B Corp status is a certification that businesses meeting a high standard of performance, accountability and transparency are able to achieve. The certification takes into account the organisation’s benefits to employees, charitable donations, social and environmental impact and overall commitment to doing more good for people and the planet.
Achieving a B Corp Certification is something to be celebrated, and shows that an organisation is committed to doing more than just providing a product or service. We’re always inspired by the businesses that have achieved B Corp status, so much so that we’re working towards our own certification for Matchstick Creative!
While there are so many B Corp brands that inspire us every day, we wanted to take you through a few that stand out to us. Join us to look at seven certified B Corp organisations that we love, and what we can all learn from them.
KeepCup
KeepCup was established in 2009 as the first-ever barista standard reusable coffee cup in the world. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, KeepCup was designed to help people enjoy better coffee while on the go. The keyword here is “better”. KeepCup isn’t just talking about better quality coffee when they use this term. In actual fact, they’re talking about their environmentally-friendly solution to single-use coffee cups. Through sleek designs made from considered materials, KeepCup is making its impact on the world, one reusable cup at a time.
Why we love KeepCup
There’s a lot to love about KeepCup, starting with the fact that B Corp itself has listed them as one of the best brands in the world for environmental impact in 2018, 2019 and 2021. But, some specific reasons why we love KeepCup are:
- They’re always educating their audience
KeepCup does a brilliant job of showcasing what they’re all about as an organisation across their social media channels. One example is on their Instagram account, where they shared a series of photos with the caption “How can you challenge convenience culture?”. KeepCup understands that often the use of single-use plastics comes down to convenience for the user. Through their social channels, they’re challenging this concept and encouraging their audiences to do the same.
- They show their impact
KeepCup is very open when it comes to showing its impact as an organisation. In fact, they have a whole section of their website dedicated to it. A standout feature is their ‘Impact Calculator’ which demonstrates how much of an impact you can make by using a KeepCup rather than a single-use coffee cup. This is a brilliant way to bring together the impact they as an organisation are having and how each individual user can make a difference.
Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s is an ice cream brand that specialises in producing a wide range of super-premium ice cream, free from artificial growth hormone rBGH. Since its beginnings in the ‘70s, Ben & Jerry’s has come a long way. What started from a $5 course in ice cream-making and a $12,000 investment has, almost 50 years later, become one of the largest ice cream companies in the world. They are built on a mission to make quality products in a way that is sustainable, replicable and a cause of positive social change. Ben & Jerry’s has continuously delivered ice cream with a difference, here’s why we love them…
Why we love Ben & Jerry’s
There’s so much more to Ben & Jerry’s than just delicious ice cream. Of course, that’s a very important aspect of their organisation, but we love their passion for supporting important causes and organisations. Ben & Jerry’s prides itself on supporting human rights, social and economic justice and environmental protection and restoration. They also actively support LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice and refugee rights. Or, as they put it, they “use ice cream to change the world”.
Ecologi
Ecologi is an online platform that works to help individuals, families and businesses positively impact the planet by offsetting their carbon emissions. Through a paid membership scheme, Ecologi uses its funds to support carbon reduction projects that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They also work with a series of partners that responsibly plant trees, in order to offset emissions.
Why we love Ecologi
What’s so brilliant about Ecologi is that it creates a way for you to make a difference without being continuously time-consuming. We’ve been signed up to Ecologi as an organisation for a while, and what we love about it is how simple it is for us to reduce our emissions as a company. By donating every month, the Ecologi team ensures that we’re not leaving a negative impact on the planet by investing in environmental projects and planting trees. It’s a low maintenance way to make a big difference and gives us more time to work with other inspiring people who are doing good!
Who Gives a Crap
Who Gives a Crap is a toilet paper organisation that specialises in providing eco-conscious, 100% recycled toilet paper. The company was founded after the team discovered that there are 2.4 billion people in the world without access to a toilet. As a result, over 289,000 children under the age of five die every year from diseases caused by poor sanitation and water. Who Gives a Crap saw this awful situation as an opportunity to do something positive and made the commitment to donate 50% of all their profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.
