As a leading black-owned and female-led, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) service provider, we are delighted to announce our certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. One of our D&I Consultants, Ben, led on our accreditation, and we asked him some questions about the process.

What inspired Diversifying Group to pursue B Corp Certification? 

Given the nature of our work as an ethical business driving positive Diversity and Inclusion change in the workplace, we’re constantly looking for communities of like-minded businesses that share our passion and values. As the old proverb says: “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”, and seeing the numbers of amazing organisations on the B Corp platform who demonstrate collective spirit and genuine commitment to effect change was a key motivator to pursuing certification. Furthermore, the accountability factor that B Corp requires in terms of social and environmental responsibility at each level of the business, highlighted to us that this is not a box-ticking exercise and something that we at Diversifying Group wanted to be part of.

What’s been the most unique or surprising outcome of achieving B Corp Certification for Diversifying Group?

These are early days as we’ve obviously just achieved certification, however the sheer breadth of resources, communities and campaigns available to certified B Corps is eye-opening. If we had to pinpoint one unique outcome specifically then it would probably be the access to more communities and what this access entails. We’ve for example been impressed by the collective action pieces through campaigns such as the Better Business Act and Boardroom 2030 which we will be looking to get involved in and are also excited by B Lab’s new Equitable Growth Advisory Committee that seeks to make B Corp’s UK community more representative of our wonderfully diverse society. Such initiatives reinforce our excitement in being new members.

Do you have any advice for other businesses considering pursuing B Corp Certification? 

This is not a box ticking exercise. Do this for the right reasons. Pursue Certification if you’re genuinely committed to social and environmental change. The process is long and necessarily intrusive (B Corp does its due diligence meticulously), however it’s also valuable in helping you better understand what your business is doing well and identifying some gaps that you may not previously have been aware of. Getting certified is not the end of your journey; there’s a wealth of resources and communities to engage with once you’re onboard. This opens the doors for business opportunities, hiring and also some fantastic collective action initiatives. The opportunities are vast.

What did you find valuable about the verification process, particularly in terms of the rigour, evidence, and confidence it provided for your claims? It was a meticulous and long process which certainly had rigour in abundance! The process helped us to articulate our work in different ways which raised awareness of how we communicate our work and vision and helped us to better understand where we are on our journey. Throughout the process we were also able to identify gaps that we hadn’t previously been aware of and introduce strategies as well as tools to ensure that we’re even better equipped to create the positive change that we’re seeking to achieve. We realise that achieving certification is only the start of the journey, but it’s been amazing that we’ve been able to establish a baseline of where we’re at, from which we can map out even more positive change.

About B Lab UK:

B Lab UK is transforming the economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and we certify companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way. To date, our global community includes 6,279 B Corps in 89 countries and 159 industries, and over 150,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager.