B Lab UK’s Executive Director Chris Turner reflects on the successes of the B Corp movement as we celebrate going beyond during B Corp Month

Evidence from the European B Corp movement

What does good business mean? This is the question the B Corp movement strives to answer to meet the ever-changing challenges of our times.

Companies worldwide are struggling to truly embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their business practice. B Corp certified consultants, specialized in the matter, provide support via the ‘B Corp Way’ platform.

In 2022, B Lab Spain in collaboration with other partners launched Barcelona+B, an initiative part of a global movement that sees all actors playing a role in improving the cities in which they live.

How B Lab Europe advances employees' well-being & work-life balance by drawing from B Corps’ best practices

In 2020, B Lab Switzerland launched the Swiss Triple Impact, a national solution-oriented sustainability program that fosters commitments of the private sector to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An effective and essential program to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

We had a chance to sit down with Juliette Caulkins, B Lab Europe’s new Executive Director as the leadership baton is passed from Katie Hill, who held the position for the past four years after her time as B Lab UK’s Executive Director.

Inspired by the leadership of the global B Corp community, B Movement Builders is a collaborative coalition of leading multinational companies that catalyze the global movement of business as a force for good.

Our current economic system is broken. You have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the devastating impacts caused by the environmental and humanitarian crises we face today. Scientists have been ringing alarm bells for decades; we need to drastically reduce the negative impacts of companies and industries as a whole.

Rethinking a company’s supply chain to address the issue of packaging waste is no easy feat, and there are several constraints and existing patterns many industries face that create barriers along the way. B Corps in Europe have taken up the challenge and shared their imperfect journey.

The platform of B Corp Way consultants has grown in numbers and expanded its offering, but how do they concretely support companies in the journey towards impact improvement and certification?

Being a B Corp is more than obtaining a certification — it’s about having a framework for continuous improvement. The assessment analyzes a company’s operations across the entire business and ensures there are accountability and transparency measures in place to demonstrate the company’s commitment to staying on mission and constantly working hard to be better.

We had the opportunity to discuss with Paolo Braguzzi, former CEO of Davines, the launch of the B Corp Beauty Coalition and how companies in the cosmetics industry can come together and have a greater positive impact.

To welcome the Rituals team to the B Corp community, B Lab Europe dropped by at their headquarters on the Amsterdam canals to ask Niki Schilling, Director Innovation and Sustainability, and Emma Olde Bijvank, Sustainability Manager and B Corp Certification Lead, some questions about their beauty business and journey to B Corp.