Celebrating one year as a B Corp

t’s been an incredible journey for Broadsword as we celebrate our one-year anniversary as a certified B Corp. Throughout the year the certification has helped us to commit to using our business as a force for good at every opportunity and has inspired new initiatives, partnerships, and a bigger impact.

The B Corp movement represents a new business approach, prioritising purpose alongside profit. For those unfamiliar with the movement, B Corps are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. All B Corps undergo a rigorous assessment to ensure they are making a positive impact holistically across governance, workers, community, and the environment.

When Broadsword first joined the B Corp community last June, scoring 90.6 following a rigorous process, it was a huge milestone and achievement for our agency. Yet we had a continuous journey ahead of us. It wasn’t just a mark of an ethical business, but a standard for doing things the right way and improve the way we do business. It was just the beginning.

It has opened up new partnerships

For us, collaboration is at the core of having a positive impact and one of the biggest benefits of B Corp is joining a like-minded network of thousands of business big and small varying across countries and industries. Together we have a louder voice and greater collective power to drive change.

As our business premises is in Kent, we joined their local community group as well as an agency alliance group for B Corp certified communications agencies, a platform to share best practice and gain inspiration. MD, Anna Green had the opportunity to collaborate with the group to create an event and speak on the panel as part of global campaigns going on throughout B Corp Month.

Anna says “Being part of the B Corp community has given us a powerful platform to amplify our voice and connect with others who share our commitment to doing business differently. Collaborating with fellow agencies during B Corp Month was a real highlight — it allowed us to bring important conversations to the forefront and showcase how creativity can drive meaningful change. It’s energising to be surrounded by businesses that are constantly pushing for better, and that spirit has become a driving force within our team at Broadsword”.

It also provides us with a way to identify ethical and sustainable suppliers, and since becoming a B Corp we have aimed to increase percentage spending, purchase from, and partner with suppliers who meet these standards. For example, we gave gifts from B Corps to our team members for Christmas.

It has redefined growth

As a B Corp we are required to publish an impact report annually, with our first one published this year. It tells the story of our progress we’ve made for people and planet and the plans we’ve made for the future. Our progress is not only measured by financial gain, but by the positive contributions we make towards ESG.

As we celebrate our one-year anniversary as a B Corp, we are more committed than ever to driving positive change. We recognise that the work doesn’t end with certification; it is an ongoing journey of continuous improvement. We will keep challenging ourselves, setting ambitious goals, and pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a responsible business.

This goes beyond the impact report and has encouraged us to set structured objectives and measure more KPIs – sharing these in regular town halls and feedback sessions to share performance and strategy with the team.

B Corp has not only aligned our actions to our values but helped us to reshape who we are as a business. The certification acted as a catalyst to rebranding who Broadsword is. It spotlighted the strides we’d made as a business and the amount we had evolved since first creating our brand, launching new values and a manifesto into the world, that embodies everything we stand for.