Meanwhile, we have to pass with flying colours an exceptionally rigorous assessment of our entire business, from business model to workplace culture to social and environmental impact. We also have to play nice and wait our turn. More than 6,000 applications were submitted in 2020-21 to join the growing line-up of Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Danone’s, Body Shop and other Certified B Corporation companies. A modest 38% increase from 2018-19, and the pace has only increased.
There is now a great tool for impact assessment
However: the figure for pre-application impact assessment is even more impressive. From 2020 onwards, the number of people registering for the B Impact Assessment tool increased by 84%. In Europe alone, there were more than 14,000 new users of the tool in 2021. The B Corp community is not about certification, but rather the desire to improve one’s business and increase the level of sustainability.
The assessment is a great tool for that. That includes us too, even though we thought we were already looking at sustainability from every angle. Questions with a wider view of a company’s activities help us understand what’s possible and uncover strengths and resources we hadn’t previously thought of.
Over the spring, we have taken a number of steps for our company, such as:
- a sustainability strategy (focusing on impact)
- a plan for implementing the strategy, i.e. how we will make a concrete and positive impact
- a data collection plan for our customers and employees
- an ethics code & diversity programme
We’ll keep you updated on our integration into the B Corp community, and what happens next. Being part of this team is fascinating for us, our customers and stakeholders. We promise to share everything we learn along the way with everyone interested. Find out more about the B Corp movement. Have a look at Fabrik’s Impact Branding service and see how we can help your company with sustainability assessment and development.
