Case Study: Empowering Tradelinens on their B Corp Journey
Background
Tradelinens are an importer and wholesaler of luxury textiles, supplying premium products predominantly to the hospitality industry, but also direct to consumer via ecommerce.
Tradelinens strongly believe the textiles industry plays a crucial role in shaping a more sustainable future, and have a long-standing commitment to ethical trading, sustainable sourcing, and placing people at the heart of what they do.
Back in 2016, Tradelinens were the first UK trade linen supplier to join the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), just one of the steps they have taken to reduce environmental impact and help people and communities thrive. This commitment has allowed Tradelinens to financially support the improvement of farmers’ livelihoods, sustainable cotton growing, and the empowerment of women within cotton farming. In 2024, they also proudly achieved their Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification, a worldwide leading textile processing standard.
The Opportunity
In 2024, Tradelinens approached Beyondly, a fellow B Corp, for expert guidance and support as they progressed on their own journey towards becoming a certified B Corporation.
Tradelinens were also receiving external stakeholder pressure to measure their carbon impact, an element they would be scored on as part of B Corp’s rigorous B Impact Assessment as well. Faced with a complex supply chain and internal structure, where clarity over the scope and boundary of carbon footprint measurement was unclear, Beyondly helped Tradelinens navigate this complexity with a carbon management solution that aligned both with the requirements of their stakeholders and B Corp assessment.
The Solution
The Beyondly team delivered a tailored sustainability solution for Tradelinens that aligned with their goals, values, and external requirements; including carbon management support, conducting a materiality assessment, and comprehensive B Corp consultancy.
Beyondly worked closely with Tradelinens to set the boundary of their UK carbon footprint and conduct full Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission calculations for both 2023 and 2024. In depth analysis on energy data was conducted, to identify key emission hotspots and areas of highest impact. All findings were presented in a report, which also detailed assumptions and actions to support emission reductions. In addition, guidance was provided on improving calculation accuracy year on year, enabling more robust reporting going forward.
A materiality assessment was conducted, which included identifying relevant ESG factors for stakeholders to rank by importance; providing Tradelinens with insight into what matters most to their employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and partners, to ensure their goals aligned with this. Alongside analysis of the results and a materiality matrix, Beyondly provided Tradelinens with the practical next steps they could take to drive their impact further and achieve long-term sustainability.
Becoming a B Corp is a commitment to balancing people and planet alongside profit, requiring businesses to successfully pass a rigorous and complex assessment. Beyondly discussed the B Corp certification formalities and process with Tradelinens, to ensure confidence and clarity on each step of their journey.
Upon gaining an in depth understanding of Tradelinen’s business activities, processes, and current environmental and social standards, Beyondly carried out a detailed review of their B Impact Assessment responses to highlight areas for improvement and provide suggestions on what evidence to collate. The provision of a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) report laid out an action plan outlining recommended improvements, including advice regarding claimed and unclaimed points, for Tradelinens to develop and strengthen their strategy further.
The Results
Tradelinen’s carbon footprint report and the results of their materiality assessment helped provide the basis of, and content for, their first sustainability report in 2024, along with enabling them to focus their goals on what matters most to the Tradelinens community.
The calculation of their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions spurred Tradelinens to take a further step towards helping to drive positive environmental impact. Through purchasing certified carbon offsets, Tradelinens are helping to fund projects that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as tree planting, protection and restoration initiatives, and biodiversity enhancement.
Following partnering with Beyondly and the completion of their B Corp consultancy project, Tradelinens’ B Impact Assessment score increased from 59.4 to 76.8. In October 2025, they celebrated a significant milestone - successfully certifying as a B Corp with a final score of 83.4, and joining a community of companies passionate about using business as a force for good to positively impact society and the environment.
Reflecting on Tradelinens' B Corp journey and partnership with Beyondly, Catherine Morris, Managing Director at Tradelinens, commented:
"From our first contact with the team at Beyondly at the start of 2024, they have provided outstanding, practical guidance throughout two years of Scope 1 and 2 measurements and our successful B Corp certification. As a small team, we particularly valued their expert advice, clear communication, and user-friendly templates.
While we have been focused on strengthening our ESG journey since joining BCI in 2016, it can be challenging for SMEs to manage such specialist work internally. Beyondly integrated seamlessly with our team, and I would highly recommend them to any company, whether you’re just beginning your ESG journey or looking to add greater structure and rigour to existing plans.”
