Why we’re proud to join the B Corp community
Posted on September 26 2020
Geneva, September 25th, 2020: we completed a process that has been more than a year in the making: SEP Jordan has become a Certified B Corporation!
B Corporations (or B Corps) are a growing group of companies who are reinventing business, by pursuing purpose as well as profit. SEP Jordan has been certified by B Lab as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
What is the B Corp Certification?
The B Corp Certification is for the whole of your business and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, you have to score over 80 and provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices - including energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.
To complete the certification, we have legally embedded our commitment to purpose beyond profit in our company articles.
Who are B Corps?
The B Corp Community is reflective of the overall economy, with businesses from a cross section of industries and sizes.
More than 100,000 businesses have signed up for the B Corp Impact Assessment since its launch in 2006, but only 3,500 companies—brands like Ben & Jerrys, Warby Parker, Patagonia, the Guardian, Kickstarter, and AllBirds, along with SEP—are certified B Corps.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Nathan Gilbert, Executive Director of B Lab Europe, says “We are delighted to welcome SEP Jordan to the B Corp Community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates, who believe business really can be a force for good. We know that SEP Jordan is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.
Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.
— B Lab
Why did SEP Jordan apply for B Certification?
- B Corp Certification is a high standard that keeps us accountable to our stated values as a company. It’s easy to say we care about social equality, human rights and refugees, but certification forces us to measure the actual ongoing impact.
- We want our customers to know for which brand they’re becoming brand ambassadors. We often select the brands we buy based on a sense of shared values, so it’s important for people to know what we stand for.
- We’d like to see more businesses in the world that balance profit and purpose. In our experience, the best way to catalyse that sort of change is to model it for others to see.
Delighted to share the news with the SEP community and looking forward to future developments, which will hopefully lead towards more impact and some great shopping with purpose, thank you!
