What is B Corp Month?
In March every year, B Lab and the global B Corp community join together to celebrate what it means to be a B Corp, build awareness of the movement and educate diverse audiences on the importance of transforming our economic system for the better.
This effort promotes one key, unified message through a global campaign; through talking about what it means to be a B Corp, we build meaning, understanding, and trust around the B Corp Certification, highlighting companies that are environmentally and socially responsible, and the people using business as a force for good.
This is a powerful moment; businesses of all sizes, across multiple industries, demonstrating that a better way of doing business is possible, and that companies can balance purpose and profit while considering all stakeholders in their practices - customers, suppliers, workers, communities, the environment, and shareholders.
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
To become a B Corp, a company must go through the B Corp Certification process - a rigorous assessment of business impact relating to B Lab’s standards. If the company is considered to meet these higher standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, they can start their journey as a Certified B Corporation, recertifying every three years to demonstrate a continuous improvement mindset.
The idea for B Corp Month was formed in 2016 out of enthusiasm to spread the message about the positive impact of the B Corp community through the collaboration of a group of Certified B Corporations and B Lab. The first campaign ran in 2017 and each year, as the community grows, so does visibility and excitement around the campaign. You can learn about some of the activations from previous years in the timeline below:
2021: The ‘Better Business’ campaign invited the global B Corp community to show the rest of the world what it means to be a Better Business, encompassing all of the different ways that B Corps strive to do better and showcasing how the B Corp Certification puts B Corps ahead of the curve. During B Corp Month 2021, the use of case studies and evidenced claims was essential to showcase how B Corps are taking steps towards a better world. You can watch one of the virtual panels from the campaign here. This campaign was created in partnership with creative agency and B Corp Hoxby.
2022: The ‘Behind the B’ campaign went behind the scenes to uncover everything that being a B Corp means. The campaign aimed to rebuild trust in business, revealing how the B Corp community is making business a force for good and championing a new way of doing business based in transparency and accountability that is changing the world.
Thousands of B Corps from all around the world got behind the campaign, bringing the campaign to life in a wide range of ways, from social media and digital channels to impactful activations in the physical world: offices, shops, and even trade fairs showcasing the campaign visual identity. Watch a roundup of the diverse and exciting campaign activations here. This campaign was created in partnership with creative agency and B Corp Nice & Serious.
The theme for 2023's B Corp Month, launching 1 March, is #WeGoBeyond, showcasing the ways that B Corps are pursuing a more impactful path, going above and beyond for all people and the planet in the face of world crises. Read more here.
This year, we are excited to announce that we are continuing our creative partnership with agency and B Corp Nice & Serious.
As a consumer - Follow B Lab Global on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) and visit the #WeGoBeyond campaign page to see the different activations and events happening across the world throughout March.
You can also use the 'Find a B Corp' directory to discover businesses that are part of the community and use your purchasing power to support B Corp companies, and the movement of business as a force for good.
As an employee of a company interested in becoming a B Corp - Follow B Lab Global on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) and visit the #WeGoBeyond campaign page to be inspired by the environmental and socially responsible actions that businesses across the B Corp community are leading on.
You can also discover the B Impact Assessment, B Lab's free digital self-assessment tool to measure your company’s impact against B Lab standards. Completing this is the first step to B Corp Certification.
As a B Corp leader and employee - If you haven’t already, reach out to your local B Lab Global Partner organization to download the toolkit and work with your marketing and communications teams to consider how your business can elevate the campaign across your company’s communication channels.