Purpose-driven communications group Social is now a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp).
The Manchester headquartered agency has been recognised for its commitment to the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit.
B Corps are recognised for meeting rigorous social and environmental standards which are assessed across five distinct impact areas of governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
Social, which was recently named as one the UK’s Best Workplaces (Small Business) by Great Place to Work® has taken steps to make governance, management and financial structures more transparent.
The consultancy, which employs 45 colleagues across multiple offices, has introduced five days’ paid volunteering leave for all staff, 30 days’ annual leave, as well as a transparent pay and grading system, along with other changes.
An enhanced environmental policy now applies not only to Social offices, but also reflects homeworking.
To complete the certification process, Social legally embedded its explicit commitment to have a material positive impact on society and the environment into its articles of association.
Among other things this requires Social to publish an annual report setting out its impact. The latest report can be found at [LINK].
John Quinton-Barber, Founder and Group CEO of Social, commented: “Social was founded on the belief that businesses can be both profitable and purposeful. Whilst this is something we have always done, it’s an honour to have this cemented by B Corp. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but I couldn’t be more proud of the team that has worked hard over the years to make this a reality.
Having submitted our assessment in 2019, we know this is just the beginning. The world is changing and this achievement will ensure we continue to be transparent, accountable and do what is best for our people and the planet. I’m excited about where this will take us.”
Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome Social to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Social are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from startups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that you can do good in any sector. Welcoming Social is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the communications industry. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Social in paving the way for a new way of doing things”.
B Corporations are a global community of more than 5,000 businesses including global brands such Ben & Jerry’s and Patagonia, to independent UK businesses like The Little Soap Company and Nojo London.