Cornwall-based Smile Together is now officially a certified B-Corporation, and the first dental practice in the UK to achieve this prestigious accreditation.
As Paul Critchley, Smile Together managing director explains, “This is a tremendous accolade. As a values-based, mission-led organisation, impact is at the heart of everything we do, and it was natural for us to seek B Corp accreditation. After a rigorous and lengthy certification process, we can now proudly shout that we’re a member of this international community of like-minded organisations making business a force for good across the world”.
Smile Together is an award-winning employee-owned dental community interest company operating across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and they achieved an impressively high overall B Impact Score of 122.9. In context, 80 qualifies for B Corp Certification, so a score like this is incredibly high demonstrating their commitment to their patients, community, environment, suppliers, partners and one another.
The formal B Corp plaque presentation took place on August 15, 2022, at Polzeath Beach, Cornwall with Mark Cuddigan, head of Ella’s Kitchen and a member of the national executive for B Corp UK.
As Mark explains, “B Corp provides independent verification that an organisation meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability in balancing profit and purpose. B Corp is not just about getting a badge, it’s continuing to do the right thing as a business. It’s about collaborating to make the world a better place. We are thrilled to see Smile Together achieve their certification, and with such a great score and potential influence”.
Also in attendance was Nick Wills, head of IT and information governance for Smile Together, who coordinated the B Corp assessment process, and Chris Hines MBE who works closely with the company and inspired their B Corp journey. Chris explains, “Increasingly people want to work for, buy from and invest in businesses they believe in. You often hear people say ‘there’s no Planet B’ and they are genuinely interested in businesses with an ethos that’s about making a sustainable difference. Smile Together has an impressive track record in this space and it made perfect sense for them to seek B Corp certification and in turn inspire others to become a business for good”.
Paul concurs, “From those first steps as an independent dental CIC in 2016 we have made extraordinary progress – we’re a company that can and does make great things happen, and our B Corp certification will ensure we have an even more positive impact in the future”!