Hurrah! We’re proud to announce that we are now a Certified B Corporation®!
What does that mean? It means we’re part of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. tbd* has joined the ranks of over 2,000 Certified B Corporations (such as Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia and Fairphone) from more than 130 industries in 50+ countries who are working toward one unifying goal - redefining success in business.
In order to become a B Corporation, we had to prove that we meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. B CorpTM measures a company’s impact on all its stakeholders (e.g. workers, suppliers, community, customers and the environment). Enter the impact assessment…
The impact assessment is a VERY detailed certification process that covers questions in five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment and impact business models. It includes everything from company values and business practices to things like recycling habits, the paper we use and how much vacation our employees get. Based on this, a company is scored and those who score high enough are eligible for certification.
We’ll be honest - though the process was grueling at times, we’re so glad we did it. Even though we’ve always strongly identified as a social business, the assessment was an enlightening experience as it forced us to look at ALL aspects of our business and showed where we still have room to improve in terms of our social and environmental impact. It highlighted specific issues that we’re not addressing at the moment or simply had never thought about before.
By becoming a Certified B Corporation, we can ensure that we grow and develop in the right direction. In order to stay certified, we have to complete the assessment every two years and based on the insights we’ve gained from this first certification, we now know what we need to work on. All we can say is, challenge accepted.
For now, we’re honored to be part of a community of businesses that don’t just try to be the best in the world, but try to be the best for the world.
If you’re interested in getting your company certified, learn more here: https://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp
Originally published August 24, 2017
