‘A special year’: B Corp month kicks off for another year

The theme of the month is Better Business  

Following an unprecedented year of disaster and chaos, Australian B Corps are being urged to celebrate extra hard and showcase what good business looks like, as B Corp month kicks off for another year. 

Running throughout March, B Lab Australia and New Zealand and the global B Corp community are set to join forces to build awareness about the achievements of the movement that has grown to 3,500 organisations in 70 countries and 150 industries. 

The theme of this year’s month is “better business”, with organisations encouraged to engage with customers, employees, and the wider B Corp community to share what it means to really be a B Corp through individual stories on their website and social media.  

Kira Day, community manager at B Lab Australia, told Pro Bono News that after the tough year that businesses had, it was time to celebrate everything the community had achieved. 

“This year is a really special year. Last year, B Corp month felt a bit different because so many businesses were struggling,” Day said. 

“But we really do feel like a lot of businesses have learned a lot from each other and from the B Corp framework over the past year and are well-positioned for this economic recovery.” 

To become B Corp certified, businesses undergo a “B Impact Assessment”, a tool that measures business performance and impact across the five pillars of governance, community, environment, workers, and customers.

Businesses must receive a score over 80 to qualify and need to reapply for their certification every three years. 

Day said that the B Corp community had “time and time again” proven their resilience to disaster, from the global financial crisis in 2008 to the pandemic in 2020.  

“By giving back to the community, you’ll have better community support in times of crisis, and if you are thinking about the long-term sustainability and viability of your business, whether that be a contribution to the environment or just engagement with your customers, you’re also better placed to make it through a year as we had,” she said.

A 2019 report found that there had been a seven-fold increase in Australian and New Zealand B Corps since 2014, with 330 companies certified from 46 different industries. 

B Corp Australia will be hosting a number of local events across capital cities, as well as online events for businesses outside of the major cities. 

Day added that if business owners were unable to attend any of the events throughout the month, they should share photos on social media using the hashtag #BetterBusiness. 

Check out the B Corp campaign toolkit here for more information.  

Pro Bono Australia is proud to be one of Australia’s first B Corps 

This article previously stated that there are 270 B Corps in Australia and New Zealand and that B Corps should use the hashtag #WhyBetterBusiness. This information is incorrect and was updated to 330 B Corps and #BetterBusiness on 3 March.