“If everyone is a B Corp, then it’s sort of meaningless,” says Ed Roberts, partner and product strategist at We Are Systematic.

Being B Corp certified is a big claim to fame in the agency world. But is it the only way to achieve genuine corporate responsibility?

For smaller agencies especially, pursuing B Corp can feel like an exclusive club they’re not invited to.

“You get exclusive access to where all the B Corp companies can talk to each other and share ideas,” says Katie Parry, co-founder of Supercool. “That to me is the opposite of what I want to do. I want to openly share stuff and tell everyone what you can do, and not keep it keep it to ourselves.”

Katie had previously thought about pursuing B Corp accreditation, but this exclusivity and targeting at bigger companies left a sour taste.

It can also be difficult to balance environmentally friendly actions with tight agency budgets – meaning B Corp is too far out of reach.

“We signed up for things like One Percent for the Planet,” says Ed. “But what we’ve realised is actually, that’s quite difficult for a small company with thin margins to sustain because it’s 1% of revenue rather than profit. That can be painful.”

In this session, we’ll be talking to Katie and Ed about what else agencies can do besides opt for the B Corp certification, including:

• The reality of pursuing B Corp certification and why it might not be suitable for every agency, especially smaller ones.
• Practical, impactful actions smaller agencies can take to be truly sustainable.
• The importance of genuine commitment over ‘looking good’ with a certification.

The reasons for pursuing B Corp – or perhaps opting for other measures – can also differ.

“When I’ve heard other people talk about it, there seem to be a couple of different camps,” says Katie. “Either people who like to personally give a shit about it – that’s the camp I’m in – or those who see this as something they should be doing business-wise.”

“I don’t care about the reason for doing any of these things, as long as a company is taking action.”

If you’re looking to make a difference, but unsure if B Corp is right for you, join this discussion to see what alternatives are out there – and what impact you could make without the big shiny badge.