Latest news with #BCorps
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
From I To We: The Collective Shift Women Leaders Are Making—And Why It's Working
Leadership is often framed as an individual pursuit. But at the recent WeTheChange gathering of women and nonbinary leaders of B Corps and values-aligned businesses, one truth resonated across every session, conversation, and shared moment: real change is collective. As I sat among founders, CEOs, creatives, and community builders, I felt a rare mix of affirmation and relief. It was a room filled with people who had already 'made it'—and still knew that doing it alone wasn't the answer. The prevailing energy wasn't hustle or competition. It was we. Collaborative. Curious. Connected. A powerful group of women leaders doing business in a way that's good for the world - and ... More themselves! This shift from 'I' to 'we' isn't just a feel-good sentiment. It's an urgently needed evolution in how we think about power, progress, and performance. And it aligns beautifully with the Lead in 3D framework I've spent years learning, teaching, and living. Lead in 3D is a simple but powerful framework that guides leaders to align their investments of time, energy, and attention across three essential dimensions: When we get stuck in a single dimension—sacrificing 'Me' for the sake of 'World,' or neglecting 'We' in pursuit of 'Me'—we lose energy, perspective, and momentum. But when we lead in all three dimensions, we unlock sustainability and satisfaction. The shift from 'I' to 'we' doesn't erase the self. It integrates it into a broader ecosystem of change. As Meghan French Dunbar, leadership expert and author of the forthcoming This Isn't Working, reminded us: women are more burned out, more stressed, and more likely to leave the workplace—not because we're less capable, but because we're navigating systems that were never designed for us. Her call was clear: stop contorting ourselves to fit broken norms. Start reshaping the norms to reflect who we are—and what we need to thrive. Her words echoed the foundational insight of 3D leadership: performance doesn't have to require sacrifice. In fact, the data shows that when we center empathy, belonging, and shared wellbeing, results improve. Systems change starts with inner change. And that change becomes collective when we model it together. Jessica Lau offered a metaphor that landed deeply: we need to move like geese flying in formation. In nature, each goose takes a turn leading—and rests in the slipstream when it's not their moment. No one flies alone. The formation creates efficiency, resilience, and shared direction. In nature, each goose takes a turn leading—and rests when it's not their moment. No one flies alone. It's the opposite of the solo-hero myth. And it's what I felt in that room: the ease and power of distributed leadership, of letting someone else carry the wind for a bit while you catch your breath—and then doing the same for them. Leilani Raashida Henry's story brought us back to roots—literally. The daughter of the first person of African descent to set foot on Antarctica, she shared her own journey to that same continent, decades later. Her reflections reminded us that our presence in leadership is never just about us. It carries echoes of those who came before—and ripples into the lives of those who will come next. Our presence in leadership is never just about us. It carries echoes of those who came before, as ... More Leilani Raashida Henry reminded us. It was a moving reminder that our individual stories matter. Not to make us exceptional, but to make us connected. Our personal truths, our ancestral threads, our inner shifts—they're all part of collective change. The event closed with a rousing moment led by Kate Dixon. One by one, each person stood and declared one action they would take. The range was stunning: That last one got a loving nudge from across the room: 'Playing big a little is an oxymoron.' With a laugh, the speaker corrected herself: 'Okay, okay—play big a lot.' It was a perfect metaphor for what we'd experienced: individual voices, strengthened by a collective container. Action made braver through shared witness. It wasn't about becoming someone new. It was about showing up as who we already are—together. Like-hearted accountability is a powerful tool for action, in a way that serves our businesses, but ... More also our communities and ourselves! As spiritual teacher Reverend angel Kyodo williams puts it: 'Without inner change there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters.' That's what we saw at WeTheChange: inner work becoming outer strategy. Personal insight becoming confidence to reimagine our systems. It's what we mean when we talk about 'leading in 3D.' Some of us start with