The corporate world is awash with badges, marks and logos that seek to demonstrate a company’s commitment to their employees, society, and the planet. As the number of these certifications grow, questions around their credibility understandably have grown too.
But there are few that have established themselves as a more trusted and credible way to measure a company’s social and environmental impact than B Corp.
Established in 2006, B Lab has become one of the world’s leading certification organisations that seeks to assess an organisation’s commitment to being a force for good.
More than 8000 companies, across 101 countries and 162 industries, have become B Corp certified. As a result, those that have worked hard to become accredited are rightly recognised as organisations that are striving to become a better business in respect to its people, its operations, its community and the planet.
As a company established more than 8 years ago to have a positive impact, it was a natural next step to seek B Corp certification. But it wasn’t a done deal. With the growing group of respected organisations becoming certified there came a risk of being accused of greenwashing.
The first steps into the process were careful and measured and Blakeney was prepared to end the process if it didn’t live up to the company’s own robust expectations.
Early in the process any concerns were quickly addressed. Over the following months, the team found the assessment robust and rigorous. The approach B Corp took taught Blakeney a lot about the business and provided an opportunity to make improvements in how the company was run. It resulted in being clearer on the company’s mission, more confident in the positive actions it is taking each day, and clear-eyed about the path take in the coming years to continuously improve.
The experience has also allowed Blakeney to have a greater understanding of the importance of such a certification, a clearer appreciation of those who have gone through this process and a confidence to proudly talk about certification as part of the company’s broader purpose and mission.
For those considering embarking on the B Corp journey, only begin if the company is truly committed to building a business that wants to have a positive impact on the planet; be prepared to shine a light on its work; and don’t be afraid to make changes where necessary.
If you do, you’ll find you emerge from this process a better business than when you started.