Did you hear? March is B Corp Month! It’s that time of the year again where we share our love for companies that take their social and environmental impact seriously. We believe everyone from business leaders to employees have the power to make a change and use their business as a force for good. By supporting B Corp, we are recognizing a global community of more than 3,700 businesses that are purpose-driven and reject the norm of how usual business is conducted. B Corps adopt innovative business practices that set them apart from the rest. From Patagonia’s never-ending environmental efforts to drive the UN SDGs to Ben & Jerry’s focus on eliminating economic and social injustices within their local communities, the work that B Corps do is truly valuable. This year, we wanted to be LOUD and raise our voices in support of our revolutionary B Corp community. To celebrate, we asked our clients 3 key questions that highlight their experience with B Corp that helped us learn more about the impact they’re making!

What attracted you to apply to become a B Corp?

LBN Brand Management: Using "business as a force for good" is in our DNA! It was never an option not to. Having an opportunity to make a difference and influence change comes with responsibility.

Refinery House: It fit our values and ideals. It was a way to verify our efforts to be a great place to work, a place to care for the community and the world. It's a strenuous process, and thus we were assured that this isn't a certification that is watered down in it's meaning. A company can't fake being B Corp. 

Sea to Sky Removal: The internal infrastructure and framework to become a legit company focussed on everything we are passionate about.  

Whistleblower Security Inc: After reviewing the assessment criteria we determined that the B Corp movement was a great match with our own internal values and objectives. Our business is all about helping our clients create a speak up culture within their own organizations. As such our mission statement was a match for the impact-driven approach that is so central to the B Corp movement.

Nada Grocery: Nada was founded with the mission to use business as a force to solve environmental and social problems. From our start, we recognized the importance of becoming a B Corporation, a company that prioritizes people, planet, and profit.

Skidmore Group: The ability to access an outside reference point to help us on our sustainability journey.

What was the most rewarding part about becoming a certified B Corp?

Sea to Sky Removal: Being part of a like-minded community of businesses who go above and beyond day to day activities and push further to create a positive impact in our fragile world. 

Refinery House: The ability to say "we did it."  It was like crossing a finish line and a starting line all at once. It inspired change and continues to! The challenge to "keep getting better" is a real part of the entrepreneurial journey. Growing a business through the lens of being a benefit shifts the ways we make decisions and how we spend our dollars.  

MYO Cosmetic Cases: Belonging to the B Corp community which inspires me daily, learning about what these incredible companies are doing, and reinforces the value of every more challenging decision I make for my company to be a leader of change. 

Whistleblower Security Inc: Becoming a certified B Corp shores the stability and consistency of our organization, making people more fulfilled around a common purpose and set of common values. We are thrilled to be a part of a community of organizations that are not only promoting these values, but are living and breathing them in everyday life.  

Nada Grocery: The entire process of becoming a certified B-Corp leads to so many business improvements! It truly makes us a "Better Business".

How are you using “business as a force for good”

Symmetrix Exercise & Rehab: Focusing on people and our community has been a very rewarding experience. We're offering sliding scale services for people who can't afford our normal rates, recycling as many materials as possible in our renovation, continuing to donate to charity and causes we believe in.

Sea to Sky Removal: Raising awareness of the needless amount of waste created in the construction industry and finding solutions to this important and huge issue. 

Nada Grocery: At Nada we are working towards our vision of an unpackaged future - A lighter world that values a food system free of excess and waste to support the health of both people and planet. We have diverted over 750,000 containers from landfill. We provide customers with goods in upcycled containers that have been donated by the community. Our supply chain is packaging free, fair trade and as organic and local as possible! We thus provide customers a clean way to shop for groceries - packaging free.

Skidmore Group: Formalizing the approach to all our stakeholders in terms of contributing to society in a meaningful way.

Whistleblower Security Inc: Misconduct, unethical behaviour and illegal activity can happen in any organization and the longer it is happening, the bigger the strain to the integrity of the workplace and employee morale. Secure and anonymous ethics reporting empowers employees to safely and confidently report on the wrongs they see in an easy to use format. It increases engagement between employees and organizations to help create a culture of integrity.

