Dudley Building Society has been named the UK's first business of its kind to achieve B Corp certification.

B Corp certification is a globally-recognised accolade that represents a stringent measure of a business's social and environmental conduct, transparency, and accountability.

Granted by B Lab, a non-profit global group, businesses with the status promise to make a positive difference to various stakeholders, including workers, consumers, communities, and the environment.

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The building society is the second in the country to achieve B Corp status, attaining an overall score of 89.9, considerably higher than the average score of 50.9 for businesses that undergo the evaluation.

The building society's chief executive officer, James Paterson, said: "We are passionate about making a positive impact on people’s lives and doing the right thing as a business.

"That’s why we wanted to join a global movement of like-minded businesses and achieve B Corp certification."

He added: "We believe the B Corp principles align perfectly with our own strategic pillars – customer, capability, community, and climate."

“The B Corp assessment took an in-depth look at our practices, assessing our entire social and environmental impact across various measures.

"Moving forward, we will aim to maintain, build on, and improve these practices to ensure that the society remains up to date with the highest standards."