In our time of sustained environmental and social crisis, businesses can no longer afford to ignore the effects of its products and operations. At skinflint we want to have a positive impact on society, promote corporate social responsibility, and use the power of business for higher purposes of social good. So alongside our pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025 at the latest, our signing of the Better Business Act, and the launch of our Full Circle buy-back scheme, we're taking another step forward and leading the lighting industry by becoming a certified B Corporation. We hope others will join us along the way.

So what exactly is B Corp?

Business as a force for good

B Corp is the only certification that measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact. Balancing purpose and profit, becoming B Corp means we are legally required to consider the impact of our decisions on our workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. It interrogates everything from our supply chains to raw materials to charitable giving and employee benefits.

Transparency

The process of getting B Corp certified is long and rigorous, but an important validation of who we are and what we do. It’s also a demonstration of intent, to not only continue to work in a responsible way, but continually striving to do better. During the initial Impact Assessment, we are scrutinised on all aspects of our operations and products - how we impact our society and our planet, how we compare to thousands of other businesses, and what we can do to implement new initiatives and improve things even further. This Impact Assessment is revisited every three years to ensure that it’s upheld, and B Corps are held accountable, committing to transparency by publishing their Impact Assessment score online.

Power in our community

There are currently over 3,000 certified B Corporations in more than 50 countries, and we are proud to be joining this global movement of leaders using business as a force for good. skinflint co-founder and director Chris Miller says: “All businesses large and small are part of the solution to the biggest challenges our world faces. B Corp certification means we join other like-minded and aspiring forward-thinking leaders looking to use business as a force for good. Not only does this benefit our employees, customers, suppliers, community and the environment, but the world as a whole.”

We’ll be sharing our learnings on the journey to becoming an even better business over the coming months. Watch this space!

www.bcorporation.uk