Pharmacy Daily | Blooms has B Corp cert

BLOOMS The Chemist has achieved a new first with a B Corp Certification for its support office (Blooms The Chemist Management Services Ltd).

Certified B corporations meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

"We want to lead the Australian pharmacy industry by example and demonstrate what can be achieved as a truly purpose-led business, committed to doing good, for our people and our planet," said Pamela Bishop (pictured), Blooms' Chief Operating Officer.

The announcement paves the way for the support office to assist any individual pharmacy owners within the network who may wish to undertake a B Corp Certification.

Bishop also gives her suggestions for practical actions that can help embed sustainability:

Opt for appliances, lighting, and equipment that save energy.

Reduce the amount of paper that you use.

Reduce waste, opt for recycling and composting where possible.

Switch to environment-friendly packaging and encourage customers to recycle or reuse it.

Offer a medication blister-pack recycling service.

Range sustainable brands and products.

Develop a diversity equity and inclusion policy to promote a welcoming and safe workplace.

In a bid to reduce the burden of packaging waste, Blooms partnered last Oct with recycling specialists, Pharmacycle, who provide the nation's only blister pack recycling program that offers a full recycling solution from start to finish, which has recently led to the introduction of medicinal blister pack recycling across Blooms entire network of more than 115 stores, and has collected a staggering 616,000 packs in about five months of the program commencing.