Carlowrie Castle near Edinburgh first in the world to be awarded 'coveted' B Corp certification

A Scottish castle has become the first of its kind to be awarded a “coveted” certification recognising its efforts to put people and planet before profit.

Carlowrie Castle, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, has been awarded B Corp Certification – a certification given to businesses that are able to “demonstrate and maintain exceptionally high standards of socially and environmentally conscious practises”.

The castle, which is part of Carlowrie Group and owned by Scottish entrepreneur Andrew Marshall, joins international companies such as Patagonia, TOMS and Aesop who have all received the certification.

Andrew Marshall said: “In an age where businesses and consumers are seeing the importance of putting social and environmental issues above everything else, becoming B Corp Certified this month after ten years of trading, is an excellent way to show our customers our lasting commitment to doing good by people and planet.”

“When our guests come to Carlowrie Castle, whether that be for a business conference, a wedding, an exclusive-use party, a community event, or a private stay, they know that they are supporting us on our mission for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.”

To attain B Corp Certification, Carlowrie Castle was required to undergo a comprehensive and rigorous process to measure the company’s entire social and environmental performance.

From supply chain and input materials to charitable giving and employee benefits, B Corp Certification verifies that a business is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

All B Corp businesses are manually assessed and audited every three years to ensure they maintain the standards.

Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, added: “Welcoming Carlowrie Castle to the B Corp community is hugely exciting.

“Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”

Keith Taylor, operations director said: “Giving back to the environment and our community has long been an important part of what we do at Carlowrie Castle, but achieving this certification has pushed us to do even more.

“It is a deliberately difficult certification to attain which means it is held only by businesses who are truly passionate about environmental and social wellbeing. We’re immensely proud to be joining a group of like-minded businesses who share our commitment.”

Carlowrie Castle demonstrated its dedication to the B Corp values in a number of ways including: operating its own charity which provides meals and support to people experiencing homelessness; installing electric vehicle charging points at the castle for guest and staff use; hosting free community events such as Picnic and Praise and Carols at Carlowrie; and regenerating unused land through extensive tree planting.

The castle has a long history of promoting social and environmental wellbeing and in the 19th century was home to one of Scotland’s most remarkable botanists and explorers, Isobel Wylie Hutchison.

Ms Hutchison was the first woman to receive the Mungo Park Medal, a member of the Scottish Geographical Society, and a published writer in National Geographic.

Each year in May, Carlowrie Castle hosts an awards ceremony in Ms Hutchison’s honour, The Isobel Award, which recognises individuals and groups who have overcome adversity and made a positive contribution to their community or the environment. This year the event will be held on May 30, which would have been Ms Hutchison’s 135th birthday.