19 May 2023
Boldspace achieves B Corp certification
Brand value agency Boldspace has been awarded B Corporation (B Corp) certification, validating it as a business with high standards, accountability and transparency on a wide-range of issues from employee wellbeing to sustainability.
Boldspace has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. The news comes after the agency hit the 50-employee mark as it approaches the end of its third year of operations, with significant expansion since the start of 2023.
The agency has been carbon positive since day one, offsetting all emissions and taking steps to make an impact wherever possible, from being a paperless business to donating 2% of profits to charity annually. All employees are required to include environmental and sustainability targets in their annual objectives, as part of the agency’s overall objective to ensure it operates as a sustainable business with initiatives that demonstrate its commitment to the environment and social causes.
To coincide with the accreditation, Boldspace is introducing a new ‘B Corp rate card’, where it offers a 15% reduction in its pricing for all other approved B Corp businesses. The agency believes working to promote businesses with a proactive approach to these issues is as important as supporting charities, which already receive rate card discounts across most of the advertising, marketing and PR sector.
Boldspace Co-CEO Mike Robb said: “We passionately believe a positive environmental approach, social responsibility and strong governance are critically important to our long-term growth. One benefit of starting an agency from scratch is having this deeply rooted in everything we do, and this is reflected in what we’ve been able to achieve to date.
“But there is always more we can do as our growth allows, and the B Corp process has acted as a catalyst to update or create new policies and procedures that we haven’t had in-place in our journey so far. We are incredibly proud to achieve this accreditation but see it as a starting point from which we can build, constantly seek to do more and be better. That’s what is most exciting as we head into our next phase of growth, underpinned by an approach that promotes and prioritises doing it in the right way for our people, clients and society around us.”
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says: “We are delighted to welcome Boldspace to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Boldspace are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.”
The B Corp certification addresses the entirety of a business’ operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company has legally embedded their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles.
Boldspace is now part of a community of more than 6,000 businesses globally that have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK, representing a broad cross section of industries and sizes, comprises over 1,300 companies and include well-known brands such as The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, The Body Shop and organic food pioneers Abel & Cole.