In 2019, Method set out to become a certified B Corporation. After completing the rigorous impact assessment, we certified in November with a score of 93.4. Three years later, Method recertified with a score of 119.7. View our certification here.
We were honored to be recognised in the Best for the World program two years in a row before they concluded the program. This meant we were in the top 5% of B Corps our size in the Environment category.
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What is B Corp Certification?
To certify as a B Corporation, an organisation must:
- Provide evidence of high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing B Labs risk review.
- Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
- Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website. Here is Method’s.
B Corp certification is ultimately a certification about transparency and accountability to all those who are impacted by your business; a triple bottom line approach that means you consider people, planet and profits in your decision making. It doesn’t mean B Corp’s are perfect, but by changing the governance structure means they can be held accountable for their impact.
Why did Method become a B Corp?
1. A road map to improvement from experts
There are hundreds of certifications that assess a business on innumerable factors— product design, inclusion, paying a living wage, waste, carbon, pay disparity, procurement (the list goes on). As a small business, we must work within our resources. B Corp is both a certification of what we are good at now, while also functioning as a road map to improve over time, across all aspects of our business – particularly knowing that B Lab works to support best practices in all areas.
2. Community impact
Acting in isolation, many of our improvements are limited in impact, whereas having a collective of businesses working on the same rule book means that we can start to change the fundamental systems of how we do business. As of March 2024, there are 8,416 Certified organisations globally. If we are all committed to paying a living wage, that is 771,625 workers who are guaranteed to meet the minimum living costs for their areas.
3. Joining a community of like-minded businesses
For Method, we are driven to grow and innovate. B Corp has connected us with hundreds of like-minded businesses. Together we can discuss our businesses with a shared vocabulary. We help each other grow through knowledge sharing, challenging each other and providing feedback.
4. To recognise the hard work of our team
Method’s mission is to enable workplace communities to create a more sustainable tomorrow. This is an integral part of who we are and what our business does. Every day, every member of the Method team helps organisations improve their sustainability outcomes. Their impact deserves to be celebrated, and B Corp Certification is a part of that.
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Interested in Becoming a B Corp?
Here are the top tips from our B Keeper on tackling B Corp certification:
- Understand the importance of the certification for your business - the certification process requires dedication, and knowing your ‘why’ keeps your team motivated.
- Set up a team responsible for project management; we recommend 2 or 3 people from different departments for smaller businesses.
- Set up a project plan with dedicated time to complete the work and just start working through the B Impact Assessment - don’t rush the process, and be sure to document who is working on what and when.
- Speak to a business similar to yours who has done it before - the B Corp community is a very open and helpful group who are always keen to help others to join the community.
Go to a B Local Event to learn from those who have already gone through the process. B Locals are groups of people who work for B Corps and host local get-togethers. Find a B Local near you here.