First digital agency with a B-corp certificate

A B Corp certification is not the goal, but the result of an educational process. If you participate, you become part of a global movement of almost 8,000 companies – including WeTransfer, Patagonia, Triodos and Auping – that use their companies to turn the United Nations SDGs into reality. The B Corp movement emerged in America in 2006 and became active in the Netherlands in 2015.

Many companies are already committed to a public cause, but many also try to ride on the trend with vague promises without doing the work. The B Corp standard changes all that. To become a B Corp, you as a company go through a very extensive accreditation in which you, in collaboration with the B Corp Assessment Team, carefully examine your company in five areas: Governance, Customers, Employees, Environment and Community.

Every B Corp is fully audited every three years. Based on this assessment, you will receive an overall score that will be made public. This way everyone knows what you are really doing and where you could improve. A real motivation to really bring about positive change.

The B Corp certification ensures that you really substantiate every part of your ideals with hard figures.

Operational impact

• We have a vegetarian lunch and toast with beer made from rainwater.
• We purchase locally or do so from purpose companies such as Moyee, Seepje and Alpro.
• We are founding members of the Dutch Marketing Creativity Diversity Fund, with which we are committed to more diversity in our sector. In addition, we are actively committed to increasing the percentage of colleagues with a migration background.

Impact through customers

• We help The Ocean Cleanup raise millions and recruit specialists so they can rid oceans and rivers of plastic.
• With design and content we achieved 163% growth in donations for Doctors Without Borders.
• Design and digital technology helped Fastned achieve 150% turnover growth in one year.
• Within four years we reached 100% of Amsterdam parents with Schoolwijzer.

Only companies that score more than 80 points (out of 200) are officially certified. To provide context, Patagonia, the “mothership” of the B-Corp movement, has 166 points, while Nespresso is at 84.3 and Rituals at 92.2. With our own score of 102, we are convinced that we are on the right track, but above all we see a lot of room for improvement.

1. It is truly inspiring to have your company examined by someone with this view. It has taught us a lot about what we do well and where we can still improve.
2. It is a community of companies that enjoy working together. And therefore a perfect way to find partners and customers who are a good fit for you.
3. It is a good way to show talent that you have things in order internally. More and more people want to work primarily for a club that pursues a social mission.
4. There is no plan B. So now is the time to make our economy fairer and more sustainable.

We are happy to help other organisations with the certification process to become B Corp. There are also more and more good advisors. The bigger we make this movement together, the more impact. Please contact Rolf Coppens or feel free to call us.