The accreditation was confirmed yesterday (2 October) and includes sister print management and consultancy business Eight Plus, which was established last year.

Managing director Lance Hill said it was “an incredibly proud moment” for the Nottingham business, coming on top of its other achievements in recent years “where we have continually pushed the business forward to be best in class, which has always been my ambition”.

The direct mail and digital printing specialist was Printweek’s SME of the Year in 2022 and also won the SME Customer Service Team of the Year accolade at that year’s Printweek Awards.

Hill began investigating the B Corp process towards the end of 2021, with preparation work beginning in earnest in February 2022.

He said the firm’s four existing ISO standards – 9001, 14001, 27001 and 45001 – and its carbon neutrality had proved to be an excellent foundation for taking the next step into becoming a B Corp.

The rigorous B Corp certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact.

Hill devoted hours of work to the initial B Corp data entry, and Eight Plus commercial director and ISO expert Caroline Varley then worked alongside him to complete the project.

“When I look back at what we’ve done it would have been a lot harder without all those initial pieces in place,” he explained.

“To do it in 18 months, I’m pretty chuffed with that. My target was to have it in place by the end of this year. It really is a major undertaking.”

EDWPS employs 27 across the two businesses and expects total sales of around £14m this year.

Hill helmed an MBO at the business just under two-and-a-half years ago.