I am compiling this review after the B For Good Leaders Summit in May 2024, in which more than 1,000 B Corp leaders and sustainability developers focused on driving a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future were in attendance.

Compared to last year, the language was clearly tougher. In many different sections it was repeated: “We have taken steps backwards. The promises of sustainability work have turned into intentions that we are not really even trying to fulfill”. The collective strength of more than 8 000 certified companies is a good starting point, but as stated: it is not enough. We need a systemic change in what we reward, what we support and how we define growth and success.

2023 has been a year of transformation for our company – we are a living example of how a green transition can change business for the better. The B Corp sustainability community, its toolkit and certification, chosen a few years ago, have been a game changer for our company.

The past year has brought partnerships in which we have been able to take steps in the right direction and from the right starting point. In line with the B Corp Declaration, we must be the change we seek in the world and strive from a product, practice and profit perspective not to harm anyone or anything and to benefit as many as possible.

As noted: willpower alone is not enough; companies need comprehensive, credible and comparable impact standards to support change in economic systems. From this perspective, we believe in the usefulness of the B Impact Assessment tool used by over 150,000 companies.

But when we talk about change, the real power is in us, the people. That’s why now and in the future, both in our own operations and in our partnerships, we are seeking answers to this question: what good does my business do for people other than its owners?

Jonna Ekroos
Communications strategist, B Leader, partner

We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good. This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation – the B Corporation – which is purpose driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging company, we believe:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world.
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

Our governance

New external members were appointed to the Board in 2023, welcome Hanna and Pekka! Samuli Kuittinen, Ville Timonen and Jonna Ekroos, Fabrik’s shareholders and employees, will continue on the Board.

Pekka Usva

– an expert in strategic management and business scaling

Hanna Hiekkamies

– Valio Oy, Senior Vice President, Group Sustainability

Sustainability strategy / Sustainability Communication / B Corp consulting / Sustainability Reporting

Mediateko is a Finnish, fast-growing outdoor advertising company that reaches people at stations and on the roads, in the main shopping areas of major cities, and in resorts and leisure centres around the country. The company is at its best in campaigns that aim for the hearts of Finns.

Work to develop Mediateko’s social and environmental business performance started at the end of 2022. The first concrete task was to revamp Black Friday. The campaign focused on strengthening the good-doing companies.

At the beginning of 2023, media professionals wanted to confirm and ensure a positive impact. The strategic priorities created in the workshops showed direction and the roadmap provided ready-made stepping stones, but the initial good flow was in danger of fading. Based on our own experience, we could promise that aiming for B Impact Assessment and B Corp certification would give the sustainability work a rhythm and a clear structure.

Mediateko’s people took up the challenge and together we started to prepare them for certification. In addition to completing over 200 questions in the B Impact Assessment, which examines business from the perspective of management, employees, customers, the environment and society, Mediateko put many documents and operating models in order and set targets and indicators. To crown the long and rigorous assessment process, Mediateko announced its B Corp status at their sustainability event in April 2024. At the same time, Mediateko also took its first step towards sustainability reporting by publishing the first sustainability report in their history.

The journey from the first sustainability workshop discussions to Mediateko’s B Corp certification seems relatively short, but it has been a long one – not only in terms of choices, exploration and verification, but also in terms of impressive implementations. Alongside Better Friday, the ambition to strengthen good, which became clear in the early stages, was also a clear thread running through Mediateko’s Nordic Business Forum and the one-day Hyvisten Päivä (Day for the good-doing companies) that implemented the vision.