B-Corps and Ethical Shopping: What you need to know

Imagine a business that goes beyond the usual profit motives to make a positive impact on society and the environment. B-Corps do exactly that. Certification is rigorous and ensures a company demonstrates real, measurable benefits for the world, not just empty claims.

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What exactly is a B-Corp?

Certified B-Corps meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. What sets them apart is not their commitment to achieving them with purpose and integrity.

B-Corps must consider how their decisions affect all stakeholders, including workers, customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment.

To become certified, companies must complete a demanding assessment by B Lab, a global non-profit network. This assessment reviews everything from a company’s supply chain and input materials to its charitable giving and employee benefits.

Why is B-Corp certification important?

The B-Corp certification is more than just a badge. It’s a sign to customers like you that a company is serious about its mission to be a force for good.

• Meets high standards: Achieving B-Corp status isn’t easy. Companies must score at least 80 out of 200 on the B Impact Assessment and provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices.
• Transparency: All certified B-Corps publish their performance reports publicly. This transparency builds trust, letting you see exactly how your favourite brands are helping make a difference.
• Accountability: B-Corps must amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose. This structural commitment ensures that their mission remains central to their business model, even through leadership changes or potential acquisitions.

Today, a community of almost 9,500 certified B-Corps sets a gold standard for other companies aspiring to blend profit with purpose.

Each purchase from a B-Corp can contribute to positive change, making you an integral part of this transformative network. Whether it’s selecting natural beauty products, supplements, or other goods, opting for B-Corp-certified brands ensures your impact goes far beyond the checkout.

How does a company become a B-Corp?

The journey to B-Corp certification is rigorous and comprehensive, reflecting the dedication needed not just to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.

Step-by-step guide to B-Corp certification:

1. Measure what matters: First, a company must measure its current impact on its workers, community, environment, and customers using the B Impact Assessment. This thorough assessment rates their performance across several domains and is the first step in identifying areas for improvement.
2. Meet the legal requirement: Companies must then alter their corporate governance structure to ensure that their commitment to doing good is legally embedded. This might mean changing their corporate articles or company bylaws to reflect their dedication to balancing profit with their social and environmental goals.
3. Achieve a minimum verified score: To pass the certification, companies must score a minimum of 80 out of 200 points on the B Impact Assessment. Achieving this score is no small feat and requires genuine practices in sustainability and ethical business.
4. Complete the transparency requirements: Transparency is key in the B-Corp certification process. Companies must disclose their answers from the B Impact Assessment and make additional documentation available for verification by B Lab.
5. Undergo a background check: This is to ensure that there are no red flags or previous activities that might undermine the credibility of the B-Corp community.
6. Pay the certification fee: This varies depending on the company’s annual sales. It supports the operations of B Lab, the non-profit behind the B-Corp certification, and helps them continue to drive economic change.

Once certified, B-Corps enter a community of leaders, driving a global movement of ethical and sustainable business. The certification lasts for three years, after which companies must recertify, demonstrating ongoing commitment and improvement.

What are the benefits of shopping from B-Corps?

When you choose to buy from a B-Corp, you’re supporting a company that aligns with your values and aspirations for a better world. The benefits of shopping from B-Corps extend far beyond the conventional transactional relationship. You become part of a movement that champions ethical business practices and sustainable living.

Direct impact on communities and the environment:

• Support for local economies: B-Corps often prioritise local suppliers and small businesses, helping to keep economic benefits within local communities.
• Environmental stewardship: These companies follow practices that reduce waste, conserve natural resources, and minimise their carbon footprint, directly contributing to environmental conservation.

High-quality products that are good for you and the planet:

• Transparency in sourcing: B-Corps are required to maintain transparent supply chains, often leading to higher quality products with traceable origins.
• No harmful chemicals: Especially in natural beauty and supplement brands, B-Corps commit to safer, healthier ingredients, free from harmful chemicals and additives.

Creating a culture of trust:

• Ethical operations: Shopping from a B-Corp means supporting a business that treats its employees well, from fair wages to providing robust health and wellness programmes.
• Consumer empowerment: B-Corps empower you with information about the products you purchase and the practices behind them, fostering a deeper connection and trust between you and the brand.

Every time you buy from a B-Corp, you cast a vote for the type of world you want to live in. Your choices help drive demand for responsible business practices, encouraging more companies to consider how they can positively impact the world. Whether you’re selecting a skin care product from a natural beauty brand or choosing a health supplement, each purchase can contribute to global change.

How can you verify if a company is truly a B-Corp?

When it comes to B-Corps, transparency and accountability are part of their DNA, but as a savvy shopper, how can you be sure a company really meets these high standards? Here’s how you can check the authenticity of a B-Corp and feel confident in the integrity of your purchases.

