When we started our journey to certify as a B Corporation in January 2018 it was a relatively unknown brand in the UK. It took us almost a year to complete the process and make it across the qualification score line. Our motivation was and is, to show that business can be a force for good – it’s what it was set up to do after all remember? It’s also about joining a network of businesses with shared values who together can create real change motivated by a philosophy to balance profit with people and planet.
Sadly, the pandemic put a halt to much of the networking, and yet gradually the B Corp brand has gathered momentum and visibility. Being a B Corp has opened many conversations for us and added credibility in our work with Creative Conscience, where we have run panel discussions on B Corp and spread the B Corp mantra as best we can. Ironically, in the week that we finally completed the (appropriately) arduous process of re-certifying three years on, we have won our first client directly as a result of being a certified B Corp, with a business who wants to work with an agency that share their values.
B Corp is not perfect, there have been controversies involving B Corporations falling short of a range of standards – BrewDog, Nespresso to name a couple. However, our belief is that as a B Corp agency, the greatest impact we can have is in supporting clients who share our values and refusing to work with those who don’t. Yes, we need more politicians with conviction who back laws to harness the blind growth and greed of capitalism, but it’s a start and so for now, we are happy to stand up and be counted and wear our B Corp badge with pride.