So it was very timely that a session at last week’s Adventure Travel Networking conference was dedicated to exactly that – or rather, to an open discussion about whether or not B Corp is right for every business, and whether the value of certifying is what it once was.
A panel chaired by Richard Hammond, publishing director at Green Traveller, summarised many of the questions and concerns that companies might have about the scheme, namely:
Isn’t it just yet another certification?
Travel and tourism is an industry with more than 60 different sustainability certification schemes, delegates heard – and some companies might feel B Corp is a certificate too far. Nadine Pinto, global sustainability manager at The Travel Corporation (TTC) explained why, with 40 different brands across the group, going for B Corp certification was far too complex.
“We’re not anti-B Corp,” she insisted, “but if we did it for one brand we’d have to do it for the other 39 and with our small team it would not be feasible.”
Instead, TTC used the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to identify its impact and create a climate action plan.
Few other certifications require such a thorough external auditing of your business, though. And one important aspect in which B Corp certification is unique, said Pura Aventura co-founder Thomas Power, is that it changes the very legal structure of your organisation to safeguard it for the future. “You change your articles of association so that your legal structure is essentially predicated on all stakeholders, not just shareholders,” he explained.
Is there any genuine consumer recognition?
With more than 2,400 B Corp certified businesses in the UK now, consumer awareness is growing (B Corp itself reports awareness now stands at 38%). And TTC’s Pinto had to admit that having the B Corp stamp would make communicating its achievements to consumers more straightforward than trying to describe numerous different projects and impact measurements.
“It’s harder to communicate with customers without the label,” she agreed. “Every time we’re talking about impact, we have to explain, what does this mean? It’s not sexy marketing,” she conceded.
She added, though, that once the EU green claims directive comes into force, any claims made by companies will have to be specific and verifiable, and that simply brandishing a logo won’t be enough. “I hope that will level the playing field a little,” she added.
Isn’t it really for bigger companies?
Simon Heyes, founding director of representation agency Senderos, said that despite the time and effort required, certifying had proven very worthwhile for his small business, by highlighting how exactly the company could continue to hone and evolve its sustainability strategy.
“I’d got to the point where I didn’t know how to move forward,” he explained.
Pura Aventura boss Power, who is also co-founder of the UK-based Travel by B Corp collective, argued that joining the B Corp movement in fact works particularly well for smaller businesses, who might otherwise struggle to have a voice. “Travel by B Corp can have conversations with [TTC’s] The Treadright Foundation or [member organisation] The Long Run precisely because we have come together,” he said. “Otherwise we’re too small.”
Do employees care about B Corp?
Aside from communicating to consumers, the B Corp label has also become a shorthand for prospective employees keen to work for a business that balances profit with the needs of people and the planet.
TTC’s Pinto shared that if you’re a business that cares about sustainability, your own employees might want or expect you to become a B Corp.
“Our employees have asked, ‘why aren’t we B Corp?’ because B Corp is synonymous with sustainable travel now,” she revealed. “We have had to educate them about why it wasn’t the right fit for us, and now they are on board with that,” she added.
With so many companies now being “let in” to B Corp, has the movement lost some of its founding ideals?
Richard Hammond highlighted that certain early adopters of B Corp, including Dr. Bronner’s soap, have recently quit the movement because several large multinational companies with less than squeaky-clean credentials have been allowed to certify.
However, Thomas Power argued that making B Corp accessible to as many companies as possible is exactly the point of the movement. “Early adopters might say it’s losing its true roots but in fact, its true roots were about universalities,” he pointed out, referencing how its founders set out to create a new way of doing business that could change the entire global economic system. “It was never about being a purist; it was about being a generalist,” he said.
The conclusion of the panel seemed to be that while B Corp is an imperfect system, there are few businesses for which certifying does not remain a highly valuable exercise, both internally and externally. And as Thomas Power reminded us: “Perfection is the barrier to change”.
For TTG Media, certifying at the end of 2023 was a phenomenal milestone for our company, but what’s been even more exciting since is, challenging ourselves on all the ways in which we can strive for better as we gear up to recertify next year.
Over the course of B Corp Month we’ll be sharing why we’re proud to be a Certified B Corporation, and some of the ways certifying has changed our business for good.
And if certifying is something you’re considering yourself, we’d love to chat, and to introduce you to our friends at the Travel by B Corp collective. Perfectionists need not apply...
