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The Truth about the B Corp Journey

Can businesses help solve the biggest societal and environmental challenges we’ve ever faced? Especially considering the huge part business has played in creating these challenges? B Corp says ‘Yes…’ but there are some strings…

A good chunk of my working day is spent talking to businesses that want to know more about B Corp. If you’re thinking about it, let me emphasise that this is no small decision.

B Corp will challenge you to evidence the impact you are making by using business as a force for good. This is not a vanity exercise for marketing purposes, nor just a nice badge of honour that will attract new customers (although it will do that). B Corp will hold up a mirror and ask whether or not you can say, hand on heart, that you will do authentic and measurable things to improve the lives of people and the planet. That you will no longer prioritise profit over planet and people.

Historically, the business sector has accelerated social inequity, fuelled human rights violations, and laid the foundations for climate change. With a global cultural shift underway, are businesses truly evolving from being the drivers of humanity’s biggest problems to drivers of positive and inclusive change?

Are we being idealistic to think the business world can address the pivotal challenges it has played – and continues to play – in creating? From uplifting marginalised communities to reducing the damage of consumer products, to ending the food waste that could alleviate the hunger of almost a billion people.

STRIPPING BARE

The B Corp movement is pulling out all the stops to find out. This is no time to gloss over the reality of the hole we’ve dug ourselves into, nor can we shy away from the difficult and honest conversations. Choosing the B Corp certification road for your business is a big decision. It’s the start of a journey that will hopefully never end as your organisation improves, year on year, in being a force for good that restores the health of our planet and works to drive social equality all over the globe.

By choosing to be a B Corp, you are declaring that you will no longer profit from the suffering of others, be they the Bangladeshi women working in clothing factories, or the cows crammed into the massive factory farms of America.

Being a B Corp business means no longer profiting from exploitation, extraction and emissions. Do not fool yourself into thinking this is an easy thing to do. We’ve created a system that makes it difficult not to pollute and degrade with even our smallest daily activities. From cooking eggs for breakfast on a gas range, to taking the kids to school in our petrol-fuelled car, we have woven fossil fuel combustion into every aspect of our lives.

METAMORPHOSIS

Our entire economic system is built on foundations of exploitation as well as on the lie that endless economic growth is possible and desirable. In nature, if something just grows and grows, it’s called ‘cancer’. In essence, this is traditional capitalism.

Can the business world really undo centuries of programming that worship the bottom line of profit above all else?

By taking the B Corp road, you are saying, ‘Yes, I believe businesses can be run differently. I believe businesses can be modelled on restoration rather than degradation. I believe we can create a socially just society and a healthy planet.’

And it’s okay that we are still working out how we’re going to do this. It’s okay that we don’t have all the answers yet – we’ll find the answers if we keep asking the tough questions. And that is what your B Corp journey is about… it’s about tussling over those difficult questions specific to your organisation; it’s about discussing and debating and learning, evolving and transforming.

The key is to embrace the process of this metamorphosis. Stick with it when the road gets bumpy and celebrate your breakthroughs, big and small.

If you let it, the B Corp journey will be more rewarding, enriching and fulfilling than any satisfaction previously garnered through reporting annual profits to shareholders.

Kia kaha

Tamara

tamara@growgood.co

 

Are you Ready to B Better?

Ready to take the plunge towards becoming a B Corp business? Let the Grow Good team guide you through the process either through 1:1 coaching or group coaching on one of our regular cohort programmes. 

Don’t wait to be a better business, get on with it now. The planet depends on it.

Here at Grow Good, it’s our job to help businesses become B Corp certified. Because the process can be confusing and daunting. We translate it, break it down, offer resources to make it as manageable as possible. If your business is ready to go B Corp, give us a shout or book in a discovery call.

10 years and 100 B Corps in Aotearoa New Zealand

It’s the 10th anniversary of B Corp in Aotearoa and we’ve just hit our 100th B Corp business.

Which is great!

But also not so great.

