Nearly 60 Years in Business. Now Filter Supplies Has the Certification to Prove What We Stand For.
We are extremely proud to announce that Filter Supplies is now a Certified B Corporation.
For a Western Australian family business established in 1967, this is a significant milestone. But perhaps more importantly, it is independent recognition of something we have spent nearly six decades trying to get right: doing business properly.
When we started the B Corp™ journey, it wasn’t because we wanted another logo for our website, we did it because the business world is changing.
Our customers increasingly want to understand not only what they are buying and how much it costs, but who they are buying it from. They want to know how their suppliers treat their employees, how they interact with their communities, how they manage environmental impacts, how they select their own suppliers and, ultimately, whether the businesses in their supply chain behave responsibly.
We thought those were fair questions.
So rather than simply telling people that Filter Supplies was a responsible business, we decided to put ourselves through an independent process that could demonstrate it.
Why B Corp?
Filter Supplies has been operating in Western Australia since 1967. Over that time, we have supplied filtration products to some of Australia’s largest mining, oil and gas, industrial and infrastructure businesses.
We’ve survived recessions, mining booms and busts, enormous technological change, COVID-19, supply-chain disruptions and the consolidation of our industry into increasingly large multinational corporations.
Through all of it, we have remained a Western Australian family business.
We have always believed that being successful in business carries responsibilities beyond simply making a profit. Those responsibilities extend to our employees, our customers, our suppliers, our community and the environment.
That philosophy was one of the primary reasons we pursued B Corp Certification.
The B Corp framework gave us the opportunity to take a detailed look at the business and ask ourselves some difficult questions:
- Are our policies as good as our intentions?
- Are the things we have always considered “the right thing to do” actually embedded within the business?
- Can we measure our environmental impact?
- Are we managing risks within our supply chain?
- Are our employment practices fair?
- Do our governance structures reflect our values?
- And, importantly, can we prove it?
Independent Verification Matters
There is an enormous difference between a company saying it operates responsibly and being prepared to have its practices assessed against an external framework.
B Corp Certification requires businesses to consider their impact across workers, communities, customers, suppliers, governance and the environment. B Lab’s standards increasingly require businesses to identify and manage potential negative impacts as well as demonstrate positive ones – a process that has been enormously valuable for Filter Supplies.
It forced us to document things we had historically done simply because they made sense. It encouraged us to measure areas where previously we had relied on intuition and experience. And it identified areas where we could improve.
That last point is important.
B Corp Certification doesn’t mean we’re perfect. It means we’re prepared to measure ourselves, be accountable and keep getting better.
Local Business. International Standards.
One of the most valuable outcomes of our B Corp journey has been formalising Filter Supplies’ approach to internationally recognised principles of responsible business conduct and human rights.
Our policies and responsible-business framework now recognise and support principles reflected in major international frameworks, including:
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct
- Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
- United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- International Bill of Human Rights
These frameworks address issues including human rights, forced and child labour, discrimination, freedom of association, workplace safety, responsible employment practices, ethical recruitment and responsible supply chains.
For a relatively small Western Australian business, these might sound like issues primarily relevant to multinational corporations. They’re not. The filtration industry is global.
A filter sold from our warehouse in Welshpool may incorporate filtration media manufactured in one country, components produced in another and final assembly somewhere else entirely.
Responsible business therefore doesn’t stop at our warehouse door.
B Lab’s evolving Human Rights standards explicitly recognise this, asking businesses to consider potential human-rights impacts across both their operations and value chains.
For Filter Supplies, that means continuing to work with established international manufacturers and responsible suppliers while improving our understanding of the businesses and supply chains behind the products we sell.
Environmental Responsibility That Makes Commercial Sense
Our B Corp journey has also made us look more closely at our environmental footprint.
We’ve established measurable environmental targets, examined our emissions, waste, electricity consumption, vehicles and freight, and identified areas where a business of our size can realistically make a difference.
Interestingly, some of the things that are environmentally responsible are also things we’ve been doing commercially for decades.
Holding stock locally is a perfect example.
Filter Supplies has always believed in carrying substantial inventory in Western Australia. Local stock means fewer emergency airfreight shipments, better consolidation of orders, more efficient freight movements and, importantly, greater supply-chain resilience for our customers.
During COVID-19, while many businesses were reducing inventory, we increased ours. At the time we didn’t call that ESG. We called it looking after our customers.
Today, we understand that good inventory management can simultaneously deliver commercial, environmental and supply-chain benefits.
What Does This Mean for Our Customers?
For many of our customers, particularly major mining, oil and gas and industrial organisations, ESG and responsible procurement requirements are becoming increasingly important.
Procurement teams are being asked to look deeper into their supply chains.
Modern slavery, human rights, ethical employment, environmental performance, governance and responsible sourcing are increasingly becoming part of supplier qualification and tender processes.
Our B Corp Certification gives customers another level of confidence when dealing with Filter Supplies.
Rather than simply asking customers to accept our claims about how we operate, we can point to an internationally recognised certification framework and an independent assessment process.
B Lab itself describes B Corp Certification as a signal to customers, employees and investors that a company is committed to making a difference.
For large organisations seeking capable, locally owned suppliers that can also demonstrate mature ESG and responsible-business practices, we believe that matters.
We’re Proud of Where We’ve Come From. We’re Excited About Where We’re Going.
Filter Supplies started in Western Australia in 1967 with Hugh and Rosemary Ash. Nearly six decades later, we’re still here.
Still independent.
Still family owned.
Still holding stock locally.
Still solving filtration problems.
Still answering the phone when a customer urgently needs something.
The responsibilities of business have evolved, and we believe good businesses need to evolve with them. Becoming a Certified B Corporation is therefore not about changing who Filter Supplies is.
In many respects, it is about formalising who we have always tried to be:
- A business that looks after its customers
- A business that values its people
- A business that deals fairly with suppliers
- A business that contributes to its community
- A business that understands its environmental responsibilities
- A business prepared to be accountable for the way it operates
After nearly 60 years in business, we’re incredibly proud to add Certified B Corporation to the Filter Supplies story.
But we’re even more excited about what comes next.
Because B Corp isn’t the finish line.
It’s another commitment to keep doing business better.
