Becoming a B Corp wasn’t easy, as anyone who’s been through the rigorous application and assessment process will tell you.
It was a steep learning curve, but we know this experience will have a positive impact on the work we undertake for our clients going forward.
In the spirit of openness we thought we’d share our experience. From why we started, to what surprised us, and what’s next for Material following this milestone moment.
If you’re working on, or thinking about starting your own B Corp application and would like to chat more about the process, we’d love to hear from you and we’re always happy to share our own learnings.
What motivated us
B Corp represents a commitment to a shared vision for business as a force for good. Finding purpose in our work has long been a priority at Material but as we’ve also become increasingly aware of (and knowledgeable about) our environmental impact, we were inspired to seek out frameworks or certifications that would encapsulate our belief in the triple bottom line; people, planet & profit.
We were drawn to B Corp due to its holistic approach and international credibility, which cuts across borders, languages, and sectors. As a business, pre-pandemic, we had already established an internal sustainability committee and our staff had undertaken carbon literacy training, so the journey towards B Corp felt like a natural, albeit ambitious evolution of the steps we were already taking. Better yet, the B Corp process provided a methodology that would help to guide us toward a planned and considered sustainable transformation of the agency, a pathway which helped to make things (a little) less overwhelming.
What Surprised Us
As we’re sure so many others do, we initially assumed that the process would be simple – filling out an application form, answering the odd question. How wrong were we.
The level of detail required was staggering, drawing on all aspects of the business. As a small business, we wanted to engage as many of our people in the B Corp application process and so the journey was more drawn out for us.
This may well have prolonged our application, but we feel justified for having engaged the right people, for the right parts, at the right time, making it altogether a more effective and rewarding approach.
We were also pleasantly surprised to find that there were plenty of areas under scrutiny that we already performed well in. As a company, we’ve always been conscious of our place in the world, and it became clear in several areas that it was simply a case of solidifying processes that were already in place (and had been for some time).
What B-Corp Means in the Service Sector
As a marketing agency, three quarters of our environmental impact currently comes from the procurement of goods and services on behalf of our clients. A big opportunity for impact therefore comes from positively influencing our supply chain through adapted ways of thinking and aligning ourselves with suppliers that share a similar ethos.
Likewise, we increasingly seek to work with clients who demonstrate a commitment to improving their own social and environmental sustainability credentials, regardless of where they may currently be on that journey.
So, as a service provider, influence is our superpower when it comes to sustainable transformation. Whether that’s through our work with clients, suppliers, or other businesses, we will positively affect behaviour change by sharing our knowledge, experiences and research.
What We’ve Learned
The best advice we received from the outset was to undertake the B Corp application process internally, putting our people at the heart of the process. That may seem really obvious, but often it’s not the case.
Increasingly businesses can and will lean on the guidance of consultants to steer them through the process. And you can understand why.
But by taking the process on our own collective shoulders, we were able to develop a more holistic, company-wide understanding of what B Corp means for our business and allowed us to shape policy as we worked through the process together. Ultimately, the B Corp journey is about your company and your people, so you get out of it what you put in.
Where We Go From Here
The immediate legacy of the B Corp process is the appreciation we have for the importance and power of policy.
Everyone involved has gained greater perspective on this and are now spotting opportunities for positive change everywhere. The 5 pillars of B Corp have fed heavily into our own social and environmental sustainability strategy and net zero roadmap, which will constantly evolve in tandem with the business.
And it goes without saying, there is still plenty of room for improvement. B Corp is all about long-term goals, so we’re always looking for new ways to make Material a better place to work and a better agency to work with, whilst becoming better stewards of our own environmental impact.
For 2024 and beyond, the focus will be on harnessing B Corp’s influence and inspiration in our client work. To evolve our own strategies and people focussed policies, and positively contribute to our community more broadly (more news on that front to come very soon).
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