GF Smith x B Corp
Business should be a force for good.
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Certified B Corporation.
Recertified under the new standards in 2026.
GF Smith has always believed that business has a responsibility beyond the products it makes and the profit it generates.
We believe in the power of design, colour and material to shape how we experience the world. But with that comes a responsibility to consider the impact we have on it — on our people, our communities, our partners and our planet.
That is why we became a Certified B Corporation.
And why, in 2026, we're proud to have recertified under B Corp's new, more rigorous standards.
For us, certification isn't a badge. It's a commitment to keep raising the bar.
It gives us a framework against which to challenge ourselves, measure our progress and make better decisions. From reducing our environmental impact and questioning the materials we work with, to creating a more equitable and inclusive business and supporting the creative communities around us.
We've been around since 1885.
We intend to be around for a long time yet.
And that means thinking carefully about the kind of business we want to be — and the impact we want to leave behind.
Download GF Smith's latest B Corp Impact Report here.
B Corp, recertified.
98.2. Our previous B Corp score.
No score this time. A higher standard instead.
We're proud to be a Certified B Corporation.
We first became a B Corp because we wanted to better understand the social and environmental impact of our business — and hold ourselves accountable for improving it.
Under the previous B Corp standard, businesses needed to achieve a minimum of 80 points across five impact areas. GF Smith achieved 98.2 — a result that gave us confidence that the things we had often done instinctively were making a meaningful difference.
But B Corp has changed.
The points system has gone. Under the new standards, strong performance in one area can no longer compensate for weaker performance elsewhere. Businesses must now demonstrate consistently high standards across seven areas of social and environmental impact.
No score this time. A higher standard instead.
We think that's progress.
Impact you can measure, becasue good intentions aren't enough.
60 GF Smith people involved in Have Your Say workshops
Full visibility of Scope 1,2 + 3 emissions
Climate action plan with science-based targets and a plan for reaching them
... and more.
We've always believed GF Smith to be a good business.
B Corp has challenged us to prove it.
Our first certification gave us a much clearer understanding of our social and environmental impact. For the first time, we gained full visibility of our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We investigated the performance of the solar panels covering our Lockwood Street site. We involved people across GF Smith in rewriting our company values. And we gave greater priority and urgency to our work within the communities around us.
Our first B Corp assessment resulted in a score of 98.2.
The new standards ask us to go considerably further.
Our people have participated in Have Your Say workshops, alongside engagement with customers, suppliers and community partners.
A Climate Action Plan now sets out our science-based targets and the actions required to reach them.
Major procurement decisions are assessed for environmental and human rights risks.
JEDI is becoming embedded into our people processes, supported by a fully resourced action plan and manager training.
Our Board reviews progress against our B Corp goals every six months.
These aren't things that sit inside a sustainability report.
They're changing how GF Smith operates.
Better materials. Better choices.
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Because material matters.
For more than 140 years, GF Smith has searched the world for exceptional papers and materials. Today, that search isn't simply about colour, texture, performance or beauty.
We have to ask more questions.
Where did it come from? How was it made? What resources were used to make it? Who was involved? Can we use less? Can it be recycled? And is there a better way?
B Corp's new standards require greater action around climate, environmental stewardship and circularity. That strengthens our determination to understand and reduce the impact of both our own operations and the materials we supply.
We're working with our manufacturing partners, exploring recycled and alternative fibres, challenging established processes and looking for materials that offer new possibilities.
From improving the way established papers are made to exploring entirely new materials created from resources such as agricultural waste and seaweed, we're interested in what comes next.
There is no perfect material.
But we believe better questions lead to better choices.
And better choices, made repeatedly, create change.
Beyond paper.
People make GF Smith.
GF Smith has always been about people.
Our people. Our customers and partners. The creative community. And the city we've called home since 1885.
Becoming a B Corp has encouraged us to think more deliberately about the impact we have on each of them — and to listen more carefully to what matters to them.
That starts inside GF Smith.
We're transforming our approach to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, supported by a fully resourced action plan, manager training and practices embedded throughout our people processes.
But our responsibility doesn't stop at our doors.
Through the GF Smith Charitable Foundation and our wider partnerships, we're strengthening the way we support and measure our contribution to the communities around us.
And we're becoming clearer about where we believe GF Smith can make the greatest difference.
Creative education.
Being a good neighbour in Hull.
Using our influence to advocate for positive social and environmental change.
For a long time, we quietly tried to do the right thing.
B Corp is giving us the confidence — and the evidence — to speak up about the things we believe matter.
Designed for creativity, committed to positive impact.
Putting our b corp values into practice.
Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion.
Our core business and the impact we have
GF Smith is medium sized, independent paper merchant based in the UK with a global network of suppliers and customers, we recognise that how we act affects our stakeholders near and far.
We employ people in operational, sales, administrative and leadership roles and work with suppliers, customers and community partners locally, nationally and internationally.
Our decisions about hiring, pay, promotion, sourcing, and customer service affect people’s prosperity, opportunities, safety, and day‑to‑day experiences.
Our Stakeholders
In our JEDI work, we are especially accountable to our workers, suppliers, customers and community partners.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and respectful environment and provide equal opportunities regardless of gender identity, race, religion, disability, age, or any protected characteristic.
What JEDI means to us
For us, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion mean:
Identifying and addressing unfair barriers in and around our business.
Proactively working towards fair access to opportunities and outcomes
Creating the conditions where people can participate and speak up with dignity and without fear of retaliation.
We do this through,
Engaging with our stakeholders, listening to feedback and taking appropriate action.
Ensuring that our policies and procedures are inclusive and reviewed regularly
Coaching and guiding our managers in relation to their JEDI responsibilities.
Making our expectations of staff behaviour clear through our Values, Code of Conduct and Staff Handbook
Ensuring that the way we communicate internally and externally is respectful and inclusive.
Collecting and analysing JEDI data and using it to inform decision making.
Creating and implementing a JEDI action plan
Commitment to improve
Our commitment to improve is reflected in our actions plan and underpinned by our Values ‘we know we are not perfect, but we are working hard to be a world class business, one with a growth mindset, where everyone is able to reach their potential and be fully themselves.’
Accountability
Our Board are responsible for approving this commitment, overseeing it, and ensuring it is reflected in our policies and practices.
The Director of HR is accountable for our JEDI statement and action plan. They are also accountable for ensuring stakeholders are aware of our commitment and for reviewing the statement and plans when needed.
This JEDI statement should be read in conjunction with our:
JEDI action plan
Code of Conduct
Staff Handbook
Equal Opportunities Policy
Responsible Marketing Policy
Internal Communication guidelines
Whistleblowing Policy
We're not finished.
B Corp isn't a destination.
B Corp isn't a destination.
Recertification doesn't mean we've solved everything. It means we've committed to understanding our impact, being transparent about where we can improve and holding ourselves accountable for making progress.
The new B Corp standards raise expectations of businesses. We welcome that.
There is more for us to do.
So we'll keep questioning, measuring, experimenting and improving — and we'll share our progress as we go.