UK B Corp community reaches 2,000
Purposeful business movement doubles in 18 months as B Lab UK announces largest gathering of B Corps in Oxford
LONDON, 15th April 2024 — Companies are leading the shift to better business as the UK B Corp community reaches its latest milestone. Today, B Lab UK reveals that there are officially 2,000 Certified B Corporations in the UK — a figure that has doubled in just 18 months. Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are businesses that prioritise people and the planet alongside profit. They measure and improve their impact on their employees, customers, local communities and the environment and make a legal commitment to ensure this expanded duty of care is locked in for the future.
The milestone comes as B Lab UK announces that it will be bringing this growing community together for the largest ever in-person gathering of B Corps. Louder Than Words — The B Corp Festival will take place in Oxford on 10th-11th September with the aim to mobilise business action on critical social and environmental issues. The Edinburgh fringe-style event will be a space for B Corps and friends of the movement to connect, collaborate, share ideas and challenge one another on the journey to redefining the role of business in our economy. There will be headline moments from the main stage at Oxford’s New Theatre alongside wider events and activities to choose from across the city.
The appetite for B Corp Certification has grown in recent years and the UK now hosts one of the largest and fastest-growing communities in the world. Out of the 8,400 B Corps spread across the globe, almost a quarter of these are based in the UK with 2,000 certified businesses. Companies of all shapes, sizes and sectors make up the first 2,000 with household names including Lucky Saint, The Big Issue, FatFace, GiffGaff, The Guardian, Ella’s Kitchen and Emma Bridgewater.
James Ghaffari, Director of Growth & Product at B Lab UK comments:
“It’s been brilliant to see the UK B Corp community grow from strength to strength. Reaching 2,000 B Corps in the UK shows that a new type of leadership in our economy is possible. But we know there’s still a long way to go. If we want the UK to continue to be a pioneer in better business, we must keep working together to go further, faster. Speaking on behalf of the B Lab UK team, we can’t wait to see the UK’s growing community of B Corps at Louder Than Words — The B Corp Festival later this year and put these words into action.”
Emma Wellstead, Founding Partner at B Corp Warwick Events comments:
“Warwick Events is proud to be one of the first 2,000 B Corps in the UK and the appointed events’ agency for the Louder than Words festival. Expect a programme focused on action rather than words. The Festival will strengthen our community, celebrate diversity and embrace creativity, accelerate connections and debate hot topics. Spread across multiple independent, charity and arts venues, this isn't going to be your average sustainability event. We hope to see you there.”
****
About B Lab UK: B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies — known as B Corps — who are leading the way. To date, our community includes 778,455 workers in over 8,400 B Corps across 97 countries and 162 industries, and more than 280,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager. As part of this global non-profit network, B Lab UK’s purpose is to redefine success in the UK economy, building a community of engaged businesses and raising awareness of the B Corp movement. To find out more about B Lab UK, visit https://bcorporation.uk/about-b-lab-uk/.
About Louder Than Words: The time for talking is over. This September, join us at the largest-ever gathering of B Corps to harness the power of people using business as a force for good. We’ll be putting ideas into action and tackling the issues that matter and coming together with like-minded changemakers to challenge ourselves and each other. Let’s create the change we need right now, together. Get your ticket to Louder Than Words — The B Corp Festival here: https://festival.bcorporation.uk/.
About B Corp Certification: Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. To achieve B Corp Certification, a company must meet a score of at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment — a tool designed to help measure and manage a business’s impact on its workers, community, customers and the environment. They also change their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders and demonstrate transparency by publicly sharing their impact via their B Corp profile. B Corps recertify every three years against B Lab’s evolving standards and are expected to increase their score as they progress to becoming more inclusive, equitable and regenerative.
B Lab Contact: media@bcorporation.uk
Appendix
Breakdown of B Corps across the globe:
- US and Canada: 2,400
- UK: 2,000
- Wider Europe: 1,800
- Latin America: 1,200
- Australia and New Zealand: 700
- Southeast Asia (excl. Singapore): 60
- East Africa: 57
- Taiwan: 50
- Singapore: 46
- China: 44
- Japan: 40
- Korea: 30
- Hong Kong: 29
Breakdown of UK B Corps by region:
- London: 929
- South West: 283
- South East: 256
- North West: 99
- East of England: 83
- Scotland: 70
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 58
- West Midlands: 56
- East Midlands: 49
- Wales: 41
- North East: 23
- Northern Ireland: 9
- Channel Islands: 2
Breakdown of UK B Corps by sector:
- Accommodation and food services: 26
- Administrative and support services: 88
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 21
- Arts, entertainment and recreation: 61
- Construction: 3
- Education: 28
- Energy, heating and cooling: 25
- Financial and insurance activities: 140
- Human health and social work: 31
- Information, communication and technology: 210
- Manufactured goods: 165
- Professional and technical services: 609
- Publishing: 6
- Real estate, design and building: 71
- Rental and repair: 5
- Retail: 285
- Transportation and storage: 10
- Waste management and recycling: 3
- Wholesale: 144
- Other services: 72