As the founder of a proud B Corp business, and as we are in B Corp Awareness Month, this week I’d like to use this space to do a little plug for anyone considering or questioning becoming a B Corp.
For those of you new to the B Corp world, B Corp is a certification for businesses committed to act as a force for good – declaring Planet, People and Profit equally important: the “triple bottom line”.
In order to become a B Corp, companies are scored across five categories: governance, workers, customers, community and the environment. Once a business passes the strict standards, they are then committed to monitor and improve their performance every three years.
Rubies in the Rubble became a B Corp in 2020. Although we started with a passion to reduce excessive food waste, as we grew, I wanted to ensure we could be an agent for change across all business areas – which brought us to exploring B Corps. I was initially a little dubious to the merits of yet another badge. However, while no accreditation scheme is perfect, B Corp has created a framework for Rubies to start measuring and monitoring all activities across the business. Crucially, it has excited every member of the team to start their own initiative to create impactful change in their area.
With 9,400-plus companies signed up globally, B Corp is quickly becoming a well-known accreditation for businesses that have purpose beyond profit. It is broader than most other accreditation schemes I know of, because in addition to looking at your supply chain, it also focuses on your internal culture, people policies, and environmental impact.
With 54% of shoppers already buying into purpose or belief-driven brands, and nine in 10 millennials claiming they would switch brands to one with an associated cause, B Corp sets a collective standard that is already served by existing demand.
If B Corp businesses can become the norm, we will start a mass movement for setting sustainable business goals that match the needs of our planet alongside those of the consumer and investor. What an exciting thought!
So go on, check out joining the movement and see how you can make change too.
Jenny Costa of Rubies in the Rubble
No comments yet