‘Is seeking B Corp the right path for your agency or brand right now?’

If you don’t have a sustainability budget, these costs usually come out of marketing. This gives your decision a strategic dimension just when every penny spent promoting your brand has to be optimised.

Finally, it may not instinctively feel right. Perhaps the cost-benefit equation isn’t adding up and it’s just not the time for your travel business. That’s OK, B Corp isn’t going anywhere.

But in the meantime, there are some simple steps you can be taking right now to scratch your sustainability itch that will feed into your B Corp assessment should you choose that route further down the line.

Understand where you are

The B Impact Assessment enables you to understand what it is you’ll need to do, and the standards you’ll need reach, should you decide to go for certification in the future.

Plus, it’s free – only when you press the button to submit do you incur a fee – so you can take all the value of the structure the assessment provides and start building your sustainability strategy.

Dip in and out as much as you want.

Work from the inside out

A 2022 Deloitte survey found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of workers stated they would be more attracted to, and to remain at, organisations that create value not just for shareholders, but for its employees and society as well.

A common mistake businesses make is to have their sustainability function centralised through one person, ignoring the physical and mental potential of its employee base to contribute to the sustainability journey the business is on.

A positive, early step is to begin internally market the sustainability mission – empower employees to take responsibility for different areas of the business’s sustainability strategy. It could be arranging a volunteering partnership, or working on energy, water and waste saving efforts.

Start marketing with ‘purpose’

When helping companies certify, it’s common to find many don’t have – or are at the start of benchmarking – the data that will be used to calibrate and feed into their B Corp impact reporting in the years ahead.

By collecting that data now, it’s possible to feed it into your short-term marketing narrative right away, as well as build towards what you’ll need for your assessment when the time comes.

Great-value tools from Small 99 and Green Small Business, for example, are cost-effective ways to start your carbon reporting journey, and organisations like 1% For The Planet or Buy One Give One make it easy for businesses to give back and contribute to people and planet-orientated projects around the world.

Such initiatives will form an integral part of the impact report you’ll need for your B Corp submission. You’ll be strengthening stakeholder relations too by demonstrating a transparent commitment to positive change.

Own your journey

The B Corp journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time and progress at your own pace. Reaching the finish line at your own speed will be far more likely to lead to your successful certification.

John Pritchard is founder of sustainability consultancy illume.eco. Prior to this, he founded Pala Eyewear, an award-winning eyewear brand and B Corp. He also works with the Llama travel marketing collective, helping brands to integrate and optimise sustainability messaging in their marketing.