Cornwall’s Treveth becomes one of the first UK developers to achieve B Corp status

Cornish developer Treveth has been awarded the prestigious, and globally recognised, B Corporation (B Corp) certification after taking the lead on bringing sustainable new build homes and commercial developments to Cornwall, for Cornish people.

Just four years after its launch, Treveth has become one of the first developers in the UK to achieve the rigorous requirements of the respected B Corp certification. Businesses that are certified B Corps meet the highest standard of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Applicants are required to exceed a benchmark score of 80 out of 200, Treveth secured an overall score of 95.2, a significantly high score for a business working in the property and development industry.

Tim Mulholland, Managing Director at Treveth, commented: “We’re delighted to announce that we are among just a handful of UK developers that have achieved the B Corp certification. Furthermore, we believe Treveth is the first local authority owned company to achieve B Corp status. This highly regarded certification is an acknowledgement of our company’s strong environmental and social ethos and our brilliant team, who work really hard to bring these values to life across all our activities.”

Managed by B Lab, the internationally recognised certification process measures a company’s entire impact across five key areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. It also verifies socially and environmentally responsible practice from energy, water and waste to diversity, transparency and staff support policies.

Based in Truro and operating under a ‘Profit with Purpose’ ethos, Treveth builds high-quality new build homes, sustainable communities, and commercial developments in partnership with Cornwall Council to benefit people who live and work in Cornwall. The firm has made impressive progress in ensuring that all aspects of the business operate in a sustainable way.

Tim continued: “Since Treveth launched in 2019, sustainability has been at the core of everything we do. Our objective has always been to leave behind a positive legacy of sustainable residential and commercial developments that are valued by their communities. We are also driving forward meaningful action on decarbonisation in full alignment with Cornwall Council’s ambition for Cornwall to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

Treveth is leading the way on delivering low carbon developments and strives to achieve challenging carbon emissions targets set for 2030. Launched in 2021, Treveth’s new homes scheme Gwel Basset at Tolgus is at the forefront of low carbon developments. All 185 new build homes at this site are designed to meet challenging operational and embodied carbon saving targets and use up to 73% less energy a year compared to an average three-bedroom house in the UK. Environmental measures include using air source heat pumps in place of fossil fuelled boilers, carefully integrated walking and cycle routes as well as easy access to bus and rail infrastructures, planting of edible landscapes and working with local suppliers.

Earlier this year, at Treveth’s Bodmin site, Park Lanneves, Treveth has set new benchmarks for sustainability by avoiding the removal of a significant amount of soil from the site which would have equated to 1,300 lorry movements. By working with the existing ground levels and reducing the need for retaining structures, it has been possible to avoid taking any soil off site. This will result in an overall carbon saving of at least 700 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to approximately 700 passenger return flights from London to New York.

The commercial arm of the business is also looking at new ways in which it can bring workspace opportunities to Cornwall whilst managing its environmental impact. Currently under construction, Treveth is retaining and reusing the foundations and steel frames on site at Pool’s Dudnance Lane to reduce both the amount of waste generated from site and new materials needed for rebuilding.

Tim added: “With this certification, Treveth becomes a part of the global B Corp community which allows us to connect with other like-minded brands and businesses that measure social and environmental impact. We have learnt a considerable amount throughout the B Corp process and will use the assessment to keep strengthening our approach in the years to come.”

The B Corp certification applies to all companies under the Treveth umbrella, including Perran Housing.

All certified B Corps are required to undertake the assessment and verification process every three years to retain their B Corp status. Treveth plans to continue its sustainability journey to ensure that it enjoys B Corp status for years to come.

The next step in Treveth’s carbon neutrality journey is to look at the provision of smart grids that will enable the use of renewable energy opportunities on Treveth’s sites to be maximised. For larger scale developments, Treveth is in the process of developing alternative renewable strategies that take advantage of Cornwall’s natural geology to provide decarbonised heat.

The Cornish developer is also in the process of having its first carbon inventory developed which will identify measurable targets for further annual reductions.

For more information on Treveth, visit www.treveth.co.uk.