A BCorp Update – It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint!
As some of you may know, we have been undertaking the necessary steps to gain a B Corporation (BCorp) certification. We’ve shrouded the exact meanings of this in mystery and thought it time to outline how far along the journey we’ve got to whilst we explain what BCorp is, what it entails and how much further we have left to go.
What Is BCorp?
BCorp is a certification that for-profit organisations can gain which states that a company is meeting the highest standard of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. There are currently 276 certified BCorps in the UK, and we are hoping to bring this number up to 277. To become certified, you must surpass a score of 80 out of 200 in a rigorous test split into five impact categories: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
When Did We Embark On Our BCorp Journey?
Back in June, Hamish decided that despite all of the negatives happening in the world, HRA Global was given the opportunity and time to make some positive changes. In this sense, we wanted to become more socially and environmentally sustainable, responsible, and generally better off for the planet – BCorp has given us the opportunity to do such. The question was therefore to B or not to B, and we decided that the answer was simple.
Where Do We Stand With The Certification Today?
So far, we have undertaken the aforementioned rigorous assessment and have gained a score of 80.3 which allows us to pass on to the next round. This was no walk in the environmentally-friendly park, however; we have amended a number of our policies, looked deeply into our habitual patterns in regards to our waste, for example, and how we could minimise it, thought carefully about our social responsibilities including our diversity and inclusion, and arguably most importantly we have begun tracking our carbon footprint through an environmental management system. Still, there are many more changes to come and as Hamish says, this certification is a marathon, not a sprint.
Alas, The Finishing Line Is In Sight…
To continue, we are making legal amendments and updating our articles of association to instil our commitments. We are also going through the second round of assessments, where things get a little tougher and yet our passion and drive are a little stronger. We endeavour to keep you on this journey with us, and hopefully in a few months time we’ll share with you a celebratory update as we complete this marathon. Contact us if you would like to learn more about BCorp certification.
