The businesses that prioritise people and planet

Businesses whose ethos is to prioritise people and the planet as much as profits are encouraging other companies to do the same.

March is B Corp month; Certified B Corporations - of which there are about 80 in Gloucestershire - are rigorously tested to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Greg Pilley, managing director of Stroud Brewery, said: "Probably one of the most powerful things we can do as individuals is spend your money in the right places for a changing world."

Meanwhile, Anna McLoughlin, a jewellery maker from the Forest of Dean, said consumers should not "just buy the first thing that pops up onto your phone screen".

Stroud Brewery is organic, so it does not use pesticides or herbicides, and uses harvested rainwater to flush its toilets.

"Our finances never come from banks but from community loans, so all the interest we pay goes back into the local community," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"In this day and age, it is not acceptable for a business to make a profit if it does come at a cost to people and planet."

McLoughlin, who makes jewellery in an off-grid, solar-powered studio, said her main reason for going through the B Corp process was to prove she runs an environmentally friendly and ethical business.

She added the certification encourages people to ask questions, and "not just accept everything at face value" when purchasing goods and services.

"Think about, where has this come from? Who has made it? What is the supply chain to get this product or service?," she said.

In June 2025, B Lab, the non-profit behind Certified B Corporations, was accused of "enabling greenwashing and purpose washing by multinationals".

At the time, B Lab said more than 96% of the firms it had certified were small and medium-sized businesses, although it said it had now introduced "more rigorous standards".

Angie Petkovic, managing director of Beechurst Serviced Apartments in The Reddings, Cheltenham, said her business is run on solar power, and 80% of the products used inside are sourced within 25 miles of the property.

Petkovic also volunteers for charities and mentors young people.

"It means we're a business for the purpose, so we're not all about profit and we explain that we are taking care of the environment," she said.

Petkovic added: "We are looking after the land and the property that we've got while we're here, and that we work very hard to limit waste in all areas."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.