Local bootmaker R.M.Williams is the latest Australian fashion business to score B Corp certification, hitting a total score of 88.6 across five key scoring categories.
The brand scored highest in workers, with a score of 25. This is followed by environment at 22.9, community at 21.3, governance at 15.4 and customers at 3.8.
There are 979 Australian businesses that are B Corp certified, with just 54 brands in the apparel space, and 15 in textiles.
R.M.Williams score of 88.6 is well above the average score across all businesses that have strived for B Corp status of 50.9, and 8.6 points above the qualifying score of 80.
“We are immensely proud to have obtained B Corp certification, in recognition of our ‘Crafting a better future’ strategy and the many ways in which we’re enacting positive change in every corner of our business,” chief sustainability and strategy officer Angela Winkle said.
“R.M.Williams was founded on the principles of circularity and quality some 92 years ago, and under the ownership of Andrew and Nicola Forrest, we’ve seen our sustainability journey continue with renewed passion and focus.”
The business will aim to raise its score across all five B Corp pillars ahead, noting upcoming focuses including an ongoing preferred fibres transition, the removal of all plastic materials from consumer-facing packaging and a continued focus on transparency.
Alongside its new B Corp status, R.M.Williams launched its inaugural Sustainability Playbooks, sharing progress updates across its ESG commitments.
The document focuses on the three core missions: to shape Australian craftsmanship, to make regenerative products and to craft products that endure. Across each pillar, several sub focuses are laid out with goals and progress updates achieved against target timelines.
“This resource allows us to be truly transparent with our customers and communities about the work we’re doing to craft a positive impact across every department and region of R.M.Williams,” R.M.Williams CEO Paul Grosmann said. “We’re proud of how far we’ve already come since launching the ‘Crafting a better future’ strategy, and we’re excited to share our journey with candour and enthusiasm as we continue to work towards our goals.”
The Sustainability Playbook is available via the bootmaker's website.
R.M.Williams is owned by private investment firm Tattarang, under the stewardship of Andrew and Nicola Forrest.
The retailer has over 60 owned stores in Australia, two stores in New Zealand, three stores in the USA and three stores in the UK as well as over 900 stockists globally.