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B Corp
B Corps is a certification that allows companies to show that they are a company that has a positive impact on the world. The B Corp certification does not certify a product or service but assesses the total positive impact that a company makes.
B Corp looks at 6 impact areas of a company:
- Governance: About how a company can be managed in an impactful and transparent way.
- Workers: About how a company can deal with their employees in an ethical manner.
- Community: About how a company can contribute to the economic and social well-being of the communities where they operate.
- Environment: About what a company can do to have a positive environmental impact.
- Customers: About what a company can do to create more value for their customers.
- Questionnaire Disclosure: About other sensitive business information that may have a negative impact.
The total number of points that can be obtained on these 6 aspects is 200. A company needs at least 80 points to become B Corp certified.
How Bcorp scores on a scale of 1 to 4
Find out what's the story behind your clothing by understanding the certificates. Use the scores to discover at a glance what a certificate means in different sustainability areas.
Together we can make an impact!
Eco-Friendly
B Corps has a large number of parts within their environmental impact area where a company can score points. Now it is not necessary to get a high score on all these points, as the total number of points from all impact areas determines whether the company is awarded the B Corp certification.
The components to which the B Impact Assessment assigns points are:
- Environmental management: About what systems the company has to manage the company in an environmentally friendly way. This includes, for example, the use of certified products and whether the company's facilities are covered by a green construction program.
- Air and climate: About how much the company emits and how the company deals with energy and transport.
- Water: About water use.
- Land and Life: About waste management and handling of hazardous materials.
Score: 2/4 If all points had to be met then the score would probably be 4/4, but since this is not necessary to be certified we give it a 2/4.
Fair Trade
B Corps has quite a large number of components within their worker impact area where companies can score points. Now it is not necessary to get a high score on all these points, as the total number of points from all impact areas determines whether the company is awarded the B Corp quality mark.
The components to which the B Impact Assessment assigns points are:
- Financial security: About what the wages of the employees are and what the pension plans are.
- Health and Safety: About the health care of employees.
- Career development: About how workers are guided in their career.
- Involvement and satisfaction: About how satisfied employees are, secondary benefits and what mechanisms there are for forming trade unions.
Score: 2/4 If all points had to be met then the score would probably be 4/4, but since this is not necessary to be certified we give it a 2/4.
Animal welfare/Vegan
No impact has yet been measured by B Corporation in the field of animal welfare.
Score: 0/4
Reporting and improvement
The Impact Assessment of B Corp provides a company with the tools to see how they make an impact and how they can make even more impact in the future. Companies with the B Corp certification can be found on the B Corporation website. There you can find the score of the brand and how it scored in each of the impact areas. Exactly how the scores are structured and what the company did not score well on are not made public.
Score: 3/4 B Corp gives a company the tools it needs to improve further, in addition, the company's report is made public. This is a summary of the entire Impact Assessment, the Assessment itself is not publicly available.
Auditing
A company that wants to get the B Corp certification must first do the B Impact Assessment. This is a free online tool with which a company can measure their impact on the 6 impact areas indicated in the introduction. If the company has a score of 80 or higher for all these 6 impact areas combined, they can apply for the certification.
After completing the questionnaire, it can be submitted and an assessment interview will be scheduled. This interview lasts approximately 60 to 90 minutes and during this interview all points that were not clear from the completed questionnaire are discussed.
After the assessment interview, relevant documentation is requested to prove some of the points from the impact assessment, and finally, B Corp does a background check of the company. They look at everything that is publicly available, what has been said about the company in the news, etc.
In order to retain the B Corp certification, a company must repeat the impact assessment every three years.
Score: 2/4 No audits are carried out within the company itself by B Corp or a third independent party. The certification only consists of completing a questionnaire and researching publicly available information.
