Broadsword on Becoming a B Corp

B Corp certification is awarded to companies that use business as a force for good, demonstrating that people and planet matter as much as profit. Certification is administered by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the global movement, who conduct an in-depth review of the applicant’s business. 

To become certified, applicants must score at least 80 out of 200 points on the B Impact Assessment having met rigorous social and environmental standards. Certified B Corps are reassessed every three years across all categories, to retain their status (Broadsword scored 90.6).

Why did we choose B Corp?

Purpose matters greatly to me personally and to the entire Broadsword team. It was really important for us to find a standard for building a sustainable and ethically-driven organisation, and a method to formalise our commitment to using business as a force for good. B Corp does exactly that. It’s shorthand for the type of business we are. Becoming a B Corp has given the whole team an immense sense of pride in what we do.

What did the process involve?

The verification process has been extensive but transformative for the entirety of our business’ operations. We were asked to answer questions about all areas of the business and prepare evidence for each of the five key impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. This involved sharing written narratives and documentation, and collating performance data to prove our compliance to B Lab. The process itself has been incredibly helpful for improving and expanding our management information, and formalising what otherwise might have been held in our heads. 

How did you find it? 

The journey has been a huge team effort and a labour of love, which has taken up a lot of time and energy across the agency. As a small business, it wasn’t possible to appoint a person full time to B Corp, so we used the divide-and-conquer technique and ran the project across the senior leadership team. Working through the long application alongside running the business meant that it took time – around 18 months – from start to finish; there was a lot of patience and determination needed to keep us on track. 

In summary, it has been worth it! And this is just the beginning; we’re determined to continue to improve the way we do business – for good – and hope that by becoming B Corp certified, we will inspire others to do the same. It’s fantastic to join a community of like-minded businesses that have committed to creating a better world. By collaborating we have a louder voice, a bigger stage and more collective power to drive change for people and the planet.