Refinery House: During this difficult year mired with the impact of Covid 19, it has helped us focus on what we can do effectively beyond only concerning ourselves with survival. Despite the complications of this year, we can still be opening ourselves, our hearts and our chairs to people. For one, it has shaped how we've addressed and educated our teams on issues regarding justice, diversity, inclusion and equity. 

Wow! These companies truly showcase what it means to be a Better Business. Reading through everyone's collective voice of how they’ve been integrating purpose into their business model and using it as a force of good has inspired us to constantly search for ways we can improve. One commonality we found in everyone's responses was how rewarding it was to be part of this like-minded community that becoming a B Corp offers. They’ve been given the opportunity to connect with those that live and breathe improving the three P’s (People, Planet, and Profit) and in return have found their own unique way to provide value for their communities. These companies are living proof that you can be profitable and purposeful at the same time. Especially during these challenging times of uncertainty, it's important for these activist brands to rise up and take a stance for what they believe in to create a better world. 

To put it in simple terms, becoming B Corp certified helps your company transition from just being about profit to purpose. Are you interested in learning more about the B Corp certification? Learn more about the 5 benefits of the B Corp certification here. And for those that have already looked into the B Corp certification and have taken the time to begin their application process, you’ve probably come across the B Impact Assessment (BIA), a powerful tool to understand the true value of your organization. Even if you’re not looking to certify (yet!), the BIA is a great tool to help you design positive practices in a way that strategically makes sense for your business goals. Read on our post about what you ought to know about the B Corp Assessment here. 

Thank you for celebrating B Corp month with us by reading through this post! We are excited to be following everyone’s impact journey and seeing where this venture takes them.

Want to learn more about the companies featured in this post? Check them out below!

Refinery House is a health and beauty collective created to legitimize beauty as a self-care practice and to provide access to health care services in a more approachable way. From fair wage employment and incredible training programs to reducing waste and chemicals in their salon, Refinery House embodies how beauty is more than just skin deep. They were certified back in November 2020 with a vision to create a more connected world!

Sea to Sky Removal was certified back in January 2019, and when it comes down to keeping as much construction waste out of the landfill as possible, they’ve got it down to a science! Their team separates all recyclables and reusable items from actual garbage and live-load their trucks so they are disposing of materials to correct locations. They were also selected as one of the “Best for the environment” honorees which recognizes those that earn a score in the top 10% of the B Impact Assessment.

Nada is a package-free grocery with a mission to cultivate a better world by inspiring people to change the way they shop for groceries! They were certified back in April 2018 and have been working to tackle plastic pollution & food waste while supporting a just food system through their innovative sourcing criteria! When you visit their store you can rest assured their shelves are brimmed with socially and environmentally conscious businesses that are working to make the world a better place!

MYO Cosmetic Cases offers eco-friendly reusable & refillable cases to professionals and the common makeup user! We've worked with them closely to help develop their policy and they became B Corp certified last May. They have recently introduced their Zero Waste Eco MYO Cosmetic Case to eco-conscious Gen Z's and Minimalist Millennial markets and we're thrilled to see this clean beauty industry take off!

Skidmore Group joined the B Corp family back in 2019 and is among the first family offices to get certified! They take the environmental impact that their target acquisitions have on their investment decisions into consideration, along with their employee practices. We are excited to be following along with them on their sustainability journey.

LBN Brand Management is a Canadian boutique brokerage company representing manufacturers with a focus on premium natural, organic, fair-trade, non-GMO, and allergen-free products. They believe in the impact of progressive brands and choose to work with ones that give rise to the natural products movement. They have been certified since November 2019, displaying their commitment to creating a positive lasting impact and we can't wait to see how they continue to use their business as a force for good.

WhistleBlower Security is a diverse and inclusive company that engages and empowers all employees to achieve their full potential! They were certified last October and work with clients to provide secure channels for reporting ethics and compliance issues in the workplace. They are also the only women-owned and managed ethics reporting and case management provider in the market - a certification we can definitely get behind!

Symmetrix Exercise & Rehab received their certification back in September 2020 being recognized for the positive connections they've built in their community, environment and economy. They are committed to increasing diversity, providing high-quality employment opportunities for employees, fostering better stewardship of the environment and strengthening their local Vancouver and Burnaby communities. The Symmetrix team continuously provides the best care and services to their clients and we look forward to seeing what’s next ahead for them.