A 10 step journey to accelerate you through the initial B Corp Impact Assessment and get you ready for evaluation and verification.
STEAMhouse, powered by Birmingham City University, are excited to be offering a B Corp programme with Ali Phillips from Kindred CSR. You will attend 10 weekly online sessions from 08 May – 17 July.
What’s B Corp and why should you get involved?
B Corp certification enables your business to become a force for good. The most challenging problems cannot be solved by governments and non-profits alone. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps commit to positively impact all stakeholders – workers, communities, customers, and our planet.
By joining this programme and the B Corp movement you can support the mission to create an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet.
How will it benefit your business?
- Run your business better and align your actions with your values
- Join a global movement of likeminded changemakers
- Engage your teams and retain talent
- Stand out from the crowd and tell stories that matter
- Increase your customer loyalty and make your business the best choice
Why this programme?
By joining this programme you will benefit from:
- Expert knowledge from a certified B Leader, Ali Phillips, on the impact assessment questions and functions
- Guidance on how to complete the answers to maximise your score
- Access to policy and other document templates
- Identifying and collecting the right evidence and data
- Action Planning and trouble shooting any improvements you need to make
- Opportunity to network with other businesses going through the same journey
Who is B Corp for?
- Businesses who are passionate about demonstrating their commitment to creating positive environmental and societal impact and want to get certified as quickly as possible
- Individuals who are struggling to find time in their diaries and need the accountability to keep them on track
- Businesses who are bamboozled by technical jargon or feel overwhelmed by the process.
- Businesses who want to learn from others about what they could be doing to increase their impact or create new opportunities for collaboration.
- Businesses who want to improve their revenue and customer loyalty
Eligibility: before you join the programme please make sure you have checked out the certification eligibility criteria. B Lab have strict policies on certifying companies who operate and have clients in controversial industries. Participants can check if this will be an issue by completing this form.
How does the programme work?
- Weekly online sessions will guide you through each section of the Business Impact Assessment (BIA). Guidance and actions will be based on your individual and collective BIA answers.
- Between sessions you’ll need to work further into your BIA answers and your facilitator will signpost you to further information, or provide you with any template documents as needed.
- The programme runs over ten sessions and you (or the relevant team members) will need to attend. B Corp isn’t a single persons job, so it takes a team effort to complete the programme and gain certification.
What does it cost?
- To support this first cohort places that are already part-funded are being offered: you’ll only pay £700 for the programme (normal price £1,200)
- There is also a submission fee for the assessment of £250+VAT, and an annual certification fee based on turnover which you pay once you have been certified – all payable to B Lab.
- Please note, an Equity Discount is available on the first three years of certification if you are from an under-represented group. Please see B Lab UK’s website for current prices and details of this Equity discount.
- You’ll be in control of when you wish to submit your BIA. You may find that you are ready to submit straight away or need more time to get everything actioned and prepared. Once you hit “submit” you will be entered into B Lab UK’s evaluation and verification queues, and will meet with the standards committee before being approved.
Please note: The timescales for this process vary but can take up to 1-year before becoming certified.
Want to take the next step to becoming B Corp Certified? Sign up for their Lunch and Learn to find out more!
