Castlefield is proud to be accredited by the Good Business Charter (GBC) following our application to join in 2022.
The GBC is an initiative of the Good Business Foundation, a non-profit making charity organisation registered in England and Wales, that recognises responsible business practices.
It is open to UK organisations of all sizes and structures, and measures organisations against ten measurable components.
These include real living wage, fairer hours and contracts, employee well-being, employee representation, diversity and inclusion, environmental responsibility, paying fair tax, commitment to customers, ethical sourcing, and prompt payment.
Organisations applying for the charter need to evaluate their operating procedures and, to be accepted, must satisfy that its behaviours meet the criteria for each of the ten components.
Ewelina Niziolek-Wilson, Head of People and Training at Castlefield, said: "We actively support the promotion of good business practices, so we’re really excited to be a member of the Good Business Charter.
"I would encourage any like-minded ethical business to sign up to this charter and demonstrate their commitment to these ethical principles."
Chairman of the GBC board, Simon Fox, said: “The Good Business Charter brings together 10 standards, most of which already exist, but in separate places. We have brought them together to give a coherent overall position for businesses to aspire to. We believe that the GBC has enormous potential to change business practice for good. We hope that because of its simplicity and cost effectiveness, it will quickly gain support.”
According to the GBC members are expected to: "adhere to the spirit of the Good Business Charter in their dealings with all stakeholders in their approach to the environment and in their legal and financial compliance. These include workers, customers, subcontractors, suppliers, and the community”.
The Good Business Charter was the idea of Julian Richer (founder of Richer Sounds) - who is the initial funder and also a trustee of the Good Business Foundation. It is supported by the Confederation of British Industry as well as the Trades Union Congress, and widely recognised with over a thousand responsible UK businesses signed up, including Aviva, Richer Sounds and British bicycle manufacturer Brompton.
You can find out more about the charter here.