B Corp Month: A Generation for Change

This year’s B Corp month is our first as a certified B Corporation™.  Every March, the 9,500+ B Corps globally – 2,500 in the UK alone – celebrate what it means to be part of a global community taking positive steps to protect the future of our society and planet.

We were over the moon when we received our certification late last summer, after a two-year journey which saw us look at every aspect of our business. So, this B Corp month, we’re sharing a few thoughts about what being a B Corp means to us – and what it could mean for your business if you’re wondering whether to join the movement.

Firstly, What is B COrp?

Before we get into the detail, let’s briefly cover what being a certified B Corporation means. While many people recognise the B Corp logo and have heard the name (in fact awareness in the UK is the highest anywhere in the world), you might only have a vague idea of what it entails.

At its simplest, being a certified B Corp means a business has met high standards of social and environmental impact, verified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation.

To achieve certification, businesses participate in a robust certification process which assesses five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.

From this, B Lab arrives at a verified B Corp score. To achieve certification, this must exceed 80 (the median non-B Corp business score is 50.9). Our current score is 86.9 but this isn’t a one-off certification. All B Corps must then recertify every three years to demonstrate continuous improvement.

Why We Love Being a B Corp

1. Clarity of the Triple Bottom Line

Many people think ‘environment’ or ‘sustainability’ when they hear the name B Corp. And that’s a big part of it, but you need to look at your business in a much broader sense to achieve certification. From embedding socially responsible policies into your governance and finding ways to support your team, to reviewing your supply chains (we’ve found some brilliant businesses to buy from within the B Corp network) and working with your wider community, the process challenges you to take an uncompromising look at every aspect of your business.

Being a B Corp ensures we never lose sight of our wider mission and values because it gives us a framework and keeps our focus on what matters – making decisions which have maximum positive impact on our world.

2. BEing Held Accountable, Now and For the Future

There are valid concerns about greenwashing and companies paying lip service to environmental and societal issues. Being part of B Corp means measuring and reporting on what we do every year, making us absolutely transparent and accountable. We have to do what we say we’re going to do.

The requirement to reapply for certification every three years also stops this from being a ‘once and done’ process. We’ve been able to identify areas where we can further improve, from which we’ve set improvement targets for when we reassess in 2027. It helps us build a roadmap of where our business is today and where we want it to be in the future.

3. We Love Being Part of Something BIgger

There’s a powerfully positive sense of purpose to the B Corp movement. It’s about accepting that we’re facing enormous challenges but knowing that there is purpose in taking small steps, which collectively build into real change. 

As individuals, we’ve probably all had moments when we wonder whether there’s any point to the gestures we make in our own lives for the sake of the planet – the scale of the environmental challenge looks so vast in comparison to anything we’re individually capable of achieving. The same can be true for SMEs; we know our impact is always going to small compared to big business.

But one of the joys of B Corp is the optimistic outlook which says that we all – no matter how big or small – have a role to play. This year’s B Corp month theme is Gen B, capturing the concept that we’re part of a generation of people using business as a force for good, taking action today, to create a better future tomorrow.

4. It’s About Long-Term Mindset Change

If you’re sitting in an office reading this, glance around and list the things you can see which could be sourced more sustainably. A couple of years before we became B Corp, we achieved the milestone of becoming a plastic-neutral workplace. Removing single-use plastic from your office is a good place to start and can have a much bigger impact that you might realise. We went from buying 3,000 plastic packets of sweets in 2019 to zero plastic for snacks from 2022 onwards. When you add in the changes to our cleaning products, stationery, team and client gifts, tea and coffee, and so much more, you can see how it adds up. Imagine if every business just did that. 

Other sustainable changes take longer. We’ve replaced our heating system with one which is 60% more efficient and invested in composting equipment to dispose of food waste. Now we’re in the process of increasing insulation in our Grade II listed building and investigating the options for solar panel installation. But in keeping with the wider message of B Corp, these individual initiatives – some big, some small – all add up to something greater than the sum of their parts.

So, Is Becoming A B Corp Right For You?

Well, we can’t answer for you, but we’re very glad we’re on this journey, and we’re not alone – 91% of UK B Corps believe certification has positively impacted their business. Maybe there was a slight naivety when we began, but I’m not sure we fully understood all the reasons that being a B Corp matters at the outset.

We knew it would help us make ethically and sustainably sound choices about our operations. But it is much more deep-rooted than that. We’re a better business to work with and for thanks to the changes we’ve made in recent years.

And if that’s not reason enough, the latest research suggests that B Corps are outperforming ordinary businesses across commercial metrics including turnover and headcount increases. 

Building a better future starts with the decisions we take today. If you’d like to talk to us about our experiences of becoming a certified B Corp, please do get in touch.

The author: Jane Ainsworth is managing director of WPR. She has over 20 years’ experience in developing and delivering communications strategies for consumer brands including Dunelm, Tesco, Mothercare, Greene King, John Lewis, Bullring, Beaverbrooks and Westfield.