We are certified | To B Corp or not to B Corp

Imagine a truly sustainable and inclusive planet – a fair, free and diverse world. A compelling image, isn't it? Unfortunately, we often have to face the fact that the society we live in is far from ideal. Drinking coffee in the morning, and scrolling through our newsfeed, a lot of us ask ourselves every day: is change still possible? And if so, how can we do our part – also and especially in our work environment?

Do you know the saying that you can either make money or do good? Do you agree with it?

We certainly don't. As a B Corp, we want to stand up for the belief that things can be done differently. Of course, companies have to be profitable, but not in the sense of maximizing profit and thus becoming a burden to our planet and our society. At Peerigon, we say "Unternehmertum verpflichtet" – entrepreneurship comes with responsibility. We believe that being a good business is good business. And anyone who founds one needs to ensure that it does not only benefit shareholders, but all stakeholders, too - employees, clients, the wider community, and also, by extension, our environment. That is also the vision of B Lab, the nonprofit organization behind the B Corp movement: "A global economy that uses business as a force for good."

Since its founding in 2006, B Lab has awarded the B Corp title to companies around the world that put purpose at the heart of their practice. The B Corp certification is considered one of the world's most demanding assessments in the sustainability sector because it requires companies to back up their words with actions. With 225 certified B Corps in Germany alone, we are now in good company. And we admit we are all the happier with the result.

A small selection of companies that have also reached B Corp status:

The B Corp certification framework takes into account all the social and environmental performance of the entire company, and as such, it is considered to be comprehensive and robust. But it’s a challenging, often long journey. Of the thousands of businesses all over the world that seek B Corp registration, only about 40% actually attain the standard.

In our B Impact Assessment, we had to answer 189 questions in five Impact Areas (categories), and support them with evidence: Governance and workers, customers, community, and environment. The answers to the individual questions are converted into points. On average, companies worldwide get 50.9 points, but in order to receive B Corp certification, companies must score 80 points or more. We could shine in the areas of management and working conditions. One important milestone was including a legally binding mission statement in the Peerigon shareholder agreement in 2021. We also did well in the areas of feedback and reflection culture, design of onboarding, and flexibility of working conditions.

What the FairTrade certification is for coffee or the organic sign for food, the B Corporation certification is for sustainably operating companies.

The certification process took us almost three years. This was due in part to tied-up resources at the non-profit B Lab and the Covid pandemics. Here are a few reasons why we stuck with it:

• Community: The B Corp movement is all about networking with like-minded people. We wanted to get in touch with companies with whom you share the same mindset.
• Curiosity: Ever since the company was founded in 2012, sustainability has not simply been an empty term for us. We were just curious to see how we would compare internationally.
• Inspiration: Certification is an opportunity to get to know your company much better and gain valuable insights. The assessment gives you some clues as to where you can improve.

If you like, take a closer look at our result here:

Results overview

The first thing on our agenda: celebrate! Still, in order to stay B Corp, you need to reevaluate again every three years. Whoever stagnates in their positive impact efforts is out - only those who improve their scores can earn B Corp status again. This can be a good incentive, too. There's still a lot of room for improvement for us. So our current status can also be seen as a guideline that shows us where to take action and get better.

We at Peerigon are convinced that entrepreneurship is about more than just profit - our own purpose is at the heart of our practice. We want to be a driving force in actively shaping the world in a sustainable way. This is also what the B Corp certification symbolizes to us.