Our Journey to B Corp – Part 1
We’re excited to announce that our company is pursuing B Corp certification! This is a huge step for our company, and we’re really looking forward to taking you on the journey with us.
What is a B Corp?
B Corps are transforming the global economy; they are unified around the idea that business can be “a force for good.”
B Corps are passionate about doing the right thing for their teams, their communities and the planet. In the business world, they lead the charge on high-quality standards for employee benefits, charitable giving, supply chain practices, environmental impact and more. Sounds awesome, right?
According to B Lab, the non-profit network that manages the certification process, “We mobilize the B Corp community towards collective action to address society’s most critical challenges…by harnessing the power of business…[and] helping them balance profit with purpose.”
B Impact Assessment
The certification process allows “business as a force for good” to be quantified in an objective way. The B Impact Assessment (BIA) is a rigorous point-based tool that is broken into five impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. In order to meet the performance requirement for certification, a business must earn a minimum of 80 verified points on the BIA.
Every question answered on the assessment must have documentation to back up any points claimed; transparency and accountability underpins everything during the assessment. Points are verified by the B Lab during their extensive review process, and all businesses are required to undergo the process every three years to recertify.
Why do we want to become a B Corp?
Clearly, this is a serious undertaking, and we’re just getting started! Businesses don’t just become B Corps overnight. You can be assured that when a business is a certified B Corp, they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk.
Beyond the obvious desire to become a better company, we feel strongly about the social and environmental issues that B Corps are addressing. Learn even more about why we decided to pursue this certification in the next installment of this blog series.
