March proved to be a very special B Corp month for us this year when we received word that our B Corp re-certification had been validated. After a seven-month evaluation process, joining the annual celebration of all 9,500-odd B Corporations pursuing a more holistic idea of success beyond the bottom line, across more than 100 countries and 160 industries, felt particularly appropriate.
With the concepts of ESG and EDI increasingly questioned in the headlines as of late, it feels apt to look at why we committed the time and resources to meet B Lab’s standards. Even among those sceptical of a large-scale retreat from sustainability targets, there is considerable debate about the large number of ESG certifications and their associated value. It’s a fair question to ask, “why become a B Corp?”
The road so far
Officially, our B Corp journey began in July 2021, when MAPP became one of the first large real estate consultancies to achieve B Corp status. In reality, the road to securing B Corp status started more than a year before that. We knew this certification would be a rigorous year-long process which placed our business operations, in the five key areas of governance, employees, community, environment and customers, under close scrutiny.
At the time, this new certification seemed to us a natural progression of what MAPP had always sought to do. Across our 26-year history, making MAPP a force for good has been part of our DNA. With its holistic focus on all the stakeholders involved in and affected by our operations, we decided to go for B Corp as a validation of our commitment to thinking about how MAPP impacts the world around us as a collective.
Importantly, we wanted something that would provide a road map for the way forward. The B Impact scoring system helps us establish a formal framework to continue to push the boundaries with how we deliver, measure and assess the impact we are having on our people, partners, community and environment, while empowering us to build on our progress. We were proud to meet 80 points required for certification in our original 2021 submission. That assessment also provided us with valuable insight about what we could do better.
Renewed resolve
Equally crucial to us was the recognition that B Corp wasn’t just a rubber stamp we could obtain once, put its logo on our website and forget about. As with our annually renewed ISO 14001 certification, B Corp-certified businesses must undergo the verification process every three years to recertify, which ensures their focus is on continuous improvement. As MAPP discovered with our recent recertification, the submission process is once again a robust exercise. So we take great pride in our new Overall B Impact Score of 132.5, a 53% improvement from our 2021 Impact Score of 86.6.
Recent developments that have boosted MAPP’s B Corp Impact Score include the company’s transition into an employee ownership trust, providing an opportunity for our 650 people to take on the ownership of the business and have a meaningful voice in how it operates. Our sustainability team’s growth also helped bolster our environmental credentials this time around, as have some key new social value initiatives geared toward career growth for young people facing barriers to employment, undertaken both within our business and through the MAPP Charitable Foundation.
Many B Corps, ourselves included, have spoken out about the value of the framework in helping businesses to integrate social and environmental considerations into all key decision-making. There is also a growing understanding around the value of B Corp in attracting talent, as a shortcut for potential employees to understand a business’s values better and how a firm chooses to operate. A recent survey revealed Gen Z and Millennials report high awareness and positive perception of the B Corp brand, which we believe has helped us attract and retain better talent.
And it’s not only younger people who take notice of our B Corp credentials. Prospective employees altogether are much more informed and aware of ethical considerations, which shapes their behaviour – in what they purchase, where they travel and who they choose to work for. The certification helps us signpost what we’re about as a business.
Our B Corp status underscores our commitment to making a positive impact across our operations, but we’re aware that it’s far from a sustainability silver bullet. B Corp is a great overarching statement of intent that complements some of the more specialised ESG standards and frameworks we pursue, particularly for environmental impact. By aligning with certifications such as B Corp, GRESB and ISO 14001 and standards like the new Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and SECR, both for ourselves and on behalf of our clients, we are able to make continual progress on our journey to operating in mutually beneficial ways with the communities and planet we work within.
A legislative shift
In addition, B Lab has been a facilitator of positive momentum toward stronger legal duties for companies to operate ethically. MAPP is a signatory of the B Lab-sponsored campaign for a Better Business Act, which last month grew to more than 3,000 UK businesses. The BBA calls for legislation that would require companies to change their articles of association to mention a purpose beyond profit creation. B Corps are required to do so to be certified, but it remains legally voluntary. A move to enshrine this commitment into law would mark a significant shift away from traditional business models that are centered around short-term profit above all else.
The growing popularity of the BBA is particularly pertinent given the recent debates about ESG. It demonstrates that thousands of firms across the UK remain eager to pursue profit and purpose hand-in-hand.
A growing bank of evidence suggests making such a commitment may enhance commercial success. B Lab UK revealed in March that between 2023 and 2024 small and medium-sized UK B Corps saw a 23.2% increase in turnover compared with the national average of 16.8%. During the same time, their workforces also grew by 9.6%, while the national average saw a decline of 0.5%. In addition, a 2024 Deloitte study found that more than 30% of UK consumers are more likely to trust brands that have been verified by an independent third party as a sustainable provider.
A continuing commitment
Like painting the Forth Bridge, there’s no point where we can simