Why B Corp Certification Matters to Us
At Original Duckhead, our journey toward B Corporation certification represents more than just another business achievement—it embodies our decade-long mission to disrupt the throwaway culture in the umbrella industry. Since our founding in 2012, we've been committed to implementing innovative design technology to save millions of post-consumer plastic bottles from landfills and seas. B Corp certification is the natural evolution of this commitment.
What It Means to Be a B Corp
Being a Certified B Corporation means that a company has met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This certification represents a commitment to using business as a force for good, balancing profit with purpose. Unlike traditional corporations that prioritize shareholder value above all else, B Corps embrace a triple bottom line approach—people, planet, and profit—ensuring that success is measured not just by financial returns but by the positive impact created for all stakeholders and the world at large.
Our B Corp Journey
When Original Duckhead first launched, we recognized a staggering problem: over 1 billion umbrellas are discarded every single year, ending up in landfills where they fail to decompose for generations. We set out to change this reality by creating durable, sustainable alternatives that would stand the test of time while giving plastic waste a second life. Each Original Duckhead umbrella is crafted from 9 recycled plastic bottles—transforming waste into functional, stylish protection from the elements.
The B Corp certification process aligned perfectly with our existing mission, challenging us to formalise and expand our commitments across every aspect of our digital business—from our supply chain partnerships to our product lifecycle management.
Advancing Our Environmental Mission
As a company explicitly founded to combat waste and promote thoughtful consumerism, B Corp certification provides a framework to measure and improve our environmental impact. When you consider that our umbrellas each repurpose 9 plastic bottles that would otherwise contribute to environmental degradation, the scale of potential impact becomes clear—especially when contrasted against the 1 billion conventional umbrellas flooding landfills annually.
Earth-Positive Business Model
Our ultimate goal has always been to give back more than we take. With each 9-bottle umbrella representing a small victory against waste, the B Corp framework helps us quantify this aspiration and implement strategies that move us closer to becoming truly Earth-positive in all our operations.
Championing Sustainable Values
B Corp certification has helped us to further analyse and optimise our operations, shipping methods, and partnerships to align with our vision of changing an industry drowning in its own waste—1 billion umbrellas annually that could instead be sustainable, highly durable, recycled alternatives.
Environmental Innovation and Impact
Each Original Duckhead umbrella repurposes 9 plastic bottles, while each bag transforms 6 plastic bottles into stylish, functional products. Our canopies are made from recycled rPET fabric—a versatile and strong material created from post-consumer waste that requires less energy and contributes less CO2 than conventional polyester and nylon production.
Beyond our recycled fabrics, we've carefully selected every material for sustainability:
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Our wind-resistant frames use high-strength aluminium and steel for durability
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Our handles are handmade using only FSC-certified sustainable birch wood
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Our umbrellas feature a waterproof coating that's eco-friendly and non-toxic
This comprehensive approach stands in stark contrast to the 1 billion conventional umbrellas flooding landfills annually.
Women-Led Sustainability
As a company that is 72% female, we bring diverse perspectives to solving environmental challenges. Our B Corp certification recognises not just our environmental commitment but also our inclusive business practices and female leadership in driving sustainability innovation.
Ethical Business Practices
Original Duckhead's commitment to ethical operations extends beyond our products. We're proud to be:
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A 1% for the Planet member, donating 1% of sales to environmental causes
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A London Living Wage employer, ensuring fair compensation for all team members
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A member of Buy Women Built, supporting female entrepreneurship
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Partnering with a family owned and run manufacturer who has been SEDEX and SA 8000 audited, ensuring ethical manufacturing standards
Beyond Business as Usual
Becoming a B Corp reinforces what Original Duckhead has believed since 2012: that business can—and must—be a force for positive environmental change. It validates our founding principles and connects us with a community of companies similarly dedicated to making responsibility and sustainability central to their operations.
For Original Duckhead, this certification isn't just about meeting standards; it's about living up to our own mission statement. It's about proving that our approach to designing solution-driven products—each made from 9 recycled plastic bottles—can indeed make a meaningful difference in addressing both the global plastic crisis and the specific problem of umbrella waste.
As we look forward, our B Corp certification will continue to guide our innovation and goals, challenge us to improve our practices, and help us inspire both our customers and our industry to embrace more sustainable alternatives to the 1 billion umbrellas that would otherwise end up in landfills every year.
In a world where each small step matters, we're proud to stand under the B Corp umbrella, committed to transforming plastic waste into thoughtfully designed products that represent a small but significant step toward an Earth-positive future.