I’ll get to that in a moment but first, let’s celebrate the achievement. Back in 2013, B Lab launched in New Zealand and Australia, opening a headquarters in Melbourne. Ten years on and the ANZA region combined has clocked up more than 500 B Corp businesses.

Of that number, New Zealand comprises 100. The first business to certify as a B Corp in New Zealand was Eagle Protect in Christchurch back in 2012. Led by the long-time B Corp champion Steve Ardagh, Eagle imports and distributes ethically sourced disposable gloves and clothing for the food, industrial and medical sectors.  Hats off to Steve, he has passionately and tirelessly championed the B Corp movement here in Aotearoa for the last decade. Go you Steve.

Ten years later, we have reached the 100 milestone. If you search for the full list of all NZ B Corps on the official B Lab ‘Find a B Corp’ page, you’ll be given the full list of 100 with Christchurch creative agency Not Another listed as the most recently certified.

Anyway, that’s the good news. We’re part of a global community of more than 6000 B Corps and the trajectory is rising steeply.

The not-so-great news is that 100 NZ businesses is a tiny drop in the proverbial plastic-choked oceans.

Currently, there are about 562,524 businesses in New Zealand and about 2,314,200 employees. (I say ‘about’ because these are government figures from February 2021.) That’s a whole lot of businesses still running under the ‘business as usual’ model that 20th Century economist Milton Friedman made so popular in the 1970s. The Friedman doctrine, also called shareholder primacy or stockholder theory, is Milton’s ridiculous idea that the only responsibility of business is to increase its profits. That’s it. Milton opined that business doesn’t have to care about anything that doesn’t drive shareholder profits. In Milton’s la la land, there are no limits to the planet’s resources; we have endless supplies of everything, and there’s no need to mandate business to concern itself with pesky things like what happens to the waste generated by its products – that’ll just work out somehow.

And look where that’s got us. A world gripped by insatiable consumerism that is pushing the planet beyond its boundaries. Shareholder capitalism has delivered massive social inequality, modern slavery, biodiversity devastation, mass species extinction, global warming and climate change, senseless waste, and pervasive plastic pollution, which means we now have micro plastics in our food and water, which means its in our brains, organs, blood streams, and so on.

B Lab has the crazy idea that perhaps there’s a better way to run the world’s businesses and economies. Perhaps instead of polluting, destroying and perpetuating suffering every time we buy a t-shirt or chocolate bar, we could change a few things so that every action we take regenerates the planet and drives social equity.

Crazy, huh!

Happily, the number of us ‘crazies’ who believe we could do a whole lot better is growing. And this is what the B Corp movement is about. The triple-bottom line of people, planet and profit because for a business to thrive in the long-term, it needs to think about its impact on and its relationship with the stakeholders that it relies on to be successful. This is not just the shareholders but also its customers, employees, the environment, and the local communities that it literally exists in.

More businesses are seeking something like B Corp certification to hold themselves to account, to assess their social and environmental performance against benchmarks, to send a message, not just to their customers but also to their business partners, their suppliers, and their employees.

B Corps also work together as well to drive better outcomes for their communities, recognising that business has a role to play in wider society is a core philosophy of B Corp. And increasingly businesses like B Corps are being recognised as more resilient and profitable business models. This is possibly due to the relationships with stakeholders that businesses rely on in times of difficulty or crisis.

Anyway. The upshot is that while I’m delighted to see us reach the 100 milestone of B Corps in Aotearoa, I’m thinking ‘what about the other 550,000 or so?‘ So this is a call to those half a million Kiwi businesses as well as the people who work for them.

If you’re an employee, ask your management ‘why aren’t we a B Corp?‘

If you’re interviewing for a new job, ask the people hiring, ‘are you a B Corp?‘

If you’re a customer or client, ask the people you’re paying, ‘are you working on becoming a B Corp?‘

If you’re an investor assessing a start-up’s potential, ask the founder, ‘have you started your B Corp journey?‘

Because we need every NZ business to be at the social and environmental standards of a B Corp as a minimum.

