At UrbanVolt we created our as a service models so that we could have a measurable impact on the environment.

We deliver our clients immediate and measurable energy savings and we’re really proud of that. But we still felt that we weren’t doing enough. How could we amplify and grow what we’re doing? And also build it into the DNA of the company?

Businesses have to make money to survive – that’s a given. But that’s not enough anymore. We must collectively do the right thing, and especially when it comes to the environment. That was when we started to explore becoming a B Corporation – B Corp for short. B Corps are for-profit businesses which are primarily trying to solve a social or environmental issue through their enterprise. In other words, there is more than just one bottom line. The aim is not only to be the best in the world (as all businesses want to be), but also to be best for the world.

So what exactly is a B Corp and how do you become one?

We first heard about B Corps while listening to an interview by the CEO of Patagonia – Yvon Chouinard. For Patagonia, a love of wild and beautiful places demands participation in the fight to save them, and to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of our planet. They donate time, services and at least 1% of sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups all over the world who work to help reverse the tide. In other words, they’re not just talking about doing the right thing, they’re actually putting action behind their words. They’re #DoingNotJustTalking.

So we began to formally explore how to become a B Corp.

In total, it took UrbanVolt about six months to complete the process, from initial application to approval. To become a B Corp, companies first fill out an online assessment. To complete the certification, companies then must meet certain legal requirements that vary by jurisdiction and also reshape their legal structure for the company’s management and board. This means that the company can make decisions which benefit stakeholders besides just investors.

As well as taking a significant amount of senior management time, we had several months of review of each topic. The final piece of the approval requires that your application is verified by B Lab Europe, who must approve your application. Companies are then subject to a recertification process every two years. So it is not for the faint hearted or the semi-committed. It is not simply a tick box exercise and every question we were asked was deeply analyzed and commented upon.

But the huge advantage that comes along with that?

We know that every other member of the B Corp community has gone through a similarly stringent process and has met the same criteria. And the same goes for members of the public, or businesses, who are looking to do business with brands who stand for something other than just the bottom line. Being a B Corp elevates members above others who are chasing only the bottom line, sometimes to the detriment of all else.