10 B Corps that Go Beyond
Marking B Corp Month 2023, we’re celebrating B Corps that go beyond the status quo and take action to transform the world we live in.
Happy B Corp Month!
If you didn’t know already, March is B Corp Month. Escape The City is among 6,000+ businesses around the world dedicated to using business as a force for good.
The world is facing some of the biggest crises and challenges of our time. Our environment is in rapid decline. Social justice gaps are widening, not closing. By choosing to prioritise profit over people and the planet, most businesses are adding to the problem. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Business can be a force for good, and the rapidly growing B Corp movement is driving and encouraging more and more organisations to put people and the world we live in at their core.
This B Corp Month celebrates the thousands of impactful organisations that are going above and beyond, and taking action to transform the economic system.
This wonderful community demonstrates what's possible when businesses think beyond profit. When they go beyond the expected. When they come together to prove beyond doubt that there's a better way to do business.
Read on to discover 10 organisations that really do Go Beyond.
To follow along with the B Corp month #GoBeyond campaign, follow along and social and read more here.
Growing up by the sea, founder Tom Kay had always worried for the fishermen, sailors, captains and crews aboard ships facing hard and unpredictable conditions. So, in 2003, in a flat above a surf shop off the coast of Devon, surf and outdoor brand Finisterre started its journey. The range began with a sustainably produced fleece, designed to keep out chill winds and warm up cold bodies.
Over a decade later, Finisterre is a certified B Corp, spearheading an eco-conscious business revolution and committed to inspiring a love of the sea. From beach booties made from algae and seaweed to recycling wetsuits, Finisterre also uses water-soluble, recyclable, biodegradable packaging. They offer repairs to reduce product waste and continue to develop social programmes like their Seasuit Project, developed to offer more Muslim women access to surfing.
When did paint get so complicated? Endless trips to DIY stores, complex choices and environmentally damaging products left co-founders of Coat Rob Green and Rob Abrahams frustrated. So they decided to change the game.
Coat is the only Climate Positive paint company in the UK, meaning they have analysed their entire business and supply chain to measure and offset unavoidable Carbon emissions, along with also double-offsetting their Carbon figure by contributing financially to forest preservation projects. They operate a zero-waste production model; not making things people don’t want, all paint is mixed fresh to order. Customers can return empty tins or paint dregs, and they'll re-process 100% of the product and packaging. Zero to landfill, 360-recycling.
Work.Life is a flex workspace provider for businesses who care about people. They believe that happy teams deliver measurable benefits for businesses. That’s why everything from workspace design to delivering a best-in-class personal service, is designed to create happy, inclusive, and sustainable working environments. They also have coworking & managed offices across London, Reading and Manchester.
As part of their duty to their members to be ensure they’re providing sustainable workspaces, at all Work.Life spaces, 100% of their electricity is provided by renewable energy suppliers, all Significant Suppliers are screened for social and environmental impact, and for every new member that joins they donate £5 to charity.
The team behind Social Supermarket understand how vital, but also how difficult it is to 'vote with your wallet' without hours and days worth of research and potential greenwashing. They have created a central virtual shop where you can buy products from a range of B corps and social enterprises that you know are making a real positive difference to the world.
From beer made from surplus fresh bread to tea that provides employment for refugees. Social Supermarket only work with businesses that put more into the world than they take out; each brand having to meet high quality standards before featuring on the platform.
It was at her mother’s kitchen table, Talking Tables’ founder Clare discovered her love of tablescaping and the joy of bringing people together.
Such was the appeal, Clare made the decision to give up the security of her successful corporate career to launch Talking Tables, from her own kitchen table.
Not only driven by the knowledge that someone has purchased one of their jazzy tablecloths or laugh-until-your-cheeks-ache after dinner games, the team are constantly thinking about how as a company they can lower the impact on the planet. To name but a few initiatives they have put in place - introducing the world’s first recyclable paper cups, removing single use plastic from all collections, and banishing glitter from all new lines.
Did you know that only 3% of underwear is sustainably sourced? That's why Stripe & Stare care so much about being as sustainable as they can. Not only are all of their knickers made from trees, they are also responsible for creating the world's first 100% biodegradable lace knicker, with a helping hand from TENCEL™ Modal, an amazing eco-friendly fabric that represents a milestone in the development of environmentally sustainable textiles.
The Stripe & Stare story is one of female founder strength and an unwavering commitment to planting playfulness in sustainable clothes. Founders Katie Lopes and Nicola Piercy are proud to lead a team made up of 88% kick-ass women, giving women the opportunity to fill roles which are predominantly male lead.
Do Nation helps people to form healthy, environmentally friendly habits. They do this through their online platform where anyone can create a campaign to raise pledges, or make a pledge - to do simple things like cycling to work or wasting less food.
But that's only half the story: as well as helping individuals change their behaviour, they’re passionate about starting a movement - to build a nation of do-ers, who are committed to creating a better world.
Their pledge platform is powered off three fundamental beliefs:
First, that small sustainable lifestyle changes don't just cut carbon, they lead to happier, healthier, more productive lives - at home, at work and everywhere in between.
Second, that even though it doesn't always feel like it - small actions really do add up. When many people commit to taking action for the environment it sends a powerful message to businesses, government and other decision makers about a collective commitment to change.
And third, that given the right conditions people can change. For the better, and for good.
When you join a Much Better Adventure, you are supporting a global community of independent, locally owned businesses, and helping protect the planet's most inspiring natural environments, just by being there.
They work with 100% locally owned, independent businesses, cutting out middlemen, inefficiencies and greedy mark-ups. As a result, their customers get better value, and for every $100 spent, $78 on average goes into the local economy. That number is as low as $5 for typical mass tourism (UN study).
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the B Corp movement, and a new collective, Travel by B Corp, has been created to try and maximise the impact of the community - and give responsible travellers a place to go for assurances.
Meet Fat Beehive, a diverse and friendly team that has been helping charities, NGOs and ethical companies with websites, branding and digital services for over 26 years. We do good work with good people.
Their mission is to support and amplify the work of organisations committed to social good and to demonstrate that an ethical business can have a positive impact on our employees, communities and the environment.
They are proactive about increasing diversity in the tech sector and each year provide paid placements for disabled graduates through the Leonard Cheshire scheme, and continually looking at ways to increase women and BAME representation in tech. Each year they allocate a portion of profits to the Fat Beehive Foundation, to make sure that small charities across the UK have the opportunity to expand their reach and change more lives for the better.
Comply Direct is an environmental consultancy and compliance scheme, supporting and empowering organisations to achieve their sustainability obligations and aspirations.
Since 2006 Comply Direct has become one of the fastest-growing compliance schemes in the UK, proudly maintaining a 99.9% member retention rate, and supporting over 1700 members with environmental compliance.
Becoming a B Corp in 2022 was a key milestone on Comply Direct’s continuing journey to ensure the business positively impacts all, whilst inspiring a collaborative effort with other organisations to adopt the same culture, and collectively make our world the best place it can be.
If you like the sound of these B Corps and fancy the idea of working for an organisation that puts people and the planet before profit, check out these 125 live roles on Escape.