A ‘B Corporation’ is a private certification of for-profit companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. In order to achieve and maintain the certification, B Corps must complete an Impact Assessment and achieve 80+ points, meet the legal requirements and sign the agreement and Declaration of Independence.
The whole concept of being a B Corporation revolves around the idea of using business as a force for good. Businesses cannot be reliant on governments and nonprofits to take care of all stakeholders such as workers, communities, customers and the planet. Therefore, businesses take on the challenge of not doing any harm through their products, practises and profit and only serve to benefit all.
In the UK, there are over a 1000 B Corps across 58 industries.
In our daily lives, it’s good to look out for B Corp certified businesses. For example, Waitrose, Ocado and Boots stock B Corp products online. When it comes to fashion, we definitely need more B Corps. If you want to be able to find out whether brands are taking their environmental and social responsibilities seriously, look out for those that are B Corp certified. Have a look at this article to see examples of B Corp fashion brands and what their stories are all about. I personally hear about many different certifications that brands are taking on but don’t know which ones are legitimate. However, the B Corp Certification is definitely one of them.
If you are a consumer or business-owner, and want to familiarise yourself with news and stories from the B Corp world to understand the concept better, have a read here.
By: Avisha Jaising
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Sources:
B Lab Global Site. Available at: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/ (Accessed: December 15, 2022).
Image Source:
Goldie, L. (2022) B Corp Certification: Benefits & Requirements, Green Element. Available at: https://www.greenelement.co.uk/blog/b-corp-certification-benefits-and-requirements/ (Accessed: December 15, 2022).