Our thinking

Let’s hear it for the B(ig) Corps

24 March, 2023

B Corp month continues, and this week we wanted to give a shout-out to the larger companies that are embedding B Corps principles into their businesses.

There’s been a lot of criticism in recent months around B Corp certification being awarded to larger corporates. After all, the origins of the B Corp movement were typically SMEs doing things differently. Can a company like Nespresso really be compared to a small coffee roaster set up with sustainability and empowering farmers at its core? We’re going to save that debate for another time.

However, as advocates for transformational change, we know how hard it can be to embed a new purpose, a net zero commitment, or just ensure good fundamentals at scale to move a business in a new direction.

The beauty of B Corp is that it can be a driving force for companies that want to accelerate change. As the B Corp certification gains momentum, becoming a B Corp can be the launchpad for change – as well as a badge of honour for those that achieve it. Larger companies have their own pathway to certification which is – as you’d hope – more detailed and in depth than that for smaller businesses – meaning that achieving that B Corp status is indeed a great way of creating a process for change as well as signalling to stakeholders that you are committed to it.

So let’s embrace the big players moving in the right direction with open arms – shout out to Good Business clients and friends Aesop, Avon, PZ Cussons, Coutts and Abel and Cole who are on their B Corp journey or who have already achieved certification – and use our B Community to inspire and bring others into the sustainability fold.

By Jennie Mitchell