Me—recovering from burnout, reclaiming joy. Others begin with We—healing teams, reshaping culture. Still others begin with World—justice, equity, sustainability. There's no wrong place to start. The key is to move, and to move together. The old models of leadership told us to grind harder, do more, win alone. The new model invites us to align, collaborate, and rise—together. We don't need to play by the old rules. We must write new ones. We can build workplaces—and systems—where thriving isn't the exception. Indeed, French Dunbar shared recent research by Stanford psychologist, Jamil Zaki, that demonstrated the return on investment of empathy as a superpower, leading private equity firm KKR to invest in empathy training programs for its portfolio companies' leaders. This is the path to sustainable success, wellbeing, and shared prosperity. And that change starts with We.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversy Leads Dr. Bronner's To Go "Beyond B Corp"
For the past decade or so you may have noticed a new label pop up in everything from health food brands to outdoor apparel to even a certain surfboard manufacturer–yes, we're talking about B Corporation. Since 2007 B Corp has been certifying companies who share their vision of 'business as a force for good'. For the most part, B Corp was seen as a success for both businesses and consumers in bringing about a new form of accreditation for sustainability, environmental performance, and accountability standards. Yet, as of recently, there has been a rise in allegations of greenwashing as certain companies, mostly owned by Nestle, have been granted B Corps status in spite of serious concerns from other B Corps members. One such company, surfer-owned Dr. Bronners–the highest scoring B Corp in the world–even decided to leave the program due to the loss of integrity in the standard for membership. Based out of North San Diego County, the Dr. Bronner's brand is known for its environmentally safe products, namely their 'magic soaps', as well as employee empowerment and fair pay. They're the top-selling natural soap brand in the country and have expanded beyond their signature liquid soaps to include coconut oil, lip balms, toothpaste, hand sanitizers, and, as of recently, chocolate. Having lived in Encinitas for over a decade, I got to meet several employees over the years, all of whom seemed happy with their jobs, and even met CEO David Bronner a handful of times at events and surfed with him on various occasions. Once I saw the news about the company leaving B Corp, I was intrigued to learn more so I rang up David for a call. I learned that they had been a part of B Corp for 10 years before deciding to leave the group, something he described as their 'last resort'. He was clear that, 'the goal was to help progress the program, something we tried to do from within for several years as concerns grew about the decreasing standards. We tried communicating and offering alternatives, like a tier-system similar to the LEEDs (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for energy efficient buildings. Unfortunately, they weren't having it and we had to take a stand and that meant to withdraw in a very public way.' For those who joined the resulting B Corp logo, easily recognizable by its encircled 'B', came to represent corporate responsibility to discerning consumers. It was a welcome development from the private sector in response to the realization that governments were either ill-equipped or unable to address issues of the 21st century. The membership of well-established conscious companies like Dr. Bronner's and Patagonia made it seem like B Corp was indeed legitimate. However, the real turning point came via the admission of several consumer-facing companies that, in many eyes, should have never have even been considered. The most notable being Nestle subsidiaries–a company infamous for privatizing water, utilizing child slavery and forced labour, and rampant single-use plastic pollution–like Nespresso, Nescafe, and Danone-Aqua (one of Indonesia's worst plastic polluters). Integrity is a rarity these days and Dr. Bronner's has chosen the high road–to continue to lead by example while cheering for the evolution of B Corps and humanity in general. 'People who know us, know what we believe in, it's been on the bottle since the very beginning.' In case you've never looked at the messaging of their products, it is best surmised by this, 'In all we do, let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth and all its inhabitants. For we're ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE!' Dr. Bronner's is now an integral part of Purpose Pledge, a new consortium of responsible companies working to continually elevate the standard for doing business on Spaceship Earth.