With that said, let me move back to ‘yay good onya!’ mode. I am now going to list all 100 B Corps from oldest to newest (as of March 2023). Please support these companies, they are trailblazers.

Eagle Direct Ltd
Ethique
Brown Bread Ltd
International Volunteer HQ
Little Yellow Bird
Grow Good
Peoples Coffee Limited
Duffle & Co. Ltd
Banqer
CQ New Zealand Ltd
thinkstep-anz
Redvespa Consultants Ltd
BioBalance Ltd
CoGo
Toitu Envirocare
Sawmill Brewery
Sharesies
Green Business HQ Ltd
Kathmandu (KMD Brands)
Ngatahi Communications
Method Recycling
Springload
Mayne Wetherell
Dignity
Brightly Solutions
Synlait Milk Limited
Fix & Fogg
LilyBee Wrap
Pathfinder
Like-Minded Learning Ltd
Education Perfect
The Better Packaging Co
The Co-operative Bank
Raglan Food Co Limited
The Hello Cup Company
Chia Sisters
Just Add Lime
Write Limited
D3 Digital Limited
Untouched World
ecostore
Kiwibank Limited
GravityLab Ltd
NEO Leaders Limited
Emma Lewisham
Orba Shoes
Noho
CaliWoods
Manukora Ltd
Carbonclick Ltd
twiice New Zealand Ltd
Catapult
Owen River Lodge
Greenfern Industries
Tax Traders
EPI-interactive
Boma New Zealand
Kin
Stuff Ltd
Kowtow clothing Ltd
Pic’s Peanut Butter
AWWA
Wild Clean
Workplace Assessment & Solutions Limited (WPAAS)
Circularity
The Whole Story
Zay Ltd
Food Nation
Heilala Vanilla
Gourmate Pet Treat Co.
Good Sense
Honeywrap
Maggie Marilyn
Jeuneora
Scafit Ltd
MoneyWorks NZ Ltd
Ozone Coffee Roasters Intnl
BeeNZ
DNA Design
Crank
MRCagney
Optimal Workshop
Taylor Pass Honey Co
Volpara Health Technologies Ltd
Karma Drinks
Blue Frog Breakfast
Tuhoe Tuawhenua Trust T/A Manawa Honey NZ
Tennent Brown Architects
Almighty Beverages
Te Rehe Group Limited
NSPR Limited
Gemelli Consulting
Ceres Organics
Pals
Tiraki Ltd
NZ Native Honey Products
Sustained Fun
HealthPost
Wright Communications
Not Another

 

Here at Grow Good, it’s our job to help businesses become B Corp certified. Because the process can be confusing and daunting. We translate it, break it down, offer resources to make it as manageable as possible. If your business is ready to go B Corp, give us a shout or book in a discovery call.

Kia kaha

Tamara

 

Are you Ready to B Better?

Don’t wait to be a better business, get on with it now. The planet depends on it.

Feeling like you’re ready to B Better and want to see if we can help? Well then let’s have a chat! Book a call here – https://bit.ly/BookGGCall

 

AXA exec bonuses linked to decarbonisation

Boom! There it is. Finally! Companies are starting to link the pay and bonuses of their managers and execs to climate goals like decarbonisation. And it’s not just happening in the ethical, organic, ‘right on’ companies, it’s happening amongst the big hitters of the global finance and investment industry like AXA Investment Managers.

It was big news when global asset management firm AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) announced last week that it will begin including ESG targets in the incentive compensation packages for senior executives, including goals focused on reducing the carbon footprint of investment portfolios.

The compensation policy will apply to about 400 senior executives at the firm. It will focus primarily on portfolio decarbonization, with 75 per cent of the ESG portion of deferred compensation tied to targets to reduce carbon intensity in the corporate portfolio by 25 per cent by 2025 for AXA IM Core employees, or to have 50 per cent of the real estate portfolio to be aligned to the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM) trajectories by 2025 for AXA IM Alts employees. The remaining 25 per cent of the ESG portion will be linked to AXA IM’s interim target to reduce its corporate operational CO2 footprint by 26 per cent by 2025.

