This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!d
To the B Corp staff for helping us get closer to certification
My last blog on where we were with getting certification was in mid-March. I’m glad to say that three months later, we are closer yet to our minimum 80 points and are at 74!
These are the items I accomplished:
- Communication channels for independent contractors and interns (evaluation surveys).
- Reviewed performance annually to meet social & environmental objectives.
- Corporate mission statement with social and environmental commitment.
- Monitor and recording of energy usage.
- Reported % of profits/sales going to charity.
- Reported community service and pro-bono time.
- Produced a public-facing report on our mission-related performance.
- Have a written policy giving preferences to suppliers owned by women or individuals from underrepresented populations.
Items that we have still not accomplished:
- Reported energy usage in 2014.
- Set reduction targets for energy usage.
- Implemented a chemical reduction method (hard to do in a home office where we don’t really use chemicals, except for maybe printer ink?).
- Monitor and recording of water usage – we don’t really get bills for this.
- Joined 1% For the Planet.
- Had a Board of Advisors meeting to review performance.
My call with the B Lab staff person took about 45 minutes. He went through a couple of the questions that required explanation, and sent me a spreadsheet template that I had to fill out so that I could actually record the revenue and % of client work that qualifies as mission-based. If we change our Articles of Incorporation, we can earn another 5 points and then we will be very close to 80.
The B Lab staff are VERY busy (it takes at least 2 weeks to schedule a review) but I think that they appreciate the time you take into getting as close as you can to 80 before doing an assessment review with them. They are very helpful in telling you what more you can do to earn the points you need. There is a section that tells you how you can increase your score as well, so if I can get this close, a company with multiple employees or partners should be able to as well.
To search for B Corps in your area or industry, click here.
