New research has revealed that 80% of the UK public would favour shopping from companies that are doing good for people and the planet, yet only 22% find it easy to identify whether a company means what they say when considering buying from them1.
The data is released as over 1,200 UK businesses, known as Certified B Corporations (or B Corps) celebrate this year’s B Corp Month by demonstrating how they go beyond business norms to transform the economic system for the better. The ongoing climate crisis and widening social inequality demonstrate why now more than ever the UK needs business to act as a force for good.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. To certify, a company must measure and improve their impact on their workers, customers, community, and the environment. B Corps change their legal articles to consider the impact of their decisions on people and the planet alongside profit. The B stands for ‘benefit for all’. Since B Lab was founded in 2006, over 200,000 businesses have taken the B Impact Assessment; 20,000 have applied for B Corp certification; only 6,400 (1,200 in the UK) are certified.
The We Go Beyond campaign has support from major retailers across the UK, including Waitrose, WHSmith, Whole Foods, and Booths, who are all showcasing B Corp products in store to help customers identify the brands showing real leadership.
B Corps span every region and sector of the country:
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Tony’s Chocolonely is a mission to make slave-free chocolate the norm. Each bar is 100% traceable, meaning Tony’s has visibility of all cocoa farmers in its supply chain and can pay them a living wage.
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Oddbox rescues the “too wonky” vegetables from farmers and transports them direct to households. So far, 37,000 tonnes of fruit and veg have been saved.
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Berghaus supports initiatives that enhance access to the outdoors for underrepresented communities and partners with organisations that conserve green spaces, while making long-lasting and repairable gear and offering a free repairs service.
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The Big Issue enables vulnerable groups to earn an income through selling the Big Issue magazine. It has helped more than 100,000 of the most excluded people earn over £144 million in collective income to date.
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Brewgooder makes beer with impact. Every can and pint enjoyed has supported community projects spanning vital areas such as clean water and sanitation, hunger and inclusion, with a mission to empower one million lives worldwide.
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The Body Shop is a global beauty brand that pioneered the industry’s fair trade movement working with suppliers across the world to source high quality natural ingredients, accessories and packaging through its Community Trade programme.
As well as demand for products from purpose-driven brands that customers can trust, B Lab UK’s analysis demonstrates that there is demand for purposeful employment. In a poll of workers, results found that 66% of the British employees consider a company’s impact on people and planet when looking for a job, however, only 20% believe all the claims their employer makes towards social and environmental causes2.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, commented:
“The economic challenges we’re facing are urgent, and it’s clear the UK public expect more from the brands they shop from and the organisations they work for. B Corp Certification provides an opportunity for companies to measure and improve impact for all stakeholders, across all areas of their business. But for systems change to be adopted at the rate that’s needed, we need leaders across the wider UK economy to reinvent how business is done. B Corp Month is a brilliant opportunity for those in and outside the movement to learn how B Corps are creating positive change.”
Douglas Lamont, Chief Executive Officer of Tony’s Chocolonely, commented:
“At Tony’s Chocolonely, we believe that being a better business should be the norm, not the exception. As a company that is first and foremost a changemaker, addressing social injustice in the cocoa supply chain, and a chocolate-maker second, we’ve been living the B Corp mantra of balancing purpose and profit since day one. B Lab UK’s latest research is further evidence that organisations need to value their internal as well as external stakeholders, ensuring that their impact and their marketing work in harmony.”
More information about B Corp Month 2023 can be found here and you can hear B Lab UK’s Executive Director, Chris Turner, speak on a panel about the battle against greenwashing, register for Economist Impact’s Sustainability Week event on 30th March.
