Using business as a force for good: Exploring the world of B Lab, B Corp, and B Corp month

Understanding B Lab, B Corp and B Corp month

B Lab is a non-profit organisation that became known for certifying B Corporations, which are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Corp certification was born out of the idea that a different type of economy could be formed, one that was not solely focused on profitability but also social and environmental impact, leading to a more sustainable and equitable economy.

B Corp month is an annual celebration in March that highlights and recognises the B Corp community’s amazing efforts to build a better world through business. During this month, B Corp companies come together to share their stories and showcase how they use business as a force for good. It is a time to inspire and encourage other businesses to join the movement towards a more sustainable and equitable future. This year’s theme is #WeGoBeyond, encouraging B Corps to showcase how they go above and beyond. 

There are now over 6,500 caring businesses around the world that have completed the rigorous but worthwhile B Corp certification. By being a part of this community of businesses you can collaborate and learn from each other, driving innovation and positive change.

Why does CarbonClick care about B Corp certification?

CarbonClick strives for sustainability, transparency, accessibility, collaboration, and innovation, all aimed at creating a sustainable future by offsetting carbon emissions and promoting sustainable business practices. So, applying for B Corp certification simply made sense. 

We have been certified since January 2022, becoming 1 of now 100 B Corp certified New Zealand businesses. We reached an impact score of 106.7 – which is 33% higher than the required score. And, we are constantly striving to improve our score further.

We’re proud of our certification, because it demonstrates our commitment to using business as a force for good, enhances our credibility, differentiates us from competitors, and engages our employees.

Moreover, it holds us accountable to: 

• How we work with each other, our customers and partners
• Selecting projects that have wide reaching community benefits, aligning with the United Nations SDGs
• Only supporting projects that deliver a real, measurable impact for the planet
• Conducting full due diligence on every project in our portfolio
• Providing instant, end-to-end transparency with each contribution.

We also love working with customers who are B Corps themselves. One of them is International Volunteer HQ who have been certified since 2015 and are one of the first businesses out of New Zealand to become a B Corp. IVHQ are proud to be certified in Zero Carbon Business Operations. Since April 2019, they have measured and offset the carbon footprint of their business operations to ensure these have no negative impact on the climate. They highly encourage all their volunteers to offset their travel through CarbonClick or by any other means.

What can you do if you’re an aspiring B Corp?

It can be a long and rocky road for aspiring B Corps to gain certification however there are some wonderful ways to make it that little bit easier:

• Reach out to your Local B Corp community, you will be surprised with the amount of information and advice they can give you.
• There are networking events that your B Local community and B Lab create for aspiring B Corps.
• Do some research on certified B Corps, there is a list of all B Corps here or you can seek inspiration from B Corps on social media 

These are not only useful tips for aspiring B Corps but B Corps aiming for a higher impact score on their recertification.

CarbonClick is here to help

CarbonClick is actively involved with our B Local Tāmaki Makaurau, helping create meaningful events for our B Corp whānau to come together, engage the local community and share their continued progress making business a force for good. 

This being said we would love to hear from all businesses, no matter where you are on your B Corp journey, reach out to us for any advice or anything we can help with.