We are so excited to announce that we are B Corp Certified. What an achievement; we are so very proud of our certification and all that it means.
This journal entry explains a bit more about why being a B Corp is so great, and what it means now and moving forward.
Why become a B Corp?
There are so many reasons to become a B Corp, but the most obvious has to be that it is a way of ensuring that your business balances people and the planet with profit. One is not more important than the other, the idea being that nothing – no person, no animal, no part of the global environment – should suffer for your profit.
Of course we acknowledge that there is always going to be an impact – manufacturing, shipping and so on comes at a cost and it would be untruthful to suggest otherwise – but what a B Corp does is ensure that as a business we are taking all the steps we can to reduce the environmental impact as much as possible, whilst also ensuring all the people in the entire chain are treated well.
The process fully interrogates your business, it makes you face up to your problems as well as celebrating the good. It can seem overwhelming at first but Rome wasn’t built in a day!
COMMITMENT
Becoming a B Corp shows everyone – customers, other businesses, team members, stakeholders, suppliers – that you are serious and committed to the ‘ideal’ of being a force for good. That you are not greenwashing, or focussing solely on a couple of good points and ignoring the bad. That you really, truly care about people and the planet, whilst also making a profit. It is evidence that it is indeed possible to be incredibly successful at the same time as being ethical (hello Patagonia).
Registered B Corps say that this proven commitment leads to increased customer loyalty, to a committed and motivated team, and it helps to attract and retain talent in your industry. According to Forbes ‘…millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025 and they are looking for socially responsible employers.’ It goes on to say that ‘…83% would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues’. The time to move in the direction of being sustainable and ethical is now if you wish to recruit and retain the best people for your business.
COMMUNITY
B Corps are at the forefront of market leadership, they are innovative, open to challenge and are driven by a desire to be a better business. Therefore when you become a B Corp you become part of the coolest gang! Of course there’s the fact that you show up on searches for B Corps and can shout to the world that you have achieved registration, but also there is the ‘B Hive’.
B Hive is a group for registered B Corps – it is full of likeminded people who want to help and encourage each other. This isn’t about one business’ outdoing another, it’s about supporting each other to be the very best you can be. It’s about sharing solutions to problems and challenges and building each other up.
Many B Corps offer discounts for the team members of other B Corps which goes to show they truly are businesses that believe in doing things the right way rather than trying to make profit at the expense of others.
CONTINUITY
Once you are certified as a B Corp it is a requirement that you continue working to improve – you have to rectify every 3 years with a better score than before.
The ongoing assesment ensures that sustainability and ethics become ingrained in your thinking – no decision, big or small, is made without thorough consideration.
It is through this way of thinking that, step by step, we will change the world.
If you are not ready to become a B Corp but are interested in seeing how your business sits within the five key areas (governance, workers, community, environment and customers) you can access the B Impact Assessment (BIA) for free with no obligation.
As always I hope this has been useful, and if you have any questions or suggestions please do get in touch. I would love to hear from you!
Laura
