Every March, purpose-led companies around the world join in celebrating B Corp Month – a chance for like-minded organisations to promote the movement. For the uninitiated, B Corp (and being a Certified B Corporation) is all about doing business ‘better’ by balancing profit-making with concern for society and promoting environmental action.
This is our first B Corp Month as part of that movement, and the theme for this year's activities is 'We Go Beyond'. The campaign's objective is to engage and mobilise the employees of B Corps worldwide. Why? Because all too often, business accreditations can be seen as something that only reflects the ambitions of a company as an entity or its senior leadership team. This is something that B Corp looks to challenge.
By the people, for the people
One of the key drivers of B Corp is to engage the whole team that makes up a company, giving every member of the organisation a voice and a say in guiding the success of their business. As a technology agency ‘powered by people’, this is something that we wholeheartedly endorse.
So, in keeping with the spirit of 'We Go Beyond' we wanted to demonstrate that being a B Corp is about more than just a badge. Working for a B Corp means that every employee is a member of a worldwide movement with ambitions to make the world a better place, one company at a time.
Getting together
We got in touch with some of our B Corp friends who run aspirational and forward-looking companies with brands and products that would resonate with our team members.
Lucky Saint
A brewer with a difference, Lucky Saint produces zero alcohol beer (well, actually it's 0.5% ABV, but who's counting?) They challenge what drinking culture means in the UK and have just launched their own pub, rescuing a classic Victorian hostelry in the heart of London. Better still, the pub also doubles as their offices.
Bird Eyewear
We also spoke with our friends at Bird, changing the way people think about glasses and sunglasses by making beautifully-constructed frames and lenses using sustainable materials and packaging. Sunglasses, despite typically being made of plastic, are too often seen as a throwaway accessory. So it’s great to see this problem challenged head-on.
Chimney Fire Coffee
Chimney Fire was next on the list, with a roastery just down the road from us at Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking. Coffee is a staple for many of us, particularly in agency land. But of course, this magical potion comes at a price in terms of air transport and carbon emissions. Chimney Fire explores ways to source and roast in a way that is sustainable and ethical.
We recorded our conversations with all of these amazing companies for a short film of their people in their natural environments talking about what B Corp has done for their companies and what it means to them as individuals.
Here's a little 0.5% taster.
Are you B Local?
One of the other guiding principles behind B Corp is the focus on supporting local business and engaging a community. That's why the B Local groups are so important to us. B Locals are the official groups of B Corp Certified businesses who get together and volunteer their time supporting other B Corp companies and the wider sustainability community. So, when we found out that B Local Surrey didn't exist, we knew that we had to start it. So we got together with other local B Corps and formed the group.
The aim of B Local Surrey is to support our fellow B Corps, promote the movement and to encourage other companies to consider going through the certification.
So, it makes sense that we celebrate B Corp Month as a B Local Group as well. We will be hosting the B Local Surrey special B Corp Month event on Thursday 16th March at Zero Carbon Cafe in Guildford, just round the corner from Kyan. We are encouraging members and attendees to take a pledge via the Do Nation platform and using their app to track the reduction in carbon made by those pledges.
We will also be hosting a number of local businesses who are able to support these pledges, from sustainable investment to repairing things rather than buying new.
All things considered, there is a lot going on for B Corp Month this March, so do get involved and remember, #WeGoBeyond.