The Guardian
04-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
The Guardian partners with B Lab UK to showcase brands across B Corp month
This March, the Guardian and B Lab UK, the non-profit behind the UK B Corp movement, will join forces to mark B Corp Month, with a daily advertising takeover on the Guardian homepage to promote a range of B Corps. The Guardian is the only major media organisation to be B Corp certified, while B Lab UK has certified more than 2,400 businesses since its inception in 2015. Verified by B Lab, B Corps are companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The goal of this new campaign is to improve understanding of what it means to be a B Corp and spotlight a range of brands with this status. According to a recent Guardian poll, 27% of Guardian readers recognise the B Corp name, but only 7% agreed that they knew a lot about what a B Corp is. Every advert on the Guardian during the takeover will click through to an article to explain what the B Corp stamp of approval means. The adverts will be delivered via the Guardian's unique ad solution, Guardian Advertising Light that can deliver ads to readers without using third party or first party cookies, tracking or auction technology and therefore does not process any personal information. A fitting solution for B Corp Month with less carbon emissions in the advertising supply chain. All creative for the campaign has been produced in-house at the Guardian. The businesses promoted will include Tilda, the first UK rice company to be B Corp certified, renewable energy experts Good Energy, mobile network provider giffgaff, food and beverage company Danone UK and Ireland and electric vehicle charging provider Zest. Ros Holley, director of communications & marketing, B Lab UK: 'It's great to be working alongside B Corps this month to build understanding of what it means to be a B Corp. The Guardian is a natural partner for us in this, with a highly engaged audience who share many of the values of our movement. This opportunity highlights how UK B Corps, across all sizes and sectors, are committed to a better way of doing business — one that benefits both people and the planet.' Imogen Fox, global chief advertising officer, Guardian Media Group said: 'At a time when social and environmental initiatives are under threat globally, the Guardian continues to raise the standard at every level of our business - championing B Corp businesses is an important part of this.' The Guardian offers a year-round 10% discount to B Corp certified companies advertising their job vacancies with Guardian Jobs. We provide a Green Jobs recruitment package for businesses who are advertising jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment. The package ensures sustainable jobs are being seen by our environmentally conscious audience. We help people find jobs for a fairer, more sustainable world. - Ends - Notes for editors Guardian News & Media press office: About the Guardian Media Group Guardian Media Group is amongst the world's leading media organisations. Its core business is Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of one of the largest English-speaking quality news websites in the world. In the UK, Guardian Media Group publishes the Guardian newspaper six days a week, first published in 1821. Since launching its US and Australian digital editions in 2011 and 2013, respectively, traffic from outside of the UK now represents around two-thirds of the Guardian's total digital audience. The Guardian also has an international digital edition and a new European edition that launched in 2023.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
From living roofs to smashed peas on toast: What does it take to become a B Corp hotel?
What do you look for in a hotel stay? Price and location probably come top, followed by the promise of a comfy bed and a plush shower – or, even better, a roll-top bath – followed by a hearty two-course breakfast. How about whether they're composting food waste or if staff get paid volunteering days? These are some of the adjustments hotels are making amid the climate crisis, as conscious travellers are looking beyond electric cars or flight-free travel. With 84 per cent saying sustainable travel is important, it seems that travellers are increasingly looking for hotels that actually do better, rather than those who only claim to. For a handful of hotels in the UK, their efforts have earned them B Corp status, an accreditation and movement created by B Lab, a global non-profit. Established in the US in 2006 by Andrew Kassoy, Jay Coen Gilbert and Bart Houlahan, the UK arm is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. It's been on an upward trajectory in recent years: across 92 countries, there are more than 9,000 B Corps with almost 2,400 of them in the UK, covering everything from fashion to food. Its ethos aims to 'put people and planet alongside profit', says James Ghaffari, director of growth and product at B Corp. To achieve certification, businesses need to 'meet high standards of social and environmental performance in the way they operate their business today', he says. They are also required 'to make a governance change to their business to say that beyond just being a business that's focused on driving shareholder value, they will run their business based on a consideration of all of their stakeholders', adds Ghaffari. Companies seeking this much-coveted status need to complete a data-heavy assessment, a process which can which can take years of data-gathering, and achieve at least 80 points across its five categories: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. Those who meet the criteria are