We are a B Corporation business
We are proud to announce that Beyond has attained the B Corp certification. We’ve always admired the movement and everything it stands for, and after many months hard work and dedication from the team, we are joining a community that use business as a force for good.
What does B Corp actually mean?
B Corp is the only global accreditation that deals with five key areas of business: governance, workers, community, customers and the environment. The B Impact Assessment is a detailed questionnaire that will evaluate your company’s social and environmental impact. Those five key areas are assessed in a way that enables you to work through the assessment online, making incremental changes and improvements to your business over time.
What did we learn?
I’d been aware of B Corp for a couple of years before we really started to consider taking on the challenge. I knew from previous conversations that undertaking the B Impact Assessment would be a challenge. It was only when I read through the initial assessment that I fully realised how much work there was to do. The process taught me that running an ethical and sustainable business means much more than you might imagine, and it took us the best part of a year to implement the changes that we decided to make before submitting the assessment.
What did we change?
I thought we were running a pretty good business already, but there are always areas for improvement. During this process we introduced new policies to encourage our team to think more carefully about the suppliers we engage with. We tracked and reduced our environmental impact by changing energy providers and improving our recycling processes, we even changed our business banking provider.
The assessment also encouraged us to think more carefully about our communities, giving greater consideration to our team and their personal wellbeing. We implemented new policies that provide support for mental heath, allocating time and funds for personal development, including dedicated days for charitable work. I like to think we all care about equality and fairness, so some of these things were already in place. The Assessment requires you to write new policies and formalise the way things work.
Why does it matter?
Businesses have the power to impact on our lives in all sorts of different ways, no matter how large or small they are. We can use our business and our voice to make changes that add real value to the world, sometimes in ways we might not think about. B Corp is not just about meeting a set of criteria, it’s more about adopting a mindset and embedding new principles into your organisation.
As a newly certified B Corporation company, Beyond is now legally required to consider the impacts of all of our decisions against each of those five core areas. Everything we do should uphold the commitment we have made to improving the way we do business, and balancing people, planet and profit.
How can you get involved?
Whilst B Corp is not the only way to demonstrate your attitude to purpose, it’s a great feeling to become part of a global network of people who care about more than profit. There are some great resources available to help you get started, and some inspirational brands leading the way: Patagonia, CaféDirect, COOK, Ella’s Kitchen, The Body Shop, The Cheeky Panda, Toast Ale… and Beyond.
Do get in touch to discuss your B Corp journey, I’ll see if I can help.
Paul, Beyond.