Last week, we received the news we’ve been waiting for. Cullen Communications has been awarded B Corp certification, making us one of the first PR agencies in Ireland to achieve this important social and environmental distinction.
We are now proudly part of the B Corp movement, a global community of businesses that seek to make a positive impact on the world through things like environmental action, community engagement and being a good employer.
We’re in good company too. The B Corp community includes global giants like Etsy, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, TOMS Shoes, and Tony’s Chocolonely, as well as notable Irish brands such as Danone, Bailey’s, Cully & Sully, and our fellow comms agency Thinkhouse.
It took us more than a year to go through the rigorous testing and legal requirements involved in becoming a B Corp, but we’re finally there.
Here’s what B Corp certification means for us – and for our clients:
- We are now part of a global movement of businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact
- We have legally changed our company’s governance structure to be more accountable to all stakeholders (i.e. not just shareholders)
- We allow information about our ESG performance to be publicly available on the B Lab website
- We are in a position to advise and accompany other companies on their own B Corp journeys
As part of our B Corp certification, we were assessed across five key areas of the business: Workers, Environment, Governance, Customers, and Community. Based on this assessment, we achieved an overall B Impact score of 93.2. You can access a detailed breakdown of our scores here.
So, we’ve done the hard part – right? Wrong! B Corp is not simply a label. It’s not just a nice-to-have logo we can put on our website and say ‘look how good we are’. Being part of the B Corp movement is a commitment to operating your business more responsibly, not just for a while but forever. We’re in it for the long haul.
Why become a B Corp? And why not?
The main reason we decided to apply for B Corp certification was because we wanted and needed to become a more responsible business. The other reason was because we thought, if we do it, if we talk about it, if we show the value of it, then others will be inspired to follow. So why should you follow?
Hold on. Let’s rephrase that. Why should you not? You should not apply for B Corp if you just think ‘it’ll be good for our profile’ or ‘it will make us stand out from the competition’. Those things will not happen unless you are genuinely committed to operating sustainably and making a positive impact on people and planet.
However, if your commitment to B Corp is authentic, your business stands to gain on so many levels. Not only will you stand out as one of the very few companies that has successfully gone through the rigorous B Corp evaluation (so far, only 25 Irish companies have achieved B Corp status), you’ll also be giving your organisation a distinct business advantage.
Research keeps showing that being a purpose-led business is good for the bottom line. But the biggest benefit of acting responsibly is because it’s the right thing to do. We all know the planet needs help and here at Cullen Communications, we’re proud to be able to say that we are doing our best.
Our B Corp journey starts here. We look forward to sharing news of our progress with you along the way. Thank you!