UK’s biggest rice brand Tilda certifies as a B Corp

The brand announced the news on Monday (25 September) and stated that the certification process had taken a year to complete.

The B Corp certification process is widely regarded as one of the most complex and comprehensive in the eco-labelling space. To certify, businesses need to provide in-depth information relating to their governance; worker treatment; community impact and environmental impact. They also need to provide information on how their products and/or services improve the lives of their customers.

Both negative and positive impacts need to be weighed against each other. Businesses also need to pass a risk review and commit to publicly post information about their B Corp certification by making their B Impact Assessment open.

Businesses must score a minimum of 80 points overall in the Assessment to certify. Tilda scored 90.8 overall.

Tilda’s managing director Jean-Philippe Laborde said: “This B Corp accreditation reflects our absolute commitment to being the most responsible rice producer in the world.

“We must seek out and embrace all the ways we can reduce the environmental impacts of growing rice, from working with our progressive farmers and scrutinising our supply chain, to investing in our manufacturing, evolving our packaging and supporting local communities.

“We will continue to challenge ourselves, and others, to do better. Looking ahead, it is our ambition to share our learnings across the industry to help ensure that all successful measures that can make a positive difference to people and planet be adopted across the entire global rice supply chain.”

Work so far

Tilda has secured B Corp status after making several sustainability-related interventions in its supply chain.

In India, it has trained some 2,700 farmers to adopt techniques that reduce emissions and encourage more biodiversity in their fields. This includes alternate we drying (AWD), whereby farmers stop flooding their paddy fields. Instead, they use pipes to monitor water levels and only water their crops when they need to.

The average firm implementing AWD has recorded a 20% reduction in water use, 20% reduction in energy use and 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Yield is typically maintained.

Tilda has also invested in low-emission manufacturing processes and interventions to reduce waste in factories.