What is a B Corp certified business?
If you are looking for a career in the private sector but you also want to ensure the company you work for has a positive attitude to society and the environment then a B Corp business is likely to be a good fit for you.
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Any followers of our social media posts will notice that several of our clients are B Corp Certified and when they are, we shout about it. So, what is the B Corp Certification and why is this important to you as an ethical jobseeker?
Put simply a B Corp certified organisation is an independent private business or organisation (not a charity or state-owned organisation) who generates most of its revenue through trade, competing in a competitive marketplace, the organisation has made a commitment to social, and environmental factors as well as profit. This is often called the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet and Profit).
The B Corp Certification scheme was created in 2006 in the US by a non-profit organisation called B Lab, with the first 82 organisations becoming certified in 2007. The B Corp movement is growing steadily with 3,127 companies listed in 71 countries today (as per the B Corp Website July 2020).
It has grown in popularity with for-profit businesses, keen to demonstrate their sincere commitment to environmentally and socially responsible business, who have signed-up to be assessed for B-Corp. Importantly, the organisations are required to recognise their environmental and social commitments within a legal framework (amending their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose).
The B Corp certification is not a rubber stamp exercise. Businesses applying for B Corp must have a minimum 12-month trading history and are assessed on their performance in key areas: workers, customers, community and the environment. This allows the assessment to provide a more complete view of how impact is managed throughout the business rather than focusing on one or two ‘halo’ products. They must also renew every three years to ensure their business maintains the B Corp standard.
At a time where many businesses are striving to demonstrate their sustainability and corporate social responsibility actions, the B Corp Certification scheme provides an independent assessment framework by which an organisation can be measured. As a jobseeker you can review a prospective employers B Impact Assessment in the directory on the B Corporation website.
You can read more about the B Corp Certification requirements on this B Corp Website Link.
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