It's fun being part of a club, and even more so when that club is B Corp.
Certified B-Corporations are businesses that balance people, planet and profit, redefining business for the better. Each member meets the highest social and environmental standards, and put stakeholders – that is workers, community, customers and the environment – at the heart of their choices. Doisy and Dam was stoked to become certified in 2017, joining a community of 4,000+ likeminded businesses across over 150+ sectors, in now over 75 countries. Fast-forward 4 years, and with our recertification (to check we’re continuously improving every 3 years) in the bag (we’ve grown by 7.9 points!), we’re every bit as thrilled to be a part of the squad.
At Doisy and Dam, we’ve always held ourselves to a certain standard, striving to create fairly produced choc that punches far above its weight and makes a positive social and environmental impact along the way. For us, people and the planet are every bit as important as the chocolate we sell, and we believe that business can be a force for good. Becoming B Corp certified in 2017 was a confirmation of this. Not only did it validate our efforts, but it reinforced our commitment, connected us with a bigger, global community and holds us accountable for our actions every single day.
Like most clubs, there’s a process to joining. And this one is rigorous, to say the least. To become certified, a company must voluntarily undertake a B Impact Assessment. This evaluates five main categories: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. The standards are strict, and a re-certification process every 3 years ensures that B Corps are always held to account and encouraged to improve their practices year on year. In 2017, we scored 85.4, surpassing the 80-point threshold to pass. This made us the 128th B Corp in the UK, joining the likes of Finisterre, Guardian and Innocent.
Yet the B Corp movement is so much more than just a certification or a way to benchmark our achievements. It’s about growing business in the right way and continually seeking ways in which we can improve as a company. It is about demonstrating that successful business can thrive when balancing people, planet and profit, without having to prioritise or make sacrifices. It’s about being a values-led company. Being optimistic for the future. Welcoming the sharing of knowledge within the community and recognising that we’re so much stronger together. Put simply, it’s a movement towards creating the future we want to see by encouraging people and companies to make better choices today. It speaks to the heart of our decision-making processes – and factors in to everything from our office culture to our decisions around creating new chocolate flavours and ranges.
In the middle of 2021, we submitted our second impact assessment so that we could be re-certified. This is our way of committing to always growing our business in the right way – and we’re thrilled to say we recertified with a score of 93.3 points, meaning we grew by 7.9 points. This came from a range of improvements in our business – from moving our packaging from non-recyclable to supermarket-recyclable (no mean feat, and down to the hard work of our Operations team), to introducing an employee handbook with all our people policies in one handy spot.
We know, that as a company, we still have a lot to do, and we’re excited for the journey that lies ahead. Once the results are in, we’ll work thoroughly through the assessment, making tweaks on a short, medium and long-term basis. Some, like turning our team’s love of volunteering into a formal two-paid-days-a-year policy, will be a quick change. Whereas others, like our commitment to carbon footprinting and environmentally assessing our full operations system, will take more time. If hearing about our sustainability progress is something that tickles your fancy, we’re very nearly done creating our first ever impact report, so watch this space!
When Doisy and Dam first started, we wanted to do more than just sell mouth-watering choc. We wanted to leave the world in a better place for it. B Corp and its community have been instrumental in linking us to the bigger picture and providing a framework from which to work. With so many companies making big claims and false promises of sustainability, B Corp is a way to cut through all the greenwashing noise and highlight the companies that have true intentions. It's a network we’re proud to be a part of, where business is used to create change. Being a B Corp means we are more than just a company making good chocolate, we are a good company first and foremost.
Check our Instagram for updates throughout B Corp month!
