A Brave New World

We live in a world where consumers are more informed than they have ever been. Now that environmental responsibility and social justice are at the heart of mainstream discourse – especially among emerging audiences – brands must be able to demonstrate their alignment with these values.

B Corp certification is a one stop shop that shows your customers, in a measurable way, your commitment to their values and because it requires a top-down approach, that commitment will be visible throughout your entire brand identity.

Although certification alone doesn’t guarantee increased profits, rising consumer interest in ethical business practices is undeniable, moreover, B Corp status displays a level of transparency that separates you from those without.

In the 2022 annual Edelman Trust Barometer report, 61% of consumers were willing to switch brands if they perceived a lack of transparency in their current provider.
A 2024 PwC study found that, despite historic rises in inflation and the cost of living, consumers are willing to pay nearly 10% more for sustainably produced goods.
90% of respondents to a 2021 OpenText study reported that they wanted to buy responsibly and sustainably sourced products while 83% were willing to pay more for such products.

In short, people like organizations that genuinely want to leave the world better than they found it, and they’re willing to pay a little extra to feel like they’re a part of those efforts. After all, people identify with your brand because you represent the qualities that they themselves want to embody.

How do I obtain it?

At the heart of B Corp certification is a questionnaire that covers 5 categories, each weighted with a different number of points that measure your performance in that area: Governance, workers, community, the environment, and customers.

The first category refers to your business practices, mission statement, and the systems you use to enact them. It is the most theoretical of the five, the hardest to measure, and therefore the least weighted in terms of points. On its own, talk is cheap.

The other categories concern all your stakeholders and are where the impact of your governance can really be felt and measured, hence their increased weighting.

Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, your score across all categories is collated and if you reach the minimum of 80 points out of a possible 200, you qualify for certification.

Common Good as Common Sense

The potential of B Corp certification is fairly obvious in the context of increased market share but the benefits don’t stop there.

Attracting Top Talent

The onset of Industry 4.0 has left us in one of the largest talent gaps in history. The World Economic Forum (WEF) projected in 2023 that over 150 million new jobs would emerge by 2030 with 77% of them requiring digital skills.

Based on current figures that indicates a talent shortfall of over 85 million people.

So until the education system catches up, if it can, considering the ongoing acceleration of digitalisation and innovation, businesses that want to obtain top talent will need new ways to compete.

Luckily, some of those consumers demanding ethical, transparent, and sustainable business practices are the same individuals you’ll be looking to hire. B-Corp certification will demonstrate to future talent that your mission statement and actions are aligned with their ethical concerns and that you can offer meaningful work alongside competitive salaries.

Persuading Investors

At Outfly, we specialize in helping disruptive startups to carve out a niche in their respective industries so that they can transform them over time. One of the major roadblocks to transformative ideas is convincing someone to pay for them and B Corp status is a proven way to legitimize your brand in the eyes of investors, showing a commitment to people and planet and that your business model is built to last.

Elite of the Elite

Now you might be thinking: What about saturation? From a consumer perspective, if we all obtain B Corp then it’ll be like nothing’s changed, right?

Aside from the fact that only around 6,500 of the nearly 400 million registered companies worldwide have obtained B Corp certification, the status itself is not, well, static. There are rankings in every industry and sub-division of those industries, meaning that on top of an already prestigious accolade, you can compete even further in this elite category.

It’s also worth remembering that only about 40-50% of companies that apply are actually successful, and among those who succeed, the average score currently sits around 100-110 points.

Outfly, for example, is the highest rated digital marketing agency on B Lab, and we have obtained that rating through uncompromising standards. We only work with disruptive companies and we require a value vote wherein would-be clients need to pitch themselves to us, demonstrating the ethical value of their mission statement, before we’ll consider taking them on.

All of this means we know exactly how to guide you to the top of your respective industry as a B Corp, if certification is the lever that lifts you above your competition, then Outfly is the fulcrum that empowers your rise.

The Impact of Impact