ImagesMagUK_December_2020

IS www.images-magazine.com 34 images DECEMBER 2020 ECOWEAR Workers at Rowlinson Knitwear’s Bangladesh supplier The B Corp movement More and more businesses, large and small, from Rowlinson Knitwear and Finisterre outdoor clothing to Innocent Drinks and the Jamie Oliver Group, are becoming B Corporations. The movement (as it is called) was created to help businesses ensure they have a positive impact for their employees, communities and the environment, but it is more than just a certification. It is described as a global community of leaders who want to use business as “a force for good” and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. They are committed to working towards reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities and the creation of more high-quality jobs “with dignity and purpose”. B Corp certification – the “B” signifies “better” and “beneficial” – assesses the overall positive impact of a company, aiming for the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. Businesses must achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment, with more than 200 criteria across five areas of governance, the environment, workers, customers and community, and they must make that B Impact Report “transparent” on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their boards of directors to “balance profit and purpose”. B Corp certification is administered by non-profit organisation B Lab which was set up in 2006 by Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan and Andrew Kassoy. There are now more than 3,500 certified B Corps in over 70 countries that can be found by searching on the programme’s website, which has a UK portal at bcorporation.uk. This also provides B Corps, and those aspiring to certification, with the resources they need to maintain standards and link up with other members. Other decorators working towards B Corp certification include Somerset-based I Dress Myself, which is profiled on page 35. w www.bcorporation.net Logo for certified B Corp businesses [L-R] Andrew Kassoy, Bart Houlahan and Jay Coen Gilbert set up non-profit B Lab, which administers B Corp certification who ensured the company met more than 200 criteria across five impact areas of governance, the environment, workers, customers and community. “It’s not for the faint-hearted,” Donald admits. “It’s not just a numbers case. There’s no green-washing at all. For some of the questions, it’s like doing some sort of mini dissertation. But if you want to be sustainable and really care, then you should do the assessment, and it’s free. That information doesn’t go anywhere – it’s just for you. And the good thing is that no matter what you score, it would highlight areas for improvement.” Workforce buy-in Key to this success has been engaging the company’s 58-strong workforce, points out Carrie Hamer, Rowlinson’s marketing and communications lead. “It’s not enforced on them. It’s saying, this is what we think is the right thing to do and how can you help us to be part of that and move it forward. For us, it’s the pinnacle of independent verification of what we’re doing. It’s not something we’ve done because we want the B Corp badge. It’s because the process has enabled us to interrogate many of the things we’ve been doing for a long time and assess them against somebody else’s measure.” It is also only the start, she adds, with recertification every three years. “When you get your score, then your goal should be ‘how can we increase it?’.” B Corp is more than a certification process, it is also a community of businesses that support each other; for example, Rowlinson is currently working with another B Corporation, sustainable outdoor clothing brand Finisterre, on alternatives to traditional plastic packaging. Based in Stockport in Greater Manchester, the company is now part of a new group of B Corps in Manchester and the north-west that was launched in November. “We try to inspire,” Donald says. “We have a responsibility to tell more people about what we’re doing. But it’s not to promote our brand or to sell more stuff, because B Corp probably won’t do anything for that at all as not enough people know what it is yet. To me, it’s about improving things for people and the planet today and protecting them for the future at a time when the world is doing the exact opposite.” www.rowlinson-knitwear.com