Becoming B Corp Certified

We're at a point in time in our business when we're starting to think about the future. It is really important for us to not just talk about sustainability and ethics, but to actually build it into the core of our company. Have you heard of B Corb? I hadn’t, but here's what I've learnt:

What is B Corp?

B corp certified companies are small/medium businesses that meet a high standard of social and environmental performance. This basically means that they have to have a certain level of sustainability (what their products are made of, how they’re made, packaging, etc) and ethics (the environment in which the products are made, how much manufacturers are being paid and the conditions of the workplace, etc). 

How is it relevant to Cinnamon Cove?

Becoming a B Corp company would mean that no matter who invests in our business, they have to stick to a standard. This means that they could not change to a less sustainable fabric, move manufacturing to some sweatshop in a country overseas, or do anything that in any way moves away from our values of sustainability. It also demonstrates to people that our business is ethical and sustainable, and that we are doing everything we say we do. No greenwash. Plus, it sounds pretty cool. 

How do you become B Corp certified?

To become a B Corp company, a business must:

1. Take the B Impact assessment online (a lot harder than it seems, believe me)

2. Create a company profile and start the ‘disclosure questionnaire’. If your benchmark is under the 80 point benchmark, go back and reevaluate. There may be some things that don't quite fit the standard

3. If it is over the 80 point benchmark, submit the assessment for review.

4. Then, someone from the analysis team will see if your company is eligible. If it is, you have to show all your documentation and proof that backs up what you have claimed in the assessment. 

5. You then sign the B Corp agreement, leading you to certification.

6. To meet the ‘transparency requirement’, you then have to share your profile in the B Corp Directory, including your company's score and impact report.

7. The certification lasts three years, and you can use the impact assessment to continue to grow and improve your business.

Here’s what we'll do next.

Now comes the tricky bit. How do we actually get started?

I had a go at the assessment, and it looked more like an English test than a registration, and was definitely not what I had expected. The truth is, I think it is just one of those things that is currently beyond my level of expertise (and there are quite a few), but definitely something I hope to learn in the future. I‘ll have a sit down with my mum and hopefully we can get it done, and if all goes well, we will become a B Corp company!

As my mum would say, watch this space!