permitted to carry the logo – a simple capital B in a circle – which companies can use for three years before having to reapply – and a portion of revenue is paid to B Corp annually for the honour. It's also one of more than a whopping 150 accreditations that the travel industry uses, including Green Key (prominent in the US) and Green Tourism, which are mostly environmentally focused. Despite the buzz around sustainable travel, we know that hotels are naturally energy intensive, with 86 per cent of UK stays lasting just one to two nights, incurring heavy use of water, lights and aircon, meaning the whole premises incur a sizable carbon footprint. Such is the industry's intense use of energy that the term 'greenwashing' came from hotels that were found to over-inflate green initiatives. The term was coined by Jay Westerveld in 1986 who noticed hotels asking guests to reuse towels to 'save the environment' when, in reality, it was to reduce laundry costs. In theory, accreditations such as B Corp should show that businesses have made a commitment to responsible practices. Yet in the past few years, B Corp has garnered controversy over awarding its logo to corporations such as Nestlé-owned Nespresso, the pharmaceutical Chiesi Group which is part of an industry heavily contributing to greenhouse gases, Coutts private bank that has been fined for money laundering and witnessed reports of a problematic work culture, and the controversial BrewDog which eventually had its status retracted after much pressure. Green initiatives are also rolling back, including Shell scrapping its 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target last year, and the US reversing its ban on plastic straws, so there's never been a greater need for real accountability. So what does a hotel have to do to become a B Corp certified? There's no one size fits all answer, mainly as the points system across the five categories can be so varied, but in the UK, there are seven B Corp hotels. These include mostly mini-chains, such as Inhabit Hotels, Exclusive Collection, Mollie's Motels, The Pig Group, and room2 hometels, plus Bingham Riverhouse in south west London and One Aldwych in central London. The Pig hotels, created in 2011 by husband and wife Robin and Judy Hutson, really set the tone for shaking up the UK hotel's sustainability record. The concept practically became a byword for a chic take on the country house hotel, with a forward-thinking attitude that was part of the burgeoning 'restaurant with rooms' trend. They worked backwards, growing as much on-site as possible to supply the restaurant, and what they couldn't grow, they sourced locally, birthing their signature 25-mile menu. Kate Harvey, group sustainability manager at The Pig, is keen to emphasise that their status isn't just down to 'what you see', however. 'I've been here 2.5 years, which in 'Pig years', isn't very long,' she tells me, as we walk around the market garden of the original hotel in Brockenhurst, The New Forest, which also includes bee hives, compost heaps, bug hotels and of course, pigs. Plenty of staff have racked up a decade, which speaks volumes for staff retention and career progression, and something B Corp looks at, but Harvey is most proud of the volunteering hours programme, where everyone is given three paid volunteering days to give back to the local community, resulting in over 2,000 hours last year. The group, which gained its status in June 2024, is also a good example of a company that arguably doesn't need external certification, because they've always worked this way, and has too many positive initiatives to mention. At one point during my visit, I think I've caught them out with what looks like a single-use soap bar in a little wrapper, unlike the refillable Bramley branded toiletries. It transpires that they're made nearby and if they're not taken by guests, they're collected and reused by the brand. Harvey says the hotel group's approach is a 'holistic look at all aspects of the business and poking around at every element', adding that 'we've identified gaps we can improve, and [the status has] helped to guide our wider sustainability strategy as well'. It's a similar sentiment at Mollie's Motel. Conceived by Soho House founder, Nick Jones, these American diner-inspired motels with a British edge can be found in Bristol, Oxfordshire and Manchester. Being a B Corp 'challenges us to keep improving, hold ourselves accountable, and lead by example in an industry that's often seen as transient,' says Trudi Parr, head of people and development at the hotel. 'Hospitality can, and should, be a force for good.' The idea of using it as a guide is also felt by Vannessa Marx, head chef at Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond, southwest London. Owned by Sama Trinder, this elegant 18th-century hotel sits right on the Thames and is home to a restaurant, members club, treatment rooms, yoga and other wellbeing classes. It gained B Corp status in September 2024, making it the first independent hotel to do so. Marx, who lives by her own rules and rides to work on an electric scooter, took over the restaurant in 2023. In South Africa, where she grew up, she was ahead of the curve, using organic and grass-fed beef as early as 2009, and was the first chef to use only green-listed seafood, listed by WWF's Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative. For her, becoming a B Corp didn't mean her job was done. 