Alberts is thrilled to announce its recent certification as a B Corp.
Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balance purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
In 2018 we set ourselves a new strategic direction as a business, and at the heart of this was having a positive impact. So… how were we going to tell how we were doing? B Corp certification, an internationally recognised standard and framework offered us the solution. Certifying as a B Corp enables us to demonstrate publicly our commitment to not only support businesses doing good but to be one as well.
The B Corp process is a rigorous 200+ question assessment that examines a company’s approach to governance, people, the environment, community and business relationships (suppliers, customers, products etc.). A company must achieve 80 points out of a possible 200 across these themes. This can be achieved by scoring well across all areas and through having established impact business models. At Alberts, for example, we were recognised for our “designed to give” approach whereby we donate a percentage of profits from the business to our Foundation each year.
Being a 137-year-old business has its advantages and challenges when seeking B Corp certification. For one thing, we have robust systems, processes and governance in place. Our business has always been about our people, and we were thrilled to score highly in that regard. On the other hand, we have robust systems, processes and governance in place, so it can take more time to change existing procedures and implement new ways of thinking. For example, as a mainly office-based business, we have not had a large environmental footprint, so this has been a lower priority. We are now looking at how we bring environmental considerations into our everyday decision-making.
The B Corp process has been an excellent way to bring the whole team on the journey, given it touches all aspects of the business. It enables us to recognise where we do things well, celebrate these, and consider how we might do other things differently.
We know we are not perfect, but we are off to a good start. We have a vision and strategy, and we are working every day to drive improvements. And now, we can track and celebrate our improvements through the B Corp assessment. We’re excited to join the local and international B Corp community and learn and share on this ongoing journey, demonstrating that business can be a force for good.
In achieving this certification, Alberts joins a committed (and growing) group of 4,026 companies across 77 countries and 153 industries, working for positive change in the world.
For more information on B Corps visit https://bcorporation.net/
