‘Toxic’ Brewdog stripped of social enterprise status

BREWDOG has lost its social enterprise status following staff accusations that it fostered a “toxic” culture and left them suffering mental illness.

The Scottish brewer said it had chosen to “step aside” from B Corp, which certifies high social and environmental standards, less than two years after receiving the accreditation.

Brewdog said it was abandoning the scheme because of pressures in the hospitality sector, adding “the current crisis has taught us that we need to be laser-focused on those areas of our business that deliver the most real terms value”, The Guardian reported.

To gain B Corp, companies undergo a rigorous assessment, taking several years, to prove they can create “standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behaviour, culture, and structural underpinnings of capitalism”.

The status is awarded by nonprofit network B Lab. James Watt, Brewdog chief executive and co-founder had tweeted “this is the future of business” after gaining the status and the company even brewed a lager to honour the achievement, named B Corp.