Ethical businesses across the north-east were highlighted when the giant ‘B’ came to town as part of a drive to build understanding of the B Corp movement.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps status, signifies a business meets high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving, to supply chain practices and input materials.
Aberdeenshire foods producer Macphie became one of the first companies in the UK to achieve B Corporation certification in 2015.
Chairman Alastair Macphie was at Marischal Square to give his backing to the community.
He said: “We’ve been doing this for generations and therefore to get the stamp was very useful.
“Nowadays we are looking at how you differentiate your business from all the other businesses around.
“Having the ESG is a significant element of your business that goes down well.
“We do all the things you would expect. We support charities in our region, give people time off to support the organisations and charities they are actively involved in so there’s a real message there.
“How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else? There’s that element and secondly people like it.”
Businesses to get on board
There are currently more than 4,400 Certified B Corporations in 70 countries and 150 industries.
Initial assessment requires a minimum verified score of 80 points to continue with the process.
The B Corp community ranges from sole proprietors to publicly-traded companies. The majority of B Corps are small-to-medium-sized businesses, however, larger enterprises are coming on board as well.
Mr Macphie believes it’s important for as many businesses as possible to get on board as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) becomes even more important.
He said: “There’s massive improvement to be made but now as businesses we’ve got to declare how much carbon we are releasing every year, your statement of intent in accounts talking about your ESG responsibilities.
“We seem to have come through Covid and it’s suddenly really ignited a lot of interest.
“If there is 400 in the UK it’s come a long way now and that says a lot.
“A lot of family businesses are look at it and how it impacts them.
“It’s hugely important.”
Changes to how businesses operate
The giant ‘B’, which stands for ‘benefit for all’, usually lives in B Lab UK’s HQ in London, is moving across the country as part of B Corp month.
London-based private bank and wealth manager Coutts – founded by a Scot in 1692 – was certified in the summer of 2021.
Head of Coutts Scotland Alisdair Dewar said: “Coutts was the first UK headquartered private bank to become a certified B Corp, something we are hugely proud of.
“We undertook the accreditation because purpose is at the core of what we do, ‘doing well by doing good’ is our slogan and B Corp felt like the next natural step in our pursuit to balance planet, people and profit.
“The process highlighted what we had but also what we needed to change, it forced us to be transparent and accountable and make real changes to the way we operate, we have since taken this forward and we strive continually to improve.”
Other B Corps in north and north-east
- Prickly Thistle tartan manufacturers in Dingwall, which certified in February 2022
- The House of Botanicals, a spirits specialist, was the first firm in Aberdeen to win the accreditation in January 2022
- Nc’nean Distillery in Drimnin in Morvern also achieved B Corp in January 2022
- ELE Global, a communications agency based in Aberlour, certified in 2021
- Bruichladdich distillery on Islay certified in 2020
- Living Alive sustainability consultancy in Findhorn, which certified in 2019
- Public relations agency Muckle Media, certified in January 2022
How much does it cost?
Using the B Impact Assessment is free and a one-off submission fee of £250 (plus VAT) is payable when a company is submitted for certification.
Certification fees are paid annually and there are fee bands in place to ensure B Corp certification is affordable.
Fees start at £1,000 and range to £50,000 for businesses with a revenue of more than £750m.
B Corp community ‘passionate’
Rosalind Holley, B Lab UK’s director of communications & marketing said: “The UK B Corp community is one of the fastest growing in the world and represents a passionate group of people using business as a force for good.
“Yet historically much of this growth has been concentrated around London and the south east.
“There are amazing businesses going beyond in all corners of the UK, and we wanted to spotlight their impact while helping to drive conversations and understanding about the B Corp movement.
“This particular big ‘B’ was built to help us accelerate the movement in its early stages back in 2019 and has been living in our offices ever since.
“In the spirit of ‘reuse and recycle’ we asked the B Corp community to come up with creative ways to bring it to life and we’re excited to see what they do with it.”