5 tips for getting B Corp certification

In October 2022, Morning obtained B Corp certification, awarded by B Lab^TM. Reaching this milestone reflects the work carried out by the team to improve its social and environmental impact. The goal in sight: meeting higher standards in terms of governance, community, environment, customer management and staff wellbeing.
The team secured certification with a total score of 81.5 points on the B Impact Assessment (BIA). It was no easy feat, and there is still a long road ahead. To help everyone get started and obtain the coveted pass, the Morning team shares its advice through Hélène Bertolone - impact manager within the team.

☞ Tip no.1: Complete the BIA questionnaire,
A first time, to take stock.

The first step of the action plan is to fill in the B Impact Assessment (BIA), a questionnaire made up of 200 items to measure your impact commitment. As you answer, the questionnaire adapts to your sector and your lines of business. The score you obtain will provide an initial snapshot and serve as your starting point.
Beforehand, do sign up for the weekly information sessions to find out more about the certification process and put your first questions to them.

☞ Tip no.2: Get support from an expert,
To make headway efficiently

An expert is someone who will have completed B Leader training. Whether external or internal to your company, they will have  mastered the various assessment tools of the certification process.  
The expert will be able to analyse your results and advise you on your steps: setting your target, defining your roadmap and deadlines, training the teams. Thanks to the B Leader, your efforts will be directed to the right place and you will make the most of your time.
Morning drew up its action plan with Margaux Gaillet (who initiated the certification), Hélène Bertolone and  Wiser Impact, an organisation that has designed an online training pathway to build up skills on B Corp certification. Signing up for the B Corp booster programme enabled us to draw up an action plan that is measurable and can be shared with its key stakeholders.

☞ Tip no.3: Bring together as many people as possible,
By area of expertise...

In an interview given to Wiser Impact, Hélène Bertolone sets out Morning's motivations for pursuing B Corp certification: “First and foremost, we wanted to challenge ourselves, to keep progressing so as to have a positive impact on our ecosystem. To do that, we had to involve all our staff in a team project and commit ourselves to a dynamic of continuous progress.”
Without the commitment of all your staff, it will be difficult to obtain the label. Right from the start of your journey, do gauge your team's motivations: What do they expect from their company in terms of CSR? How committed are they in their professional and personal lives? To what extent would they be willing to contribute more to societal issues?
The B Leader's mission will be to involve the teams. Every member of staff should feel concerned, and take ownership of the subject according to their skills: HR, accounting, designer, communications, works manager, and so on. Project teams should be formed around specific areas. Each will aim for an impact linked to the sections of the BIA: governance, community, environment, customer management, staff wellbeing. At each level, various processes will need to be established: ethics charter, supplier code of conduct, carbon assessment, and so on.

☞ Tip no.4: Aim above 80 points !,
Because the audit process is demanding...  

For any company coveting the precious label, the aim is to obtain more than 80 points on the B Impact Assessment. This score will serve as a benchmark throughout the preparation phase. At the halfway point - in January 2021 - Morning obtained a total score of 64.6 points, closing in on the 80 points required. This milestone made it possible to redirect certain actions and to boost others.  
Hélène Bertolone advises applicants to aim above 80 points: “The audit process is demanding, so it is better to have some margin. It is preferable to sit between 10 and 15 points above the threshold before the audit. Some of the answers you can give in the questionnaire are not always precise enough. During the certification phase, the auditors readjust and the score ends up lower."
Hélène continues: "We had initially set ourselves a score of 95 points. In the end, we obtained B Corp certification with a total of 81.5 points. Suffice it to say the margin for error was not all that wide."  

☞ Tip no.5: Anchor your actions in the long term,
Certification is only one step...

The final BIA score of 81.5 hints at plenty of room for progress for Morning, especially for a player in the construction sector that plans to cut its emissions by 30% by 2030.
Obtaining the B Corp label is the culmination of a journey and the reward for a commitment, but above all it marks a new starting point. Hélène Bertolone confirms it: "We still have a long way to go, all the more so as our business model falls into the category of companies with a significant impact. The BIA made it possible to bring to light areas for improvement, such as resource management (water, electricity) and the certification level of the buildings we occupy. It gives us a course to follow.”
Hélène Bertolone adds: "This first step brought forward reference points within the team. These people are now leaders within their teams. Their actions and decisions are now geared day to day towards this objective of improving their environmental and societal impact. That is perhaps the most important thing about B Corp certification."

From now on, your offices are spelt with a capital B!

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