March means #BCorpMonth, but what is a B Corp and why are they becoming increasingly common? More businesses today are becoming B Corps and are going through the B Corp certification process, so I’d like to explain a bit more about what they are and how this modern business movement is positively impacting on people and the planet, as well as giving you a breakdown of some of the amazing B Corp companies that are worth knowing about.
WHAT ARE B CORPS?
Certified B Corporations use their business as a force for good by caring about their employees, the environment, and their impact on the world. As stated on the B Corp website, certified B Corporations are:
” CERTIFIED B CORPORATIONS ARE LEADERS IN THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR AN INCLUSIVE, EQUITABLE, AND REGENERATIVE ECONOMY. THEY MEET HIGH STANDARDS OF VERIFIED PERFORMANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ON FACTORS FROM EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND CHARITABLE GIVING TO SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICES AND INPUT MATERIALS”.
SOURCE: B CORP
All B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all of their stakeholders (a model known as stakeholder governance), which means they are legally accountable to their workers, communities, customers, suppliers and the environment.
B CORP CERTIFICATION
To become a B Corp, companies must go through a rigorous certification process, managed by the not-for-profit organisation, B Lab, which measures the standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The verification process involves documentation of a company’s business model and the assessment of five impact areas: governance, workers, community, the environment and customers.
- Governance: What the company does to enhance policies and practices relevant to its mission, ethics, accountability and transparency.
- Workers: What the company does to contribute to their employees’ financial, physical, professional and social well-being
- Community: How the company contributes to the economic and social well-being of the communities in which it operates.
- Environment: What the company can improve in its overall environmental management.
- Customers: How the company can improve the value that you create for your direct customers and the consumers of your products or services.
Once a company achieves the B Corp certification, it doesn’t last forever. To maintain it, Certified B Corps must update their impact assessment and verify their updated score every three years.
For most companies, completing the legal requirements in order to get a B Corp Certification is a meaningful, but straightforward process. The specific legal requirements for a company actually vary based on the company’s type: corporation, limited liability company, partnership, cooperative, etc.
As a company looking to get verified, you can use the B Lab Legal Requirement Tool on their website to understand your company’s pathway to meet the legal requirements in your specific industry and country.
B CORP MONTH
Every year in March, B Lab, Sistema B and the global B Corp community join together to celebrate what it means to be a B Corp business. Throughout the month they host events to build awareness and educate different audiences on the ways in which the B Corp movement is transforming the economic system for the better.
This year, their #WeGoBeyond campaign presents and educates the world with a community of impactful businesses that are going beyond harmful expectations and greenwashing and are instead taking action to transform the economic system.
In light of this, they have and currently are hosting a wide variety of events we can all register for and learn something from. The campaign is not just about teaching businesses about B Corps but making sure that customers understand their power too: our buying power. If we’re all educated about how B Corps can help the planet and people, we can all start making the right buying choices too.
B Corp Company Recommendations
With over 6,000 certified companies in +80 countries and 160 different industries, the B Corp movement is growing fast across the world. I have put together some of my favourite B Corp companies that I have researching recently.
HOT POD YOGA
Hot Pod Yoga was launched in 2013 with the mission to reinvent yoga for the modern world. I signed up with them in January, when they had a too good to miss offer of limitless yoga for ten consecutive days for the price of £22! Hot yoga is something I started on my return from Vietnam and initially it made me really homesick for Hanoi – heat, humidity, scent, sound and light all come together to create an incredibly immersive environment.
With an initial B Impact Score of 88.1, Hot Pod Yoga have made a commitment to using their business for good, from choosing to only work with green energy suppliers, to bringing their network of studios together to raise money for charity, and ensuring their employees, teachers and network of studio owners are all happy, fulfilled, and treated with fairness and respect.
Classes take place in a room heated to approximately 37 degrees, which helps the body melt into the practice, warming the muscles and aiding flexibility; you can even buy a mini pod and try Hotpod at home.
The Tartan Blanket Co
The Tartan Blanket Co is an Edinburgh-based company that only just received its certification last February and whose mission is to create design-leading, sustainable products that bring warmth to people and positively impact our planet, helping to shape a better future for all.
The brand doesn’t simply want to neutralise the impact they have on the planet and its people but also wants to leave a positive one instead. Through their Positive Impact Pledge, 2% of each and every purchase made is donated to charities that protect the planet and give to those in need.
While the median score for any ordinary business that completes the B Impact Assessment is currently 50.9, The Tartan Blanket Co. earned an overall score of 88.6, making it one of the most ethical B Corp companies on my shopping list.
