Make An Impact Always (MAIA)

Choosing to become a certified B Corporation means you are choosing to be part of a new type of business that aims to balance profit with purpose, joining like-minded businesses with people and planet ingrained in their core DNA. 

Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and the third sector alone so 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 Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their approach and decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and also the environment. Together 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 so joining in is a great way to build a new generation of leaders who drive the movement forward using business as a force for good and taking all around with them, living the good values built around purpose.

Businesses and customers want to buy from companies with real purpose, and people want to work for them. Communities like having them in their midst, and suppliers seek them out to work with. B Corp certification is a really powerful way to build credibility, trust and real value for many organisations, and food and drink as a sector is really beginning to see the benefits and emotional connection that others have with this identification.

The B Corp approach can lead to a healthier “triple” bottom line, and at Maia we are really invested to support those who are looking to achieve a healthier profit, healthier planet and also strive to support healthier people through the food and drink they help to innovate, produce, manufacture, and make available in all the right places for people to enjoy!

Being a “force for good” in business enables you to meet, engage with and collaborate alongside like-minded change makers in your community and far beyond. We can help you do this in a number of ways using industry leading insights, and tools which support your journey to become the business you want to be.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help certified B Corps build trust and value which is why B Corp is recognised by many as the platinum standard for better business practice, highlighting and supporting the incorporation of  standards and accountability in order to certify and truly become a responsible business.

To aim for B Corp certification, organisations have to complete the BIA (Business Impact Assessment), which is a comprehensive self audit in the form of a series of questionnaires to determine the companies impact on their community, employees, customers, environment, and governance. This helps to measure the ESG positioning of a business, a term we hear often in today’s world and often are not fully aware of what it really means for our business!

Through a deep dive into many working practices, including internal policies, interfacing ways of working, social contributions, partnerships, environmental outputs to name a few of the big focus areas, these metrics are used to determine how positive the impact of the business is – and we help to think “impact back” to see how we can work with you to evolve your organisation to be fit for future sustainable growth.

Once you have spent time to complete the questions, this will generate your B Impact Report which breaks down how you did in each of the 5 sections – it includes your “Impact score” which needs to be above 80 to even be eligible to become a B Corp. Whilst impressive, a score of 80 does not complete the journey by any means as you need to work to get your business model in shape to achieve over 85 as a score, and the higher above this you reach the better business model you are creating to help create a sustainable business for future growth.

The great thing is that the BIA is free to use - and not exclusive to companies hoping to go through to B Corp certification – so it can be helpful to any business wanting to establish where they are right now and start to plan where they might want to be in future without committing to going through the review to become certified.

There’s a supportive network of helpers too, at Maia we are able to support you through the process of completing your BIA – whilst the questions are in some cases straight forward to respond to, they often require raw and quantitative data, and qualitative information with evidence to back up the subjective.

What have you got to lose? The whole process is incredibly educational and will mean that it is highly likely that you will discover aspects of ESG that you never knew about, or thought you might have or could find a solution for – and maybe you didn’t even know it is or might be a problem.

As Certified B Corp businesses consistently outperform the market, it is a great way to attract and retain the best talent, clearly communicate with the world about your ethics and values as well as your well-defined purpose. And find a new lease of life with the 3Ps of PEOPLE, PLANET and PROFIT