Look for the B-Corp logo:

• Check the packaging: The B-Corp logo—a small ‘B’ enclosed in a circle—is typically displayed on product packaging or on the footer of a company’s website. This logo is your first clue to the company’s certified status.
• Logo placement: Companies that are proud of their B-Corp certification often place the logo prominently on their product labels and marketing materials.

Visit the B-Corp directory

• B Lab’s official website: The B Lab website hosts a comprehensive directory of all certified B-Corps worldwide. You can search by company name, location, or industry to find detailed information about each B-Corp’s impact.
• Company profiles: These profiles offer in-depth insights into the company’s performance across various impact areas, including governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.

Examine the impact report

• Annual reports: Certified B-Corps are required to publish an annual impact report that is available to the public. This report provides transparency on the company’s operations and its impact on stakeholders.
• Detailed metrics: Look for specific metrics and goals in these reports. Genuine B-Corps will provide quantifiable data to back up their claims.

Engage with the company

• Customer service: Don’t hesitate to reach out to the company directly with your questions about their B-Corp certification. A genuine B-Corp will be pleased to discuss their practices and impact.
• Social media and community involvement: B-Corps often engage with their communities and customers through social media, sharing updates on their initiatives and impact. This can be a great way to see the company’s values in action.

Our favourite B-Corp brands

Becoming familiar with leading B-Corp brands can help steer your choices towards more ethical and environmentally friendly products. We’ve chosen some of our favourite B-Corp brands known for their amazing products, and their commitment to a healthier planet.

Beauty Kitchen

Jo Chidley founded Beauty Kitchen to lead the way in sustainable beauty. By focusing on reusable packaging and natural ingredients, they have become a trailblazer in eco-friendly skin care.

Beauty Kitchen is revolutionising the beauty industry with innovative, eco-friendly solutions that deliver powerful results. From their UK-made, award-winning skincare to their zero-waste promise, they’re committed to making a lasting difference. They have also been recognised with the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certified certification, the world’s most advanced, science-based measure that recognises safer, more sustainable products made for the circular economy.

Their award-winning range includes best-selling Seahorse Plankton Intense Pure Source Collagen Serum and Gummies, and Natruline, their 100% natural, 0% petroleum quick fix for dry lips.

Join them on their journey towards a more sustainable future in beauty.

BetterYou

BetterYou specialise in oral spray vitamins and topical magnesium products designed to improve your wellness. Their scientifically formulated supplements prioritise bioavailability and absorption for maximum effectiveness.

Recognised with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2021, the highest honour in British industry, BetterYou continue to innovate with convenient, effective alternatives to traditional tablets and capsules.

Their pill-free range includes daily intra-oral vitamin sprays, transdermal magnesium products, and a unique selection of children’s supplements. Featuring beloved Roald Dahl characters, they make supporting your child’s health, wellbeing and sleep fun and engaging.

They strongly believe that better health shouldn’t come at the cost of the planet. That’s why they’re working towards a better planet.

Bio D

Bio D offer a range of cleaning products that are both green and effective. Made in the UK, their products use biodegradable, vegan, and hypoallergenic ingredients, and they focus on minimal environmental impact across production and packaging.

In addition to their B-Corp status, they work with lots of organisations to make a positive impact on the planet and proudly carry multiple accreditations to validate their efforts, including:

• Vegan Society Approved
• Leaping Bunny Certified
• Kings Award for Enterprise 2024
• Allergy UK Certified
• Ethical Consumer Best Buy
• Oh Yes Net Zero Gold Member
• Naturewatch Foundation Compassionate Shopping

Embrace your sustainable journey today and shop cleaning products that don’t cost the earth.

Evolve Organic Beauty

Evolve was founded in 2009 by Laura Rudoe to create affordable, effective and sensory-rich products that are healthier and kinder for you and the planet.

Evolve use only nature’s finest ingredients, with over 40 COSMOS-certified organic or natural products. They believe organic ingredients, grown without harmful pesticides, are better for the soil, better for you and your skin.

They work with projects in the Amazon rainforest to offset their carbon emissions, use 100% renewable energy in their Hertfordshire eco-studio and are actively pursuing zero-waste and net zero goals.

In addition to their B-Corp status, they’re proudly approved by the Leaping Bunny Programme and the Vegan Society, ensuring you can indulge in your new jar of organic goodness, confident that it’s kind to your skin, and animals too.

Discover their award-winning range, including best-sellers Hyaluronic Serum, Resveratrol & Niacinamide Serum and Organic Sunless Glow Gradual Tan.

