At Cornucopia, we strive to give you both health-conscious products at the store and information to live a healthier, sustainable life. Part of our mission for the new year is to take things one step further and become B Corp Certified! This is a huge endeavor for us to take on, but we are more than excited to start this journey and take you all along. But before we get into what’s to come, we bet you’re wondering, “What is B Corp Certified, anyway?”
What is B Corp?
Let’s start with the non-profit, B Lab. Started in 2006, three friends who set out to solve social and environmental problems from the viewpoint of established businesses created the B Lab non-profit. B Lab sets out to drive systemic change in a few key ways:
– Promoting a global community of Certified B Corporations who meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability
– Helping tens of thousands of businesses, investors, and institutions measure what matters, using the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics to manage their impact—and the impact of the businesses with whom they work
(B Corp, 2018)
B Lab works closely with for-profit companies to certify that they are not only doing good for their customers, but also for their workers and environment. Put simply — being B Corp Certified is the same as a Fair Trade certification for coffee or USDA Organic certification for produce (B Corp, 2018). To become certified, B Lab looks at the entire company — how they treat their workers to their environmental impact.
All in all, B Lab and it’s Certified B Corporation community has an underlying and unifying goal:
to redefine success in business so that one day all companies will compete not just to be the best in the world but also to be the best for the world (B Corp Handbook).
Here at Cornucopia, we want to be more than a natural food store. We want to do good for our community and our world. Becoming B Corp Certified is a great step in the right direction to do so.
Why does it matter?
The community of B Corporations is redefining success in the business world. No longer is it just about how much you sell. It’s about how well your workers are treated, giving back to the community, and our environmental impact. Becoming a Certified B Corporation means you are creating “a new narrative, a new set of expectations and a new focus on using the power of business for more” (B Corp Handbook). Ultimately, a certification from B Lab redefines a company from being the best IN the world to being the best FOR the world (B Corp, 2018).
Certified B Corporations also matter because they “raise awareness to concerns and movements around the world, and gives strength to the collective voice that was to use business for good” (B Corp Handbook). This is important for our community, local and global. It’s up to each one of us to do our part for the environment, from social to environmental issues. Seeing as becoming more sustainable and giving back to our community are our priorities for this year, becoming a Certified B Corporation will help us reach those goals and more!
Benefits of being certified
While the benefits of being B Corp Certified may seem apparent, here’s some of the reasons we are excited to become part of this global movement.
Becoming part of a community of leaders with shared values
As our mission continues to evolve, we are looking forward to being connected with like-minded leaders throughout the world. The community of Certified B Corps “inspires, motivates, and energizes [other] B Corps to use their businesses as a force for good” (B Corp Handbook). We are excited to collaborate with companies that are also doing great things FOR the world — there’s really nothing better than that!
In addition, becoming certified will help us to maintain accountability for our every action. Certification involves a lengthy process that ensures we are committed to having high standards of performance and transparency in all we do. As B Lab puts it, becoming certified helps us to “be a force for good” (B Corp, 2018)!
Engaging employees to unleash their passions and imagination
Our employees are like family at Cornucopia – we want to see each and every one succeed and thrive. Obtaining a B Corp Certification “helps to build a strong, mission-driven company culture” (B Corp Handbook). A certification from B Lab ensures that our employees are reaching their maximum potential each time they step through the door. This includes creating a work-life balance for employees that gives them opportunities to dive into passions at and outside of work.
Measuring the impact of our operations, community and the environment
Pledging to be more sustainable is one thing. But to be able to measure exactly how sustainable we are is absolutely amazing. One of the perks for Certified B Corporations is having the tools to accurately measure our success in sustainability. It allows us to pinpoint efforts that are having a positive effect and figure out what areas we can improve on.
Changing the world is a team sport
One voice is good, but a collection of voices is great enough to move mountains. Being certified means we are a leader in the global movement to better the world. Certified B Corporations are rethinking and redefining success in business, shifting the focus to solve social and environmental issues. As a company who wants to do more for our community and our world, this is definitely a movement we want to be a part of.
What’s Next
We are going to be working diligently with B Lab to make sure we meet their rigorous standards. As we reach major milestones, we want to share the excitement with you! Be on the lookout in the store and right here on our website for updates and details throughout the year. And if you want to know more about B Lab/Certified B Corporations or have questions, feel free to reach out! Just shoot our Content Creation Manager an email — lindsay@cornucopiahealthfoods.com.
