Pai Skincare, an organic skincare company based in west London, is among the first 23 companies to be accredited by a new ethical business scheme.

Aimed at building public trust in responsible business, the SEE Companies initiative breaks new ground by becoming the only scheme that accredits companies, not individual products, across a broad range of Social, Environmental and Ethical (SEE) issues.

To become a SEE Company, a business must fulfil 35 criteria ranging from promoting social inclusion to not using child labour.

The criteria were developed by SEE Potential (the company behind SEE Companies) and leading SEE authorities including ActionAid, Christian Aid, World Land Trust and Survival International.

The scheme is fully transparent as all company information is published for public scrutiny on the SEEcompanies.com website SEE Companies accreditation helps consumers and other businesses base purchasing, employment and investment decisions on SEE criteria. Accredited companies are licensed to display the SEE Companies Logo on packaging and marketing materials for easy identification.

Pai Skincare, launched in January 2007, produces a range of handmade, plant-derived skincare products. Recently certified by the Soil Association, it is the first cosmetics company to be SEE accredited.