In 2022, The Tartan Blanket Co supported multiple charities and donated over £100K, 1% for the people and 1% for the planet. The 1% for the people donations supported charities such as Sewadham Ashram, The UN Refugee Agency, The British Red Cross, Women’s Aid, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, Action Aid and The Trussel Trust. While the 1% for the planet donations went towards non-profit organisations such as Cool Earth, Ocean Generation and World Land Trust.
the renewal collection
One of the things that makes The Tartan Blanket Co sustainable, is that they also create blankets made from recycled wool and on average, each blanket saves six garments from landfill, turning preloved into reloved. Learn More about the Recycled Wool process here.
Recycling wool can be a challenge as the fibres can be too short to respin. The Tartan Blanket Co’s solution is to blend recycled wool with longer mixed fibres saved from landfill to create a soft and durable yarn, which is woven in a dense twill weave and brushed for texture. All the benefits of wool, in a sustainable blanket! What’s more, they’re even machine washable.
This TBCo Picnic Blanket with fringe is woven from 70% recycled wool and 30% mixed recycled fibres.
RHEAL SUPERFOODS
Rheal Superfoods is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, and is on a mission to help people live healthier & happier lives with superfoods. Their innovative products help consumers create healthy habits: From organic superfood blends to nutritious snack bars, Rheal is currently one of the leading brands for quality products to support both the health of consumers & the planet.
With an impressive B Impact Assessment score of 90.7, Rheal got their first business investment in 2021, when co-founders Charlotte and Sean appeared on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den: Their pitch went down in history as all five Dragons offered them exactly what they asked for!
With every order, they plant a tree on the customer’s behalf with their charity partner, Ecologi, who is committed to helping rebuild areas affected by deforestation and reducing carbon in the atmosphere. So far, Rheal has planted over 80,000 trees across the world!
Packed with Purpose
Packed With Purpose is a Certified Woman-Owned business that embeds social and environmental impact into the everyday act of gift-giving. With a B Impact Assessment score of 83.6, the company’s thoughtful, hand-selected and sustainable gifts, sourced from 140+ purpose-driven organizations have positively impacted nearly 1.5 Million lives since the company’s start. From preserving the environment to investing in women & diverse-owned businesses, to employing adults with barriers to employment and rainforest preservation, these gifts transform lives and communities.
On top of that, their gift boxes are made from recycled materials, so every gift has a low impact on the environment. In fact, the box, the inside shred and all packaging materials are responsibly sourced and can be recycled, so every gift helps preserve the environment.
Wild
Wild is on a mission to remove single-use plastic from personal care products: They have created a natural, refillable deodorant that is single-use plastic with aluminium cases that lasts for life, along with deodorant refills made from compostable bamboo pulp.
Based on the B Impact Assessment, Wild earned an incredible overall score of 110.8 and their half a million users have saved up to 80 tonnes of plastic from entering landfill as every time you refill your case, you’re saving 30 grams of plastic going to landfill.
On top of this, the brand partnered with ONAMISSION in order to tackle deforestation in multiple areas of the world. By planting one tree for every purchase, they have achieved carbon negativity and planted over 300,000 trees so far!
Think of it as deodorant made from plants, packaged in plants, that helps grow plants.
For more information on deodorants – check out my blogs: A Guide to Natural Deodorants and Going Deodorant-Free and Switching to a Natural Deodorant: Plus the Ultimate Detox Guide.
THRIFT +
Thrift Plus is a UK-based pre-loved fashion marketplace with a mission to end fashion waste by making secondhand fashion seamless. The company is currently provides the easiest way to donate clothes and buy secondhand clothes: You can clear out your wardrobe without the hassle. Their process works so that you order your first Thrift Bag, fill it with clothes and accessories still in good condition and send it back to them. They’ll sort through it, photograph, list, pack and ship the clothes for you!
By taking part in the secondhand fashion revolution, you can earn credit to donate to charity, spend on Thrift+, or redeem on vouchers with their partners, in exchange for every bag donated.
With an overall B Impact Score of 82.4, their impact so far consists of over 500,000 items of clothing recirculated and £1.5 million donated to charities chosen by the sellers. Thrift Plus is really making a positive impact toward closing the loop in the ever-so-wasteful fashion industry.
For more information about buying preloved clothing, check out my blog: No Time to Waste – Why Buy Pre-loved and Remade Fashion?
Thanks to B Corp Certifications, there’s now actual proof that brands and businesses are not just talking the talk, but that they’re actually ethical. These certifications are making a sustainable and impactful living just that little bit easier, helping to bring down greenwashing, little by little.
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