68 NET ZERO
PROFIT WITH PURPOSE
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability and transparency.
To certify, a company must measure and improve their impact on their workers, customers, community and the environment.
independent events venue to be B Corp certified. She spoke of the B Corps ‘profit with purpose’ view.
She said: “When I came across the B Corp movement, it just resonated with my values that I could make a profit, but also I could do something good for the local community, the planet and the well-being of staff.
“It was like everything that I had always wanted to create in this business came together through this movement.”
She said that it had also opened up opportunities with blue chip companies now aware of the Wellbeing Farm and couples travelling from across the UK to be married there.
Amy Kershaw and Celia Gaze
Only around 1,200 businesses in the UK have the hard-won certification from an organisation whose ethos is using ‘business as a force for good’.
The Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference heard from three county B Corp businesses who shared their journey and the impact of the accreditation on them.
Celia Gaze is founder of The Wellbeing Farm, venue for the conference and the first UK
Celia added: “But the most amazing thing is recruitment. It is well documented that hospitality is struggling with it at the moment but I have had to stop applications for jobs because of the volume. People tell us they are applying to work for us because of our values and sustainability.”
Charlie Hansford is partner at Brabners, the biggest law firm in the UK to achieve the status. He said it showed the organisation was serious in its ambition to get to net zero. Accountability was also an important part of the accreditation.
Charlie Hansford
She explained the circular economy ethos behind the company describing it as “a purpose driven business and a force for good.”
Amy said there was never any doubt that it would apply for B Corp status. She added: “But I will say it is a tough process to go through.”
She went on: “Internally it is shaping our culture as well. It is about weaving it through the fabric of our business.”
He said: “We decided at an early stage in order to enhance the firm’s credentials and back up what we are trying to show in other areas that we should look to get B Corp status.”
And he added: “It opens doors. We’re now getting in front of people that we wouldn’t necessarily have got in front of before.”
Amy Kershaw is chief of staff at Modern Milkman which has ambitions to be Lancashire’s first tech unicorn, a billion dollar business.
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