Welcome to our third and final B Corp Month blog.
This week is all about inspiring others – whether that means making small changes at home or work, or going the whole hog and becoming B Corp certified, we would love it if our actions inspire you to tread a little more lightly on the wonderful planet that we inhabit.
Small change, big impact...
Whilst it can feel impossible that individual actions can make a difference to the planet this is so far from the truth. Here are some small, simple things we can all engage with to collectively have a big impact:
No Mow May is a fantastic initiative that encourages people to leave all or part of their lawn unmown for May. Long grass is a wonderful habitat for so many things – hedgehogs, insects, frogs and of course pollinators. It’s a win win – less mowing for you and huge benefits to wildlife!
Use less. Challenge yourself to use half the amount of shampoo, washing up liquid and so on. I expect you’ll realise just how little you actually need. Just imagine how many bottles would be saved if you could halve your use of all liquids.
Eat your leftovers! The UK wastes about 9.52 million tonnes of food waste per year. Join us in a mission to reduce this amount. Think creatively – most fruit and veg that is ‘going over’ is perfectly safe to eat (just cut the mould off!), if it really is too soft for you make it into a smoothie or compote. Gone off milk makes delicious pancakes and scones and vegetable peelings are perfect for stock. What cannot be eaten can be composted; I have heard brilliant things about Bokashi composting systems – they are small enough to be used inside and highly effective and creating compost in a short time.
Vote with your pound
We all know the saying “put your money where your mouth is” and I encourage you to do that. Of course being able to buy only ethical, sustainable products would be great, but it can be hard to know where to source items and who and what we can trust. That is where B Corp comes in. When I see the B Corp logo I trust it. I know those companies have been through a rigorous process and have been verified as meeting high standards. There is an online directory for B Corps, where you can search by location, product or other keyword such as ‘bakery’.
There are of course companies doing great things that aren’t B Corp certified, take LittlePod for example. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – any company who is making an effort for people and planet will be happy to tell you about it. Call, send an email, and see what response you get. When you discover a wonderful business spread the word – maybe share a post of theirs on social media or tell your friends over a nice glass of Warner’s Gin.
Not only does buying from such companies support them and allow them to expand and make you feel good, but it also encourages other companies to follow in their footsteps. Imagine a world where businesses HAD to be doing the right thing in order to attract and keep team members and to grow their customer base. We can all be a cog in the wheel that makes that happen!
We'd love you to join us
I’ve said it before and I will say it again – B Corp Certification isn’t easy, but it is SO worth it. It is such a wonderful way of assessing your business and seeing where you are doing well and where you can improve. It proves to your team, your customers, investors and so on that you are committed. That yes, you make a profit, but that you do it in harmony with the world.
B Lab UK have recently launched a free course that anyone can access. It is an introduction to the B Corp movement and gives an overview of the process as well and some real life examples from certified B Corps. If you are interested in the process I would recommend it, or of course you are welcome to contact us with any questions.
If you don’t feel that B Corp certification is for you you can still use the B Impact Assessment to see how you score in each area in order to help you work out where your strengths and weaknesses are. On that note don’t be afraid of sharing what problems you are facing – there is no such thing as a perfect business (or person!) and by being honest you will only help to build the trust of those around you.
Happy News
I thought a good way to end B Corp month would be by sharing some happy news from around the world:
Cheetah cubs have been born in India following their extinction 70 years ago. This is amazing, and a result of lots of hard work – cheetahs are globally vulnerable. What a thrill for everyone involved!
500 baby zebra sharks are being released into areas where they have been hunted to near extinction. It is an attempt to bring back a self-sustaining wild population that has been teetering on extinction. Fingers crossed they thrive and the balance is restored.
Heal is a charity in the UK a simple mission: raise money, buy land, rewild it. They have just purchased their first site in Somerset and have plans to introduce rare breed cattle, pigs and ponies in small numbers as ‘ecosystem engineers’, as well as developing a habitat mosaic of trees, scrub, grassland, bare earth and water.
As always, I hope you have found this intersting, and if you have any comments or questions please do get in touch!
Laura
