WeMaintain awarded B Corp status

PropTech firm, WeMaintain, has received B Corp status in recognition of its high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

WeMaintain is a regulated maintenance company based in London, Paris and Singapore. It facilitates cost-efficient and environmentally conscious building maintenance by supporting engineers with proprietary technology such as IoT sensors, a client platform and a field application, and by increasing the efficiency and transparency available to building managers.

The certification follows the company’s decision to enshrine ESG values in its purpose. It now has a separate working group for its ESG initiatives which includes founders, investors, staff and stakeholders who meet twice a year to foster company-wide ESG communications.

B Corp certification is given by B Lab, a global nonprofit, and addresses the company’s standards in five key areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification is designed to give consumers confidence due to its rigorous application process.

WeMaintain’s B Corp score was 82.9, in line with its own high internal scores across diversity, satisfaction and environmental target metrics. The median score for most businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9.

Tom Harmsworth, UK Managing Director, said: “Only 5,000 companies worldwide including 800 in the UK have received this certification. We’re thrilled to be among them. It’s a recognition of our commitment to fair practice and sustainability as we continue to expand.

“Fairness, justice and a sustainable future are becoming globally-felt and conscious concerns; it is vital we agree on standards now for environmental, social and governance policy that can transcend individual industries and move us forward as a society. We are pleased to have a small role in shaping those expectations through our B Corp accreditation.”

The UK building industry will soon be subject to a stringent Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, a cross-industry partnership with the aim of establishing shared asset performance standards. The Standard will cover new and existing buildings and allows building owners claiming net zero to demonstrate their adherence to science-based decarbonisation targets.

The EU also announced last year its Fit for ‘55 package to reduce the zone’s emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. This includes a recast of the EU’s 2018 Energy Efficiency Directive which set efficiency targets for 2030.

Harmsworth added: “This is especially important in our sector. Buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of total EU energy consumption and 36 per cent of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Contributing to a more efficient and sustainable built environment is now a pillar of WeMaintain’s mission and will become all the more important in the midst of the energy crisis. The UK and EU saw which way the climate winds were blowing. They are taking the necessary steps, and so are we.”