Good news: Our B Corp certification is pending.

It was sometime back in 2020 I received an email from our CEO to say “Lu, let’s become B Corp certified”. I’ll be honest, I had to look up what this meant as it was the first time I had heard the term ‘B Corp’. The B stands for ‘benefit’ where corporations create benefits for stakeholders, not just shareholders. It’s a benefit for all. Being certified means being part of a community that is not about being the best in the world but being the best for the world.

B Corp was found back in 2006 and it was only in 2015 that it started to gain traction within the UK. In 2020 the UK was one of the fastest growing B Corp communities amongst 78 countries across 155 industries. Today there are over 4,600 certified companies with 500 of these in the UK. Heavenly is now on its journey to join this growing community.

2020 was the year of change across the globe. Everything came to a standstill. This gave Heavenly the opportunity to reflect “who are Heavenly and what is our purpose?”. It made us stop and look what is important for our team, our clients, the community, and the world we live in. The thought of becoming B Corp certified aligned with our core values, so it was the natural next progression for us to start the process.

While researching what the certification process entailed, I quickly learnt that it was not about ticking a few boxes and then we wait for our certificate to arrive in the mail. Instead, it’s an on-going commitment to constantly change and grow as a company. B Corp becomes part of Heavenly’s DNA where our legal documents must be amended and submitted to Companies House before we can submit for certification.

The B Corp assessment is a rigorous 200 points-based questionnaire to measure Heavenly’s impact on its workers, community, environment, and customers. To submit for certification, Heavenly needs a score of 80 or more. We can’t just answer and say that we do all these wonderful things, we must show how we do it. Our assessment will give us insight into what we are doing well and what we could do better. The inspiring part now for me is working for a company that is driven to make improvements.

B Corp wants businesses to be part of the solution the world is currently facing, not be part of the problem. Heavenly recognize this and hopes to submit for certification within the next few months and start being part of the solution our world so desperately needs right now.