Merseyside branded merchandise manufacturer Wild Thang has secured coveted B Corp status, cementing its reputation as a sustainable business – now it is urging its customers and supply chain to embrace sustainability. Tony McDonough reports
In September Wild Thang founder and managing director Andrew Dwerryhouse described the securing of B Corp status as one of the biggest milestones in the firm’s near 30-year history.
However, Andrew has told LBN the branded clothing and merchandise manufacturer will not be resting on its laurels. He and his team’s next task, he added, was to spread the sustainability message across its customer and supply chain.
B Corp Certification is a “rigorous and comprehensive” process that evaluates a company’s impact on its workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. Out of 5m businesses in the UK, just 2,700 are B Corp certified.
Operating from its factory in Bootle, as well as from bases in the Republic of Ireland and the US, Wild Thang produces tens of thousands of branded materials to multiple blue-chip clients including McDonald’s, Paddy Power, Sony and Formula One.
Andrew points out that for Wild Thang to be truly more sustainable in the long term its supply chain and its customers must meet the same high standards to align with our values and ethics.
“This globally recognised certification means we’ve been independently verified to meet the highest standards of environmental and social performance, transparency, and accountability,” he explained.
“But what does this really mean for our clients, partners, and supply chain? We believe it’s all about trust, so we think every company should ask the ‘WHY’ question and only align with companies they trust and have shared high standards, values, and ethics.”
Carrie Dwerryhouse ESG manager made it clear that “it’s our mission to produce products through more sustainable practices and ethical production – what we call The Wild Thang Way.”
She added: “So when you partner with a B Corp like us, you’re genuinely choosing a supplier that balances profit with purpose.
“It ensures your campaigns, branded apparel, uniforms, merchandise and print don’t just look world-class but also make a measurable difference. Every decision, from material sourcing to production and logistics, has been reviewed against rigorous ethical and sustainability criteria.
“We now help protect client’s brand reputation by embedding ESG (environmental, social and governance) into our culture and into every stage of the production process.”
John Howarth, global supply chain and contract director, also said: “As part of this wider commitment Wild Thang recently agreed a deal with Stanley Stella, which is one of the world’s leading sustainable apparel brands.
“It has a commitment to responsible sourcing, organic and recycled fabrics, we now know that any organisation’s supply chain should be a reflection of their own ESG values.
“This is not always the case but for Wild Thang this is why we have partnered with them and made them our go to premium apparel clothing brand.
“This partnership is already delivering Lower-Eco-impact branded apparel clothing that is making a positive impact combining creativity, quality, and conscience. Please remember we also plant trees and invest in carbon reduction projects for every order received.”
Wild Thang has just hosted an exclusive showcase event at its Bootle headquarters in partnership with Stanley Stella, bringing together clients, partners and industry professionals to explore the future of branded apparel.
It was designed to re-imagine what branded clothing can achieve. Guests were invited to see Wild Thang’s state-of-the-art production facilities, with live demonstrations of embroidery, screen printing, direct-to-film and direct-to-garment applications.
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“Our B Corp journey goes far beyond our own operations; it extends across our entire global supply chain,” added Andrew.
“Every supplier needs to eventually reflect our own values, its progress not perfection and will take time. So we are now fully focused on carefully assessing to ensure they share our commitment to fair working conditions, verified ethical production and much more.
“We are actively encouraging all those supply partners and clients to make more sustainable decisions and align with our environmental and ethical standards. By 2030, the aim will be to make sure all products we supply will have a lower-eco impact value only.”