging a ‘culture of fear’.
The certification is awarded to company’s who demonstrate an ethical commitment to the environment, community and staff.
The controversial beer brand, which was recently called hypocritical for running a World Cup ad campaign highlighting Qatar’s poor human rights despite being criticised by the Unite Hospitality union for the treatment of its own workers, achieved B Corp status in February 2021.
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James Watt, Brewdog co-founder and chief executive, pledged to launch a B Corp branded beer to acknowledge the achievement at the time.
However, the company is understood to have been subject to an investigation by B Lab after staff submitted complaints following a BBC documentary, Disclosure: The Truth About Brewdog, which looked at the brewer’s workplace culture.
BrewDog submitted complaints to the TV regulator, Ofcom, about the documentary, which aired earlier this year.
It follows open letter signed by former and current employees alleging a “culture of fear” in which workers were bullied and “treated like objects.”
B Lab says it investigates “material, credible and specific claims” against a company on the grounds of either “intentional misrepresentation of practices, policies, or outcomes claimed during a company’s certification process”, or “breaches of the B Corp community’s core values.”
The brewer and pub owner said it remains committed to delivering on its own internal environmental, social and staff commitments, which it set out in a plan called BrewDog Blueprint in May.
“We have decided to step aside from our B Corp certification for the time being,” said Watt in an internal memo to staff on Thursday.
Ge added: “B Lab had requested additional measures from BrewDog and the BrewDog board decided that these were not something we could do at this time.
“We firmly believe no other beer business has our environmental credentials or has invested anywhere near as much as we have in mental health support, team well-being, or training and development,” said Watt.
“Nor has any other peer launched such a significant team share programme or profit-sharing scheme.”
Over the summer, BrewDog founder James Watt responded to some of the allegations that have been plaguing the company since the drop of the BBC’s Good Ship Brewdog podcast in June.
