March is B Corp Month. This means that every year, the month of March is an opportunity to reflect on the process of becoming B Corp and the impact that certified businesses can have both environmentally and socially.
Wild West been B Corp certified for around a year and a half now, and it’s a big part of who we are as a business. We’re extremely proud of our workplace culture, which goes hand-in-hand with our commitments to operating as sustainably as possible.
This B Corp Month we’ll be reflecting on the strength B Corp businesses have, as well as insight on how we passed the assessment process.
What is B Corp Certification?
Achieving B Corp status is highly sought after by businesses dedicated to operating sustainably and having a positive impact on both the environment and their sphere of social influence. To be B Corp certified, businesses must demonstrate the following:
- A high level of social and environmental performance through sustainable business practices
- A legal commitment on behalf of the business to be held accountable by all key stakeholders in its corporate governance
- A pioneering level of transparency – demonstrated by allowing business performance information to be publicly accessible on the B Corp domain
As of this writing, there are roughly only 700 B Corp business in the UK – testament to the fact it requires a strong application to be considered for certification. You can find out more about attaining B Corp Certification here.
Insight into how we worked on becoming a B Corp Certified business
There’s no better person to ask about how Wild Card achieved our B Corp Certification than our Director of People and Operations, Kath.
Here, she tells us a little about the assessment process:
‘At first sight, the assessment looked huge. As with all big jobs, breaking it down and focusing on each Impact Area individually worked really well. It gave me a real opportunity to think about how well our business already engages within each IA (Impact Area), so the assessment was almost a celebration before we even progressed to our certification.
‘I am the Director of People and Operations so I am very close to the Governance and Workers elements of the assessment and knew we were strong there.
‘For me, reviewing Community and Customers was a real eye opener, as I am less close to those aspects on a daily basis. Learning more from our client facing team on how we are working collaboratively with our clients and in our community to support carbon neutrality, food poverty, the environment and so much more, gave me a huge sense of pride.
‘Gathering our information for the assessment is a celebration in itself. And a learning because the level of detail the assessment requires, gives you an aspirational list for ongoing development.
We achieved certification for Wild West in Nov 2020 and are awaiting our assessment interview for Wild Card. I’m really looking forward to being ready to report on our progress towards Carbon Neutrality for 2030 and our overall BIA (Business Impact Assessment).’
Stay tuned for more on our commitment to sustainability in the PR industry
The PR industry is thriving; every year it evolves, growing into something more and more exciting.
Of course, this means PR companies must be ever-more aware of their impact on the environment, as well as their social commitments. At Wild Card, we’re passionate about the world we live in and the communities we operate in – and if you’re a business looking for striking, empowering and unrivalled PR campaigns, we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch with our experts today and browse our work to see what we can accomplish together.