A Border manufacturer of drinking fountains has been recognised for its high business standards with a global certification.
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South Albury-based Meet Pat has recently been granted B Corporation status for a host of initiatives that feature in its operation.
Meet Pat has joined more than 7000 B-Corps around the world and 500 in Australia, including clothing company Patagonia, ice cream maker Ben and Jerry's and Canberra-based Capital Brewing Co.
Certification and environment lead Sarah Roseby said the business had always been driven by an environmental focus around the reduction of single-use plastics.
![Meet Pat certification and environment lead Sarah Roseby and graphics lead Katherine Nimmo are excited the Albury business has become a certified B Corporation. Picture by Mark Jesser Meet Pat certification and environment lead Sarah Roseby and graphics lead Katherine Nimmo are excited the Albury business has become a certified B Corporation. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/beau.greenway/787a3664-5eac-4044-8c17-6fa9fec0de65.jpg/r0_0_5211_3474_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We've always been environmentally driven and we wanted to create a business that doesn't leave an impact for our kids," she said.
"This is something just to strengthen our work. They provide a code to follow and make sure that you're doing everything by the standards they set.
"It's businesses considering not just the profit, but they're also considering their long-term impact on communities, the environment, and socially with the people that they employ and their customers.
"We have our B-Corp certification now, but that's actually just the start of the process. It'll be a process of continual improvement."
Mrs Roseby said Meet Pat earned B-Corp status thanks to initiatives such as its carbon offset project, where the impact of its office operations are balanced out through the planting of trees at a nearby sanctuary.
![Technician Matt Walker assembling a Meet Pat drinking fountain at the Albury warehouse. Picture by Mark Jesser Technician Matt Walker assembling a Meet Pat drinking fountain at the Albury warehouse. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/beau.greenway/cecca614-1eab-4ca2-aaff-5c8dadd5abcc.jpg/r0_0_5568_3712_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
One per cent of the Albury manufacturer's profits are donated back to environmental impact charities, while staff are provided additional annual leave to volunteer for a social or environmental cause.
"It's about keeping businesses accountable across all areas and really changing the way that business is done," Mrs Roseby said.
"Businesses won't be sustainable in the long run if profit is the only focus. I think the world is moving more towards that.
"Even some of the big tenders that we apply for are asking for our environmental certifications, sustainability data and all this additional information to show what kind of business we are and what sort of impact we're having socially and environmentally."
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Meet Pat employs 12 people on the Border, but has distributors in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland, with an aim to expand to the US.
It has also supplied drinking fountains to a host of international events including the Miami Grand Prix and the recent Ryder Cup golf tournament in Rome, while the 2024 Paris Olympics is on Meet Pat's radar.
"Some really big events are trying to be better in reducing their plastic waste," Mrs Roseby said.
"We manufacture here and then send to our distributors.
![Meet Pat certification and environment lead Sarah Roseby and graphics lead Katherine Nimmo with one of the water fountains at its Albury headquarters. Picture by Mark Jesser Meet Pat certification and environment lead Sarah Roseby and graphics lead Katherine Nimmo with one of the water fountains at its Albury headquarters. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/beau.greenway/f7cdadef-8379-4249-b8af-dff36cb5b63e.jpg/r0_0_5368_3579_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We've got parts that come from different places. A lot of them are sourced locally, while some parts are from Sydney or Melbourne and some come from overseas and are put together here."
Meet Pat graphics lead Katherine Nimmo said the business has taken major steps to reducing its waste thanks to the introduction of a detachable arm on its drinking fountains to make for easier shipping, while units are provided to customers with the correct number of components.
"Sometimes you get all these extra parts when you buy a product and so many often end up in landfill," she said.
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