Written by Anne Sherman | 6th July 2020
July is B Corp month!
That means B Lab and the community of AU/NZ Certified B Corps are offering a fantastic array of opportunities for businesses and organisations interested in using business as a force for good to connect, learn and grow. Before highlighting some of the key events happening during the month, let’s start by exploring the question: ‘What is the B Corp movement?’
Certified B Corps are a global community of businesses with a mission to ‘redefine the role of business in society and build a regenerative and inclusive economy that works for all’. B Lab oversees B Corps, including the certification process and also spearheads impact management programs and advocacy for transparent and ethical governance structures.
Businesses of all sizes and industries may qualify for certification by meeting the minimum score in the B Impact Assessment which assesses business performance in five key areas:
- Workers
- Governance
- Community
- Environment
- Customers
This free tool is available for use by any organisation, regardless of intent or qualification to certify. Many organisations find value in the opportunity to reflect that is inherent to the assessment process, as well as benchmarking their performance and comparing against peers.
One of the most significant benefits of B Corps is the community; shared goals and camaraderie create optimal conditions to develop deep relationships of trust, respect and support. The many examples of B Corps supporting one another through challenging times exemplify the depth of these relationships. B Corps also help hold one another accountable to their shared social and environmental commitments. Forums like the annual Champions Retreat and topic-focused initiatives such as the Climate Collective and Inclusive Economy Challenge drive momentum and enable us to learn, grow and challenge one other.
For organisations, certified, aspiring, or just curious, July’s B Corp Month offers a multitude of opportunities for people and businesses to experience these benefits. The virtual events are designed to foster connections and encourage collaborations to become ‘Better Together, for a Better World’.
B Corp month includes masterclasses on topics such as the future of work, improving supply chain, collective action for climate change and more! If you are looking to build relationships or seek collaborations, B Local groups across Australia and New Zealand (including our own B Local Melbourne) will host speed networking sessions to connect with B Corps and other like-minded people and organisations. Be sure to head over to the website to check out all the details; panels and events will continue to be added to the schedule.
To stay up to date on what’s going on with the B Corp community, sign up to receive the monthly newsletter.
If you have any further questions about the community of B Corps or B Corp certification, please feel free to contact Anne Sherman anne@thinkimpact.com.au
Anne is an expert in the B Impact Assessment, a B Corp Ambassador, and a leader of the B Corp community in Australia and the United States.