APPLYING FOR B CORP

“I think it’s really important to be sustainable, but I think it’s also really important to be held accountable,” says our founder, Laura. “And if you’re a company and you’re not accountable for who you are and what you produce in the world then there’s not much of a point. We’re all here for a limited amount of time on this planet and to not have a huge massive impact that wrecks the environment is really really important. So that was one of the main reasons I applied for the B Corp Certification.”

The B Corp movement harnesses the power of business as a force for good, challenging entrepreneurs to balance purpose and profit. Certified B Corp businesses are legally obligated to consider the impact of their decisions and how they affect everyone from their employees, suppliers, customers, communities, and, of course, the environment. The B Corp community strives to reduce inequality, lower levels of poverty, and contribute to a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose.

It is an extremely rigorous process to get B Corp Certified. “You have to look very much inwardly at your company and see what you’re doing,” says Laura. “Are you doing the things that you think you are? And we are! We had to look at all of our processes, and all of our packaging. We were already there with a lot of this — I refused to do tea bags until I knew they could be fully biodegradable, and the box could be fully recyclable. I think we do very well about looking after our staff, so we have just had to write everything down. Because I am a single entrepreneur on my own, it lives in my head. It doesn’t live on a piece of paper — it lives in my head and I carry it around! So in terms of qualifying for B Corp status I haven’t had to do too much in terms of changing our processes, it’s just getting it from my head to a piece of paper!”

Currently on our B Corp journey, we have completed all of the necessary paperwork and evaluated every aspect of Leafy Bean Co. to ensure that we are meeting their high standards, and for the next step we are now waiting to be audited! So we will give you an update with the results of our audit. Thank you for supporting us as we strive to do better for the world!