'I found getting the B Corp status is like a compass. It's your starting point,' she explains. For many guests, a hotel's food can be the main attraction and provenance plays a huge part in its sustainability status. At Bingham Riverhouse, they're no longer using imported fruit at breakfast, while at The Pig, they've swapped smoked salmon for locally caught Chalk Stream trout, and switched imported avocados for smashed peas on toast. Admittedly, they're not quite as creamy, but still zingy, delicious and importantly, home-grown. The Pig, like others, also uses plenty of other B Corp food suppliers, including the Garlic Farm and Isle of Wight Tomatoes, both just across the Solent on The Isle of Wight, Sharpham Dairy in Devon and Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream, to name just a few. It's not always plain sailing to secure B Corp status, however. Marx's biggest challenge after taking over the restaurant was changing suppliers, as she wanted to use producers more aligned with her ethos. 'A lot of the smaller producers only use WhatsApp for orders,' explaining that they're not part of the usual systems catering businesses often use. 'We've got a WhatsApp group with Haye Farm (in Devon) which includes the farmer, the butcher, the sales people, the guy that cures the meat – they're all on there,' she says. It flipped the traditional way of ordering what you want to cook, to working with what's available. The meat is delivered in a shared van between them and nearby Petersham Nurseries restaurant. 'Even though they might be our competition, they're still our neighbours,' which, she explains, is a positive way of collaborating to do better. Just a few miles away, the room2 Chiswick hotel may look like more of a design hotel than a B Corp, but it's brought the two together. Known as a 'hometel' like the aparthotel trend (a hybrid self-catering hotel), there are three more outposts in Southampton, Belfast and London's Hammersmith, with more across the UK planned. They're affordable and fun and owned by the Lamington Group, a family company run by brothers, Richard and Stuart Godwin. Their design sets them apart, not only for the award-winning interiors with bright marble-pattern wallpaper by a local designer and furniture sourced within a 30-mile radius, but because they're - rather unusually - designed, built and run by the owners, which gives them far more control on decisions, as Lucy Eaglesfield, head of sustainability at Lamington explains to me. Inside, light sensors in corridors, rooms and stairwells reduce energy use and showers use 40 per cent less water than usual, without affecting the pressure. Outside, there's a thriving living roof, with bug hotels and a hive housing 75,000 bees, while its 'blue roof' design ensures that water is slowly released into drains to avoid flooding after heavy rainfall. It's in stark contrast to the bare rooftop of a nearby building. On my tour, I'm even taken into the hotel's plant room which was built with a heat source pump and highly energy-efficient systems that run at lower temperatures. There's no denying the positivity and innovation within the hotel industry – and hotels wanting to do better is only a good thing. B Corp is helping some hotels be more sustainably minded, but more work is required. What could be considered misleading about the B Corp status is that the qualifying 80 points doesn't need to be evenly weighted across the five categories. There's not a base level to unify brands, or a clear set of rules for consumers to compare like-for-like. This is expected to change with what Ghaffari of B Labs calls 'the biggest evolution to our standards and certification requirements that we've ever done', adding that 'there will be some companies that won't be able to meet it, because they are going to be more comprehensive and rigorous'. It will be a slow process that could take up to four years, however, as it will depend on when a company's renewal is due. For some working in sustainability, B Corp no-longer goes far enough. Lizzie Rivera, founder of ethical platform, Live Frankly, says that 'there's no minimum requirements' for the current assessment, which has been an issue for 'too many years'. Even under the new rules, 'any brand that certifies now won't have to adhere to the new standards until they re-certify, which could be another three years – it's incredibly slow. The question is: is B Corp pioneering the way or is it lagging behind what the world needs now?' So what should guests be looking for? Ahead of booking, check for explanatory sustainability sections on the hotel website, read the restaurant's menus, look at their social media presence – a lot can be learnt here from both what they do and don't say and show. Don't be afraid to email or ring and ask questions – any hotel walking the walk should be able to answer. And the more guests ask, the more on the radar sustainability is for companies. Despite providing an undeniably useful framework, for most hotels with B Corp accreditation, it's not the actual status that allows them to do better environmentally and socially. It's a starting point – a badge that says 'yes, you are doing those things'. But as the requirements for the current assessment can be so varied, the B Corp logo doesn't mean the same for each company as it appears to, which is ultimately confusing for consumers. That isn't to detract from the many people on the ground who are pushing for change, setting better standards and continually looking for improvement. B Corp is on the brink of pivotal change, and there's room for real improvement to come. But for now, as usual, there's so much digging for the consumer to do themselves. Not many of us are willing to download dense, jargon-heavy reports to decipher a hotel's sustainability efforts. We just want a comfy place to rest our heads that's also trying to be better for the planet. Surely that's not too much to ask?
