What is a B Corp? You may have noticed that little B popping up all over the place.
The B Corp certification mark is only awarded to companies – large and small – that are verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, proof that it’s possible to be commercially successful while benefitting people, communities, and the planet.
Wanting to put sustainability first from the early days of Zero (I see you, 2022), we were delighted to/ achieve our B Corp certification in July this year.
And we’re in good company.
As there are now more than 8,000 B Corps globally and just over 2,000 in the UK, including many brands you know and love, including Gousto, Hello Fresh, Abel & Cole and OddBox, Pact Coffee, SMOL laundry, Huel supplements, The Inkey List skincare, Wild deodorant, Fussy deodorant, Otiumburg jewellery, Graze snack boxes, Who Gives a Crap and Cheeky Panda toilet roll, Pieminister, Giffgaff mobile, Fatface, Finisterre, Alpkit to name just a few.
Awareness of B Corps is growing, too, with 41 percent of people surveyed by B Corp in March saying they recognised the logo on a product, 33 percent on a website and 30 percent on social media.
Sixty-seven percent of people said they were interested in purchasing from a B Corp brand.
Do you seek out the B Corp logo when buying?
For Zero, the B Corp certification is not a sneaky marketing ploy, nor is it merely a badge of honour; the motivation to be B Corp certified is intrinsic to our vision, where money is a force for the good of our planet.
There are just a handful of consumer finance companies that are also certified B Corps, including Triodos and Charity Bank, and building societies such as the Coventry Building Society, Dudley Building Society and the Cambridge and Counties Bank.
Money and finance are often forgotten when it comes to actions you can take to green your life (more on that soon), so for us it’s important that we don’t just talk the talk, and that our customers know their choice to use the Zero finance app and debit card won’t be funding environmental destruction.
By signing up to the B Corp Impact Assessment, we commit to undertaking a Hyrox-for-business-style interrogation of our governance, how we treat staff, how we care for the environment, how we engage with our communities, and lastly, how we deal with our customers.
Of all the aspects covered by B Corp certification, environmental impact is, of course, particularly important to Zero. Both how we measure, understand and target reductions in our own operational carbon or greenhouse gas emissions, but also how we help our customers do the same - through our Greenscore - educating and empowering individuals to collectively act on climate change.
It’s our mission to redefine banking for the generation putting the planet first – that’s you and all of us - and empower our community's personal journey to a greener life, enabling you to run your finances with the knowledge that your money is playing a part in helping solve the climate crisis.
We also sign up to the declaration of interdependence, which states:
‘We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good. This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation – the B Corporation – which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. (Read more about how we aim to deliver this through our Community Option scheme). As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe that we must be the change we seek in the world, that all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered, that, through their products, practices and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all. To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.’
So, if you want to use Your Money, but Better, for the good of Your Planet…always look for the B.
#YourMoneyYourPlanet
