Best for the World B Corp – Two Years in a Row

We're in the Top 5% of B Corps of Our Size!

At Method, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, so it’s a great honour that for the second year in a row, we’ve been recognised as a “Best for the world” B Corp in the environment category. This means that we’re in the top 5% of B Corporations around the world in the environment category for businesses of our size.

What is B Corp?

B Corp is a certification for companies that are achieving high standards of impact, transparency, and accountability in five key categories: governance, workers, environmental impact, community engagement, and customers. B Lab, the organisation that certifies businesses, assesses every aspect of a company and scores them based on a wide array of criteria.

You need a minimum of 80 points to certify as a B Corp, while the average business sits around 50.9. B Lab certifies businesses big and small all around the world, and we are proud not only to be included amongst the rankings of other industry-leading businesses but to be considered in the top 5%. We earned this honour alongside other amazing New Zealand companies including Ethique, Banqer, Chia Sisters, and Raglan Food Co, who also earned a “Best for the World” recognition in one of the categories.

What does B Corp Mean for Us?

As an organisation that cares about their impact across the business, B Corp certification made sense as the next step to ensure we’re living our values and giving us a framework for improvement. While there are a lot of certifications out there, B Corp has quickly become one of the leading certifications for socially responsible businesses to pursue – in part because of its robust assessment process that covers an array of aspects.

To us, B Corp resonated with who we, at Method are. We’re purpose-driven, sustainable-minded, and we use our brand to enact positive change through education and design.

Our Journey to Certification

We first became B Corp certified in 2019 with a score of 93.4. Depending on the form and function of the business, the scores will naturally vary between the categories. Method’s naturally skews toward the environment, but B Corp certification gives us guidance on how to raise our score in the other categories.

The certification isn’t an easy one, especially for a small business with limited staff, but to us, it was worth the effort. Our team worked tirelessly to gather all the information required and submit it for approval to B Lab. Eventually, though, our hard work paid off and we became the 27th Certified B Corp in New Zealand.

If your business regularly talks about impact and improvements in one or more of the impact categories, we recommend looking into B Corp certification – you might be surprised how well you’re doing.

Impact Business Model Score

A significant amount of Method’s score is dedicated to our impact business model (IBM). Essentially this is a recognition that Method’s main economic activity is designed to have a positive impact on the environment. We’re not claiming to be perfect, but IBM helps to show that businesses can be a force for good, to set us on a better path forward.

Recertification – What We Hope to Get Out of It

One of the best parts of B Corp is that you have to recertify every three years, as it ensures that businesses are maintaining their high standards. While that means we will once again have to go through the rigorous assessment process, it’s a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our improvement and score higher and reaffirm ourselves to the B Corp values.

Our recertification process is quickly approaching and we’ve been hard at work updating our assessment with all the ways we’ve upped the game over the past three years, including rolling out our 20L bins, made with 80% recycled post-consumer polypropylene.

We’re hoping to improve on our score and we’ll be sharing that once we’ve gone through the process, so keep an eye out for more B Corp news from us!