A Belfast-based travel company has shared its best tips on gaining B Corp certification, after becoming the first independent African tour specialist to earn the coveted status.
In July, Mahlatini Travel joined more than 8,000 businesses who have been awarded the accreditation, one which has been recognising companies for holding high social and environmental standards since 2006.
The milestone was the result of months of hard work for the luxury tour operator, which specialises in creating bespoke trips in Africa and the Indian Ocean with a sustainable focus.
“The B Corp certification first came on our radar in 2022 when one of our staff was attending a training on carbon footprint tracking,” Chris Goldring, co-founder of Mahlataini, tells TTG Luxury. “Then we did some research about B Corp, and it was very much aligned to what we were doing. In our strategy meeting in 2023, we made the decision to apply for it.”
With the experience fresh in their mind, Mahlatini is now keen to offer advice to other travel companies who are looking to achieve the status.
“It can be incredibly difficult for an African travel specialist to get B Corp certified”
Education counts
Goldring first emphasises the importance of educating your team about B Corp, to manage expectations of the journey ahead and to ensure an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. The road to gaining the status can take anywhere from three to twelve months, with for-profit companies in competitive industries often taking the longest to be verified.
“We’d been told the process was arduous and complicated, so we made sure everyone had the commitment to doing extra work for the accreditation,” he explains. “It was hugely important that everyone was getting involved in doing it.”
Expert advice
Goldring also recommends investing in external support, having massively benefited from hiring a consultant to guide the process.
“If you don’t have someone to spearhead this in your company already, a consultant is extremely helpful,” he said. “We had weekly meetings with them for many months with lots of discussions and tasks.” This expert was able to identify the areas of Mahlatini’s business that did and didn’t need attention, which ultimately saved the company time and allowed it to focus on streamlining its documentation.
“Fortunately, we learned that we didn’t have to change a huge amount of what we were doing,” he explains. “The fundamentals of the B Corp were already in our DNA. It was more a matter of formalising the documentations and protocol.”
This is where the importance of organisation comes in; Goldring explains that a list had to be compiled of all the ways that Mahlatini could score points to achieve points across the five core impact areas; environment, governance, workers, community and customers.
Continental drift
Goldring cautions, however, that brands in developing nations may face more adversity in achieving the status, due to the rigid nature of the assessment criteria.
“It can be incredibly difficult for an African travel specialist to get it,” he admits. “We found it very challenging because the B Corp model is set up for the Western economy. It’s not set up for assessing businesses based in Africa.
“There’s no geographical distinction in the assessment criteria; the criteria applied to your team in Belfast is the same in Africa. So for example, you score points for paying over the living wage. In the UK, we have an official living wage, but the South African government doesn’t. Our wages in South Africa are well beyond the living wage - nearly 50% more, if not more than that. But we scored no points for that, because there’s no official living wage in the country.”
Shifting boundaries
“Another example [of a more difficult challenge] is how our business is about luxury tourism with sustainability at the heart of the African wildlife business. Our partners are pioneering in this area, yet the documentation required for those partners to get doesn’t fit in with B Lab’s assessment criteria, so we didn’t get any B Corp points in that area.”
Goldring believes the B Lab’s current structure is disadvantageous to many businesses outside of the Western world, telling TTG Luxury: “It’s 100% why other developing nation brands have had more difficulty getting B Corp certified.
“B Lab knows the shortcomings and are working to make it a global movement. I hope the feedback we gave them will help shape their audit process and encourage more developing nations brands to get on board.”
Multi-tasking
Goldring goes on to caution applicants against fixating on the environmental impact area of the B Corp, which is just one fifth of the assessment process.
“We thought it was going to be our conservation and sustainability that got us points, because we have invested hugely in that area. But that was largely ignored, because it couldn’t be assessed by B Lab,” he admits. “So we doubled down on the people instead, and that’s where we got most of our points.”
Mahlatini specifically excelled in its responsible supply chain practices; employee benefits such as healthcare and pension plans; and ongoing training programmes for its staff. The company also supports many community initiatives and has partnered with charities such as Uthando to encourage its team to make an impact beyond the workplace.
Family business
Goldring says the status has already boosted Mahlatini’s industry profile, revealing he’s been approached by multiple fellow B Corp companies inquiring about collaboration since gaining the accreditation.
He also believes it will enhance the operator’s relationship with the trade, adding: “In regards to agents and their clients, I think B Corp is really important - especially in the luxury travel market. Most of the clients in this sector are very aware of their impact and they’re fortunately in a position to offset this impact. They want to make the decision to take their business to a company where their money is going to good places, not just a commercial, for-profit business.”
