A soap brand which hires people with disabilities is encouraging other businesses to "steal" its workers.

Clarity and Co. - based in Highams Park - makes soaps and toiletries, but what is unique about the not-for-profit company is that 80 per cent of its workers have disabilities.

Some staff members have had decades of experience and Clarity is now inviting rival businesses to make use of its talented workers from its soap brand BECO.

Camilla Marcus-Dew, head of sustainable growth at Clarity and Co. said: “We want to give people who want to work, the opportunity to work. It’s as simple as that.

“Some of our staff at BECO. have been at the organisation for more than 30 years, and as much as we love our team and their loyalty, we want to help them and others have opportunities and so that as a society we can close the disability unemployment gap.

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Packaging showing Beco receptionist Stephen. Photo: BECO

“On average, there are over 250 applications for any corporate role in the UK, so it’s hard to stand out. The only way we were going to make a difference was to go big and reach the millions of supermarket shoppers through the CVs on our products and calling on big corporations to make a stand and change their hiring policies.

“We need people to start acting and living their values, not just talking about it."

As part of Clarity's Steal Our Staff campaign, employees will have their profiles on the packaging of BECO soaps, which is sold in retailers including Boots, Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

The aim is to close the disability employment gap.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 52.6 per cent of disabled people aged 16 to 64 were employed between April to June this year, whereas the overall employment rate in the UK was 76 per cent.

Clarity was started in 1854, the social enterprise has been employing people with disabilities for 165 years. At one time, it even had the support of Queen Victoria as a patron.

BECO soaps are marketed as being ethically produced and kind to the environment.

The products are vegan, there is no testing on animals, all packaging is recyclable and no known allergens are used. They also carry the plastic-free trust stamp from campaign group A Plastic Planet.

Employers can look at BECO's staff and their CVs here: beco.co.uk/stealourstaff