Road to net-zero

This is part of AXA IM’s aim to be net zero by 2050. As well as just being delighted by the evidence of a real global shift in priorities, I am also happy to see that this falls in line with related questions in the B Corp impact assessment (BIA). B Lab have long been urging companies to link worker KPIs with social and environmental goals. It is happening. Praise be.

AXA IM’s new remuneration policy was announced alongside the launch of the its new ‘AXA IM for Progress Monitor’, a new initiative to transparently communicate AXA IM’s progress towards its goal to become a net zero as a business and investor by 2050, including publication of key metrics on its website. The chosen metrics were selected based on their material contributions to AXA IM’s goals, and include the firm’s coal exposure, carbon intensity, real estate decarbonisation, operational carbon footprint, climate-focused engagement and natural capital solutions investments.

Marco Morelli, Executive Chairman of AXA IM, said:

“As we further put sustainability at the heart of everything we do, we believe transparency and regular reporting on our progress and the challenges we may face is crucial. This is not something new at AXA IM but with the launch of the AXA IM for Progress Monitor, we are choosing to visibly position our non-financial targets alongside our financial ones and to increasingly onboard our organisation to make our employees a part of our sustainability journey. Our adjusted deferred remuneration policy which falls within this objective is key to achieve our objectives and effect change, on the road to net zero and beyond.”

Tipping point

There is now huge momentum building for businesses to no longer consider only the monetary gain of shareholders. I mean, look where that nonsense has got us (mass extinctions and extreme weather anyone?). The call is for all businesses to be a force for good. Working to be the best for the world, not the best in the world. Which is at the very heart of being a B Corp.

Here at Grow Good, it’s our job to help businesses become B Corp certified. Because the process can be confusing and daunting. We translate it, break it down, offer resources to make it as manageable as possible. If your business is ready to go B Corp, give us a shout or book in a discovery call.

Kia kaha

Tamara

 

 

Are you Ready to B Better?

Don’t wait to be a better business, get on with it now. The planet depends on it.

Feeling like you’re ready to B Better and want to see if we can help? Well then let’s have a chat! Book a call here – https://bit.ly/BookGGCall

 

B Corps and the new economy in Aotearoa New Zealand

As I type this from my home office in Otautahi-Christchurch, people in the northern cities of New Zealand are battening down the hatches and preparing for potentially the worst tropical storm to ever hit our shores. It’s even more of a slap in the face for Northlanders after having suffered some of the worst flooding in living memory just two weeks ago.

Overnight, Cyclone Gabrielle has been causing havoc across the top of the North Island, with thousands of homes losing power, hundreds of homes being evacuated, schools closing and trains, ferries and flights cancelled in the Auckland region. And worse weather is expected tomorrow.

It is, of course, the sobering reality of climate change. The fossil fuel chickens are coming home to roost. In other words, the 250 or so years of unabated burning of fossil fuels, particularly driven by first world greed and consumerism, has filled the atmosphere with such a high concentration of green house gases that we’ve essentially wrapped the earth up in a huge, suffocating blanket. Everything is getting warmer, including the seas, and that is causing extreme weather such as Cyclone Gabrielle. Don’t just take my word for it, read more from an actual climate scientist about that here.

So, what does this have to do with B Corps and the new economy in Aotearoa? Well, if events like unprecedented flooding and destructive never-seen-before tropical storms doesn’t wake up the people in this country to the fact we might need to reassess our values and ways of living and working, I don’t know what will.

Happily though, there is definitely a shift taking place. More and more people and business owners are saying ‘OMG we gotta do something about this...’ but then it’s often followed up with ‘...but I don’t know what…‘

I’ll tell you what. B Corp is what. B Corps, or Benefit Corporations, are a type of for-profit company that aims to balance profit and purpose. Certifying as a B Corp gives businesses the framework, or roadmap, for shifting from shareholder primacy to stakeholder primacy. And, boy, do we need a framework.

