The third-generation, family-run greeting card company announces latest achievement
If you’re asking more questions about the businesses you work with – how their products are made, the materials they use, how they treat their people, or the impact their packaging has on the supply chain – you’re not alone.
Woodmansterne has become a Certified B Corporation, independently accredited by B Lab, with a score of 95.5, joining a global collective of businesses who meet the most rigorous standards of social and environmental performance.
With this certification, retailers and consumers can be sure that when they choose a Woodmansterne card, their messages of love, care and encouragement are clothed in a card produced by a company that looks after the environment, cares for its staff and contributes to the community, to an exceptional degree.
“Care has always shaped this business,” said Rhiannon Pryce-Lewis, operations director at Woodmansterne. “Not just in the cards we produce, but in how we operate, the materials we use, the suppliers we work with and the impact we have on people and the planet.”
For Woodmansterne, the certification reflects a long history of quiet but thoughtful decisions across the business, such as:
- Using FSC-certified paper since 1998 and producing fully recyclable greeting cards in the UK printed with vegetable-based inks, no glitter and envelopes made from 100% recycled paper.
- Developing its Smart Seal, a paper-based alternative to plastic sleeves, helping remove 55 tonnes of single-use plastic from the supply chain in the first year of implementation alone.
- Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 22.6% between 2024 and 2025 through smarter operations at its BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated Magna Park facility.
- Continuing to invest in employee wellbeing, ethical supply chains and community initiatives, raising more than £207,000 for charity partners in 2025.
Woodmansterne hasn’t always made a lot of noise about it but has always felt keenly that it’s important to do things the right way.
Seth Woodmansterne, managing director and grandson of Woodmansterne’s founder, added “For more than 70 years, this business has been built on the belief that doing things responsibly and building a successful business should go hand in hand. We’re incredibly proud to have gone through this rigorous process and passed. I reckon my grandparents would recognise the same values and be very proud of our progress.“
B Corp certification is a foundation, not a finish line. Woodmansterne is working towards a climate action plan covering all three emission scopes and looks forward to sharing the next set of targets and progress over the coming months.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re not standing still. The impact assessment for B Corporation gave us a framework to properly measure our impact, and then move forward to set meaningful targets, and continue improving.” commented Adam Osborne, development director.
