Our journey to becoming B Corp certified
In our last post (all the way back in March 2021) we explained why we wanted to become a B Corporation, explained just what it means to be one, and shed some light on the process.
Up next, what stages have we gone through in the last year? Just how long does everything take? And what lies ahead for a company going through the application process?
What have we done so far?
Once you’ve accumulated the 80 points required to pass and have submitted your impact assessment, companies go through a review process which is made up of around 3 key stages. After waiting a few months in the queue we entered the first stage: Evaluation.
Here you’ll be allocated a B Corp analyst who will check to make sure that you’re on the correct ‘track’ – different industries have different tracks so that the questions that you’re being asked are relevant to your business. We were actually on the wrong track initially, it’s quite an easy mistake to make.
We were then asked to complete a large and daunting document verifying all the core characteristics of the business, including listing our top 80% of suppliers, where they are based and what we purchase from them.
During this stage your Analyst will also work to increase your score. We submitted our assessment with a score of 82. But it’s very likely that your score will fall as you move through each stage. So you’ll need to work hard to revisit your assessment and make improvements wherever you can. We reviewed all 250 of the questions and managed to increase our score to 86.2 points.
Finally, we were also asked to amend our company’s ‘Articles of Association’ which is a key part of the B Corp process. Most companies are incorporated with the main goal to make a profit. However B Corps are on a mission to make a profit, benefit their workers and also create a positive impact on society and its environment.
By amending our Articles of Association we pledged to a ‘Triple Bottom Line’: balancing People, Planet and Profit.
