UK-based Kleanbus, which is aiming to cost-effectively decarbonise the country’s bus fleet, has achieved a pending ‘B-Corporation’ status, which it says firly underlines its commitment to the highest standards of sustainability and ethics. B-Corporation status is awarded to organisations excelling in making a sustainable and ethical impact, and striving for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Also known as B-Corp, B-Corporation is a global movement of businesses supporting each other to improve and drive global change.
B-Corporation awards a private certification to for-profit companies based on their social and environmental performance. To achieve B-Corporation status, Kleanbus’s business operations and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy will continue to be rigorously assessed by an independent third-party to evaluate its commitment to meeting the highest standards, and to verify performance, accountability, and transparency.
Founded early last year, and with its commercial roll-out scheduled for later this year, Kleanbus offers a unique solution to eliminate diesel pollution from the UK’s bus fleet. It believes that repowering older diesel models by replacing the engine with a zero-emission fully electric powertrain, at what it says is a fifth of the cost and in a fraction of the time of buying a new electric bus, is the way forwards for many operators. Using proprietary technology, Kleanbus believes its offering will provide a faster and more efficient way towards zero-emissions, and in doing so make buses not only cleaner but quieter and more comfortable, and more valuable as assets for operators.
Rick Muir, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Kleanbus, commented: “As an organisation with the objective of addressing climate change and air quality at its very heart, we are extremely pleased to achieve pending B-Corporation status, giving third-party endorsement of our commitment to the highest standards of compliance across our entire business operations. We look forward to working further towards achieving full status over the coming year.”
More than 150,000 businesses have applied through the B-Corporation Impact Assessment, of which 4,740 across 155 industries in 78 countries have met the high standards to become certified; 650 these are based in the UK.
The achievement of pending B-Corporation status follows the recent appointment of former TfL and Greater London Authority air quality specialist Lucy Parkin as Kleanbus’s first director of ESG, charged with leading relationships with operators and authorities in its drive towards decarbonising the UK’s bus fleet.
In further recognition of its commitment to the highest standards of compliance, Kleanbus is also seeking the international standards ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification in the coming months, which cover Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Quality Management Systems (QMS) respectively.
