Member News
The ICONIC ‘B’ behind B Corp Certification popped up in the North East this week (28.03.23) as part of a drive to build understanding of the B Corp movement as part of B Corp month.
Representatives from North East certified B Corps stood with the 6ft ‘B’ at the Angel of the North to celebrate the growing community of businesses who are going beyond business norms to transform the environmental and economic system for the better.
There are now 12 Certified B Corporations, or B Corps in the North East including Robson Laidler Accountants, Sail Creative, UMi, Berghaus and Space Architecture. These organisations have joined a growing community of businesses who are acting as a force for good.
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. B Corps change their legal articles to consider the impact of their decisions on people and the planet alongside profit. The B stands for ‘benefit for all’.
March is B Corp Month, and this year’s theme is ‘We go beyond’, celebrating the community of businesses who are going beyond business norms to transform the economic system for the better. The giant ‘B’, which usually lives in B Lab UK’s HQ in Whitechapel, London, has moving across the country to be hosted in over 10 locations across the UK this month.
The We Go Beyond campaign has support from major retailers across the UK, including Waitrose, WHSmith, Wholefoods, and Booths, who are all showcasing B Corp products in store to help customers identify the brands showing real leadership.
Rosalind Holley, B Lab UK’s Director of Communications & Marketing, explains:
“The UK B Corp community is one of the fastest growing in the world and represents a passionate group of people using business as a force for good. Yet historically much of this growth has been concentrated around London and the south east. There are amazing businesses going beyond in all corners of the UK, and we wanted to spotlight their impact while helping to drive conversations and understanding about the B Corp movement. This particular big ‘B’ was built to help us accelerate the movement in its early stages back in 2019 and has been living in our offices ever since. In the spirit of ‘reuse and recycle’ we asked the B Corp community to come up with creative ways to bring it to life and we’re excited to see what they do with it.”
B Corp certified North East businesses also hosted a B Social event at The Boiler House, Newcastle University this month. There was presentations from OBE, UMi CEO and B Lab Board member, Nicki Clark and Dynamo North East Innovation Manager, Katrina Appleyard who talked about the link between the B Corp framework and innovation and how businesses can integrate innovation and sustainability into business strategy.
The B returned to Whitechapel at the end of its tour. It travelled with Green Courier, who use ultra-low emission vehicles and offset to the World Land Trust.
