March was B Corp month. A global initiative to spread the word that B Corp Certification isn’t just a box-tick, but an international movement of people going beyond to make their mark on the world.
And with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivering a 'final warning' to act now before it's too late and social justice gaps continuing to widen, there's never been a more important time to step up and make a positive impact.
So we thought we'd reflect on the progress we've made as a city region and some of the great businesses that are leading the way.
The great news is that the Gather community is at the forefront of companies pursuing a more impactful path.
The likes of Hitch Marketing, Fifty Eight, Matchstick Creative, Uniform, and Underexposed are all focused on more than profit, instead looking to use their success to benefit people, communities, and the planet.
Gather trail blazers
From Fifty Eight, the UK’s highest scoring B Corp when they certified, to Hitch one of Liverpool’s first ever B Corps, the purpose driven trailblazers in the Gather community are using business as a force for good.
And B Corp status is a way of formalising and building on the direction many businesses in the region have been heading in for a while.
As Nick Howe, Founder and CEO of Uniform puts it, “I've always believed in the idea of business as a force for good, beyond simple shareholder value or profit, and the B Corp movement seemed to encapsulate lots of ideas that we’ve obsessed about for a long time, like our culture and our wider impact in the world.”
He believes “B Corp provides some validation of that work, in a global community where it’s recognised.”
A supportive community
Matchstick Creative are a purpose driven creative agency whose aim is to create a more equal world through well-told stories and shared experiences.
One of the big benefits of B Corp status for CEO and Co-Founder Ruth Hartnoll is the community. According to Ruth, “The best thing about becoming a B Corp is we're part of a select community who can proudly say they've undertaken rigorous steps to demonstrate their commitment to people and the planet.”
Growing through the process
Another of the Gather community on their way to accreditation are Underexposed. But for Founder and Creative Director Andy Broadwood, it’s not just about getting the status, it’s about the value of the journey to get there: "We’re only part way through our B Corp journey, but what’s really come to the fore already is the value of the process itself. It’s bringing up a lot of internal questions on the way we do things, helping us look at the business in different ways and making us more mindful of our everyday decisions.”
The journey to B Corp status can seem daunting but it can be a transformative opportunity. As creative and tech businesses we have the potential to contribute to our local and global communities, to tackle inequality and to protect our planet.
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If you’re ready to embark on the journey, here are some great places to start:
B Lab UK: https://bcorporation.uk/
The 2030 Hub: https://the2030hub.com/