When you think about business, what comes to mind? You might imagine greedy CEOs obsessing over profit at the expense of people and the planet – or you might think of something other than Philip Green and Arcadia. Regardless of who or what you imagined, it’s safe to assume that many traditional business models were not concerned about anything other than being a profitable business, which over the years has wreaked havoc on our resources (both natural and humanitarian). A new standard needed to be set – and that’s where B Corp comes in.
B Corps are “accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more sustainable and inclusive economy”. By applying to be B Corp certified, more and more businesses are committing to positive impacts, not just for now, but for the future too. Through legal accountability, assessments and visibility, businesses applying and achieving for B Corp certification lead the way in a global movement.
In a nutshell, B Corp believes in business for good; ones that create a balance between profit and purpose. Any business that is B Corp certified is “legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.” So, why is this a good thing? We’ll tell you – social and environmental responsibility is not just a problem to be solved by governments or non-profits on their own. The planet needs more businesses with positive intentions to help change the world and to set the standard for a better future. Just imagine if all companies did this: what a world we would live in.
Homethings is B Corp pending, which means that we have done the legal bits and gone through the checks to apply for certification. Once we’ve been operating for a year, we will apply for full certification to become a B Corp business, providing we pass all the checks and match-up to what it means to be B Corp. Our goal is not only to leave the world in a better place than where we found it, nor is it just to shake up the bonkers status-quo of single-use plastic cleaning bottles – but to be transparent about the impact that we are having and to be held accountable to continue to strive for better. As a certified BCorp business, you not only have your performance verified, but you are held legally accountable and publicly transparent. And we’re all for that.
So, whilst we sit with our B Corp pending status, let’s celebrate B Corp Month (there really is a day for everything) and take a look at some of the other great brands that are B Corp certified:
Form: plant-based nutrition with purpose. Form believe that daily nutrition doesn’t need to come at a cost to others, and offer a variety of proteins and nootropics over on their site. Plus, they’re branding is pretty slick too.
Ecosia: plant trees just by browsing the web. Some things in life sound too good to be true, but this is an exception to that rule. Ecosia is the search engine that stands for a better internet and plants trees where they’re needed the most.
Doisy & Dam: bringing healthy indulgence into our lives. Two words that don’t usually go together, but best-friend founded company Doisy & Dam are set to use better ingredients with better ethics to make better chocolate. That’s Easter sorted.
Plus! If you’re interested, we actually spoke to Proper co-founder, Ryan Kohn, about all things B Corp – you can take a listen back to that cracking episode here.