Faith in Nature

Faith in Nature are dedicated to offering affordable prices and using high-quality, naturally derived ingredients. They made history as the first company in the world to appoint nature to their board of directors, collaborating with Lawyers for Nature and Earth Law Centre to establish a legally binding framework that puts the rights of nature at the heart of everything they do.

Their factory and warehouse are powered by renewable, community-owned solar energy supplied by Energy Garden London. They partner with the World Land Trust (WLT to balance their carbon emissions and TreeSisters to reforest and restore our planet.

All Faith in Nature products are proudly made in the UK, just outside Manchester, with popular products including plastic-free, zero-waste bar soaps and eco-friendly refill sizes, which offer a simple and cost-effective way to reduce your plastic consumption.

Rude Health

Rude Health‘s mission is to turn healthy choices into joyful celebrations, not sacrifices. They strive to leave the planet, their team and everyone who enjoys their food in “ruder health”. They don’t create pale imitations of milk or ordinary mueslis. Instead, all their food and dairy-free drinks burst with bright, bold flavours made entirely from natural ingredients. Delicious enough to enjoy straight from the box or glass, their creations transform bland into brilliant, ensuring no taste bud is left unturned.

Their popular milk alternatives offer a delicious, dairy-free glass of goodness, the perfect pairing for your granola or puffed oats.

UpCircle

UpCircle take natural beauty a step further by creating waste-fighting formulations that rescue by-products from other industries. Made in the UK, their award-winning range transforms discarded ingredients into natural, organic, and effective beauty products. UpCircle’s mission is simple: leave the world better by crafting products that are good for you and the planet. Their entire range is vegan-friendly, palm oil-free, and cruelty-free.

Their best-selling Peptide Serum is packed with niacinamide and vitamin C. Using upcycled custard apple and blood orange water, it brightens your skin, prevents premature ageing, boosts collagen and soothes irritation. Pair it with the Face Toner and Moisturiser for best results.

UpCircle offers perfume, hair care and accessories to complete your self-care routine.

Weleda

Weleda deliver clean beauty you can trust. They believe in nature’s ability to help you feel healthy, balanced and beautiful. They have been growing plants organically and creating natural health and wellbeing products for over 100 years.

Their products are thoughtfully crafted to harness the vitality of nature and work in harmony with your body’s own restorative abilities. They are committed to building farming partnerships that honour the human spirit and respect the natural world.

They place very high demands on their ingredients and are proudly NATRUE certified, the first internationally recognised quality seal for organic and natural beauty products.

Since its introduction in 1926, Weleda Skin Food has evolved from a cult secret into a firm favourite with everyone looking to soothe and comfort dry skin. It’s the go-to for beauty insiders, is recommended by 99% of make-up artists and is a firm favourite with celebrities including Adele, Victoria Beckham and Julia Roberts!

Wild Nutrition

Wild Nutrition combine expertise with a deep respect for nature to create innovative, natural and effective supplements. Found by Henrietta Norton, a best-selling author and respected nutritional practitioner, their journey began with a clear mission.

They craft purposeful products backed by science, using only natural, exceptional-quality ingredients. Their UK-based team is dedicated to transforming lives through better nutrition, helping people of all ages live in balance.

They are deeply committed to protecting our planet and balancing profit with purpose. Their B-Corp status ensures they uphold the highest standards of social and environmental performance.

Their best-selling, food-grown formulas include Pure Strength Omega-3, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Vitamin C. They also offer a range of products to support your specific health needs, including solutions for men, women, teens and children.

The Nue Co

The Nue Co combine potent ingredients with proven formulations to create supplements that improve your overall health and wellbeing.

They craft clean, safe supplements by focusing on quality, testing and a commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing. Every product uses clinically studied, ethically sourced ingredients to ensure effectiveness and sustainability. Over half are organic or community-sourced, non-GMO, and free from artificial additives, colours, flavours or unnecessary fillers.  They test extensively for efficacy, purity, and potency, conducting heavy metal analysis and testing formulas at least four times during production. Many products also undergo further clinical trials or independent consumer testing for added assurance.

The Nue Co best-sellers include Pre + Probiotic, Debloat+ and Skin Filter. Pre + Probiotic is your daily symbiotic to fuel good bacteria in your gut. Debloat+ provides fast bloating relief for when you feel like you’ve swallowed a balloon and Skin Filter is a retinol alternative to brighten dull skin and even skin tone and texture.

Each of these brands delivers high-quality products and also operates with a strong commitment to integrity and a vision for social and environmental change. Supporting B-Corp-certified brands helps promote a sustainable economic system that benefits everyone, demonstrating the power of your purchasing decisions.