Because it’s going to take quite a bit of effort to shift out of the business mindset that’s been set in stone over the past 50 to 200 years or so. That mindset is ‘profit for shareholders is all that counts, it doesn’t matter how much suffering is caused in the making of that profit‘. Which is how we got modern slavery, child labour, and systemised cruelty to animals. It’s the mindset that got us into the existential mess we’re in. The way out? The B Corp movement is offering a solution. To find out more about this topic at a free webinar on 15 March 2023 called B Corps and the new economy in Aotearoa New Zealand, get your tickets here.

Let me explain what that is: Unlike traditional corporations, which are primarily focused on maximizing shareholder returns, B Corps are legally bound to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders, including employees, customers, the environment, and the community. In other words, they aim to create positive social and environmental change while still being economically successful.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, B Corps are part of a growing movement towards a new economy that values people and planet as much as profit. There is a growing recognition that the traditional business model, which prioritizes profit above all else, has led to a number of social and environmental challenges, including inequality, climate change, and degradation of natural resources. B Corps offer a different way of doing business, one that seeks to create value for all stakeholders and make a positive impact on society and the environment.

To become a B Corp, companies must undergo a rigorous certification process that assesses their social and environmental impact, governance, and transparency. This process helps to ensure that B Corps are truly committed to making a positive impact and are held accountable for their actions.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, there are currently just shy of 100 B Corps. They include companies in a variety of industries such as technology, finance, and manufacturing. Companies like Kathmandu, Ethique, Sawmill Brewery, Chia Sisters, Pic’s Peanut Butter... and many more (including Grow Good!) These companies are leading the way in demonstrating that it is possible to do business in a way that is both profitable and responsible.

Overall, the growth of B Corps in Aotearoa New Zealand is a positive sign for the future of the country’s economy. By prioritising the well-being of all stakeholders, B Corps are helping to build a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving future for everyone. That is the aim. But there is no time to waste. We’ve already left it too long to take real and meaningful action.

Here at Grow Good, it’s our job to help businesses become B Corp certified. Because the process can be confusing and daunting. We translate it, break it down, offer resources to make it as manageable as possible. If your business is ready to go B Corp, give us a shout or book in a discovery call.

Kia kaha

Tamara

 

 

Are you Ready to B Better?

Don’t wait to be a better business, get on with it now. The planet depends on it.

Feeling like you’re ready to B Better and want to see if we can help? Well then let’s have a chat! Book a call here – https://bit.ly/BookGGCall

 

The NZ B Corp Christmas Gift Guide 2022

We know that people like you, who care about the planet, can be a little conflicted at Christmas. On one hand, we’re like, ‘no, don’t believe the consumerist hype!’ but on the other hand, we’re like, ‘where can I get Christmas pudding at this time of night…’

Here at Grow Good HQ we understand. We enjoy a pig-in-blanket as much as the next person but how can you enjoy Christmas while also not wrecking the planet or perpetuating modern slavery?

We’ve got one hashtag in answer to this burning question, which is:
#BuyBCorpXmas

With that in mind, we’ve created this guide to some awesome Aotearoa B Corp businesses who have some great gift offerings. Shop yourself silly!

To read or download your copy of the B Corp Xmas shopping guide, just click here

GG_Buy B Corp Xmas brochure

Remember, every time you spend your hard-earning wedge, you are ‘voting’ for the kind of world you want to create. Don’t vote for the baddies, vote for the businesses who are actively trying to do right for the world. We’ll say it again, #BuyBCorp

Merry Christmas one and all, and if you’re a B Corp that would like to be in our Christmas gift guide in 2023 or beyond, reach out to us at team@growgood.co

Are you Ready to B Better?

If you want to learn more about B Corp and if it could be the right thing for you we have:

➡️ Our free e-book “To B Or Not To B; The What, Why & How of B Corp” is the DEFINITIVE guide to B Corp – https://bit.ly/BCorpEBook

➡️ This story about how we helped the amazing humans at Jeuneora get B Corp and get purpose at work – https://bit.ly/casestudyj

➡️ “The B Better Podcast” https://bit.ly/BeBPod where we talk to B Corps about their journey to B Corp & Beyond and our YouTube channel https://bit.ly/GGCoYoTu for more B Corp-related content

➡️ Feeling like you’re ready to B Better and want to see if we can help? Well then let’s have a chat! Book a call here – https://bit.ly/BookGGCall

#getbcorpcert #bcorp #esg #purposedrivenbusiness #growgood #purposefuelledperformance #getpurposeatwork #sustainability #bbetter #inpursuitofpurpose #impact #podcast #BCorp #BuyBCorp #bcorps #bcorpcertified #growgood #bconsultant #otautahi #chch #community #getbcorpcert #bcorp #esg #purposedrivenbusiness

B Corp Milestone! 500 in Aotearoa NZ and Australia

In 2014, I was at the back end of an early midlife crisis and had taken a hard Brexit from the corporate world. I thought that there had to be a better way to do business.

There was.

It was called B Corp. And I was introduced to the movement by Steve Ardagh, CEO and founder at Eagle Protect NZ in Christchurch. His company certified as a B Corp in 2012 and is still going strong. A beacon for B Corps New Zealand.

B Corps are a new form of business that seeks to balance purpose and profit.

They consider the impact on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment rather than solely focusing on profit maximisation.

Business as a force for good

For many years, the same 5 or 6 B corps met each other as we all in our own way tried to spread the word in what felt like a desert of corporate purpose.

But now the tide has turned.

Momentum is gathering…

When you are in the thick of it you can’t appreciate the change.

How did the kid get to be that tall of a sudden!?

And so it’s great to see how this B Corp kid has grown as this week the B Corps community in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia hit the big 5-0-0!

As of this week, we have 91 Certified B Corporations in the Aotearoa whanau and 409 in Australia. Better yet, it’s growing fast with more forward-thinking companies coming on board every week.

At Grow Good, we’ve been talking to businesses about B Corp since 2014. About a year ago, we set out to find the next 100 companies that wanted to become B Corp Certified and we are pretty close to that (update coming soon).

It’s a privilege to support businesses to go B Corp and we are continually grateful to everyone who continues to embrace the hard mahi of doing what matters.

But this is the end of the beginning I feel…

Next stop? The Big 100 for Aotearoa NZ and 500 for Australia. We are so close we can almost taste it.

There’s much to celebrate but the sobering reality is that there is so much more to be getting on with and there’s no time to waste. The business sector simply has to be better, has to do better. At Grow Good, we’re on a mission to make Aotearoa NZ a B Corp beacon for the rest of the world.

Here’s to the next 500!

Maybe you could be one of them…

Are you Ready to B Better?

If you want to learn more about B Corp and if it could be the right thing for you we have:

➡️ Our free e-book “To B Or Not To B; The What, Why & How of B Corp” is the DEFINITIVE guide to B Corp – https://bit.ly/BCorpEBook

➡️ This story about how we helped the amazing humans at Jeuneora get B Corp and get purpose at work – https://bit.ly/casestudyj

➡️ “The B Better Podcast” https://bit.ly/BeBPod where we talk to B Corps about their journey to B Corp & Beyond and our YouTube channel https://bit.ly/GGCoYoTu for more B Corp-related content

➡️ Feeling like you’re ready to B Better and want to see if we can help? Well then let’s have a chat! Book a call here – https://bit.ly/BookGGCall

#getbcorpcert #bcorp #esg #purposedrivenbusiness #growgood #purposefuelledperformance #getpurposeatwork #sustainability #bbetter #inpursuitofpurpose #impact #podcast #BCorp #BuyBCorp #bcorps #bcorpcertified #growgood #bconsultant #otautahi #chch #community #getbcorpcert #bcorp #esg #purposedrivenbusiness

 

The Growing World Of B Corps

Read more

B Corp Certification and the importance of Governance

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About Grow Good

We are one of the world’s leading and most experienced B Corp Consultancies.  Our founder was the first qualified B Corporation consultant in the country.

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