31 Mar 2023

Kiwi PPE-maker Eagle Protect on B Corp status and murky supply chains

From Nine To Noon, 9:30 am on 31 March 2023

This month marks 10 years since B Corporation made its New Zealand debut, with nearly 100 Kiwi companies having made the grade.

The 'B' in the name stands for "beneficial" and certification relies on businesses being able to demonstrate a commitment to operating in a way that benefits their workers, communities and the planet.

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Photo: Top Glove

New Zealand PPE-maker Eagle Protect was the first Kiwi company to achieve B Corp status.

It makes responsibly-sourced disposable gloves and protective clothing, and supplies about 80 percent of the primary food processing industry here. Part of its certification rests on efforts to create an ethical and transparent supply chain.

The company recently released the results of a four-year study into glove contamination by US microbiologist Barry Michaels, which found half of disposable gloves carried faecal microbes in or on them when they came out of the box.

Eagle Protect's co-founder and chief executive Steve Ardagh tells Kathryn more.