Caspian Insurance has achieved B Corp Certification, verified by B Lab against standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The Manchester-based life and protection insurance broker scored 81.3 in the assessment, against a median of 50.9 for businesses completing it.
Headquartered at Tower 12 in Spinningfields, Caspian specialises in business protection for UK company directors, founders and shareholders and employee benefits. The certification assessment examined the whole business rather than environmental matters alone, covering governance, employees, communities, suppliers and environmental impact. As part of the process, Caspian formally embedded a commitment to its wider stakeholders into its company governance.
Practical changes made during certification included a first formal Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas inventory, establishing a baseline against which the firm can measure its environmental impact, as well as the introduction of measurable environmental goals around waste reduction, recycling, lower paper and stationery use, responsible and local procurement, and energy and emissions measurement.
It also included an environmentally preferable purchasing policy, covering office supplies, paper and printing, electronics, cleaning products and responsible disposal, and a supplier policy setting expectations on business integrity, ethical employment practices, anti-bribery and corruption, and environmental responsibility.
Caspian’s Manchester office operates within Tower 12’s building-managed recycling programme, and the building is supplied with renewable electricity.
The process also prompted Caspian to review and update its mission and vision. The firm’s stated mission is now to protect businesses and individuals with market-leading advice and insurance solutions, delivered with quality, integrity and care, while acting responsibly for its people, communities and the planet. Its vision is to be the UK’s go-to partner of choice for business protection, recognised for excellence, innovation and lasting client relationships.
In terms of employee wellbeing and development initiatives, current and planned benefits include enhanced annual leave, birthday leave, death in service cover, Cycle to Work, wellbeing support, and support for professional qualifications and career progression.
The firm joins a UK B Corp community of more than 2,700 companies, part of a global network of more than 10,900 certified businesses across 102 countries and 163 industries.
Caspian said the most significant outcome of certification has been greater internal awareness and accountability, with policies, measurements and targets now in place where matters were previously handled less formally.
It added it is clear that certification marks a starting point rather than a completed piece of work, and B Corps are required to recertify every three years with their scores published publicly.
Oliver Rayner, founder and managing director of Caspian Insurance, said: “Becoming a B Corp is a proud achievement and fantastic milestone for Caspian.
“We’ve built this business around protecting the directors and founders who put everything into building something of their own, so holding ourselves to the same standard of accountability felt like the right move to make. Ethical and sustainable growth is our priority from here, and this certification gives us a framework to keep building on that in the right way.
“The people side of B Corp aligns closely with the culture we strive for at Caspian – a caring, happy, responsible, supportive and fair place to work, where people are treated respectfully and have real opportunities to develop.”