Why we love Who Gives a Crap
First of all…the name. Who couldn’t love that? It’s witty, unique, and completely memorable. But, puns aside, there are lots of reasons why we love what Who Gives a Crap does.
- Education and information.
Just like KeepCup, Who Gives a Crap is brilliant at educating its audience and using its platforms to promote environmentally friendly methods. Education to Who Gives a Crap means sharing informative content about the impact that the use of regular toilet paper can have – and encouraging people to make a change for the better.
Every day, more than 1 million trees are cut down to make traditional toilet paper. We knew it was a lot, but even we were shocked by how staggering this number turned out to be.
- Giving back and making a difference.
Who Gives a Crap’s commitment to using 50% of all profits to improve sanitation in developed countries is incredibly inspiring. There aren’t many organisations that could say that they have as much of an impact as that. Put simply, they really do give a crap.
Oddbox
Oddbox is a UK-based organisation that’s on a mission to reduce food wastage. A third of the food grown in the world is unused and in the UK over 3 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables are wasted before they even leave the farm. Why? Well, it comes down to the way the food system in the UK works – it prioritises uniformity over taste. This has meant that non-uniform fruits and veggies have been thrown away, despite being completely edible.
The team behind Oddbox believed that this significant food wastage had to stop and that all food grown should be eaten. So they took it upon themselves to build an organisation that rescues produce that’s considered to be too ‘wonky’, strange or imperfect and delivers them straight to your door.
Why we love Oddbox
What stands out about Oddbox is that they’re always looking to do more. As if combatting the world’s food wastage issue wasn’t enough, Oddbox also uses its platforms to share innovative ways that its audience can reduce their own food waste. An example of this is the below post about growing veg from scraps. Got a few wonky carrot tops that you’re ready to throw away? Stop right there! Oddbox always has a handy tip to reduce wastage.
Divine Chocolate
Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is co-owned by cocoa farmers. Since being founded in 1998, Divine Chocolate has been on a mission to build a brilliant farmer-owned company that brings together and empowers producers and consumers on a global scale. Over the last 20-plus years, the brand has been using its platform to invest in farmer-led programmes that specialise in gender justice, sustainable agriculture, improving labour standards, democratic organisations and education…and delicious chocolate too, of course.
Why we love Divine Chocolate
Whilst Divine Chocolate is passionate about sustainability, democracy and improved labour standards, it’s their commitment to empowering women that we love the most. Since its beginnings, Divine Chocolate and its partners have worked closely to support women in cocoa farming to build skills and confidence to grow better products, form a strong community and thrive in their businesses. Now, over a third of the farmers who co-own Divine Chocolate are women!
innocent
innocent is an all-natural drinks brand founded in the UK in 1999. Built on the dream of making it easier for people to be good to themselves, innocent provides the world with delicious drinks that are healthy, responsible and sustainable. In just over 20 years, innocent have become B Corp certified, committed to being carbon neutral by 2025, and have consistently given 10% of all its profits to people and organisations that make farming more sustainable – pretty impressive if you ask us!
Why we love innocent
Their commitment to doing more good for the planet is, of course, the number one reason why we love innocent. But, incredibly impressive schemes aside, we also really love their tone of voice as a brand. There truly is no other brand like innocent when it comes to tone of voice. It’s fun, informal and playful, and it always feels like innocent knows exactly how to converse with their audience.
What we’ve learned from these B Corp companies
There’s a lot to learn from these seven B Corp organisations, but if there are two things to take away it’s these:
- Show your specialisms
Educating your audience is a great way to make the most of your platforms. Organisations like KeepCup and Who Gives a Crap have got education down to a T on their social channels. Their content is educational, informative and inspirational without feeling pushy or preachy.
- Be proud of your impact
It can be easy to forget the positive impact that you as a person, or organisation, are having on a day to day basis – especially if you’re constantly achieving brilliant things! Dedicating a page of your website to the impact that you have is a great way for you to recognise just how much you’re doing. Be proud of your achievements!
Want to find out more about how your organisation can become B Corp certified? Visit the B Corp website. To stay in the loop with Matchstick Creative and our journey to becoming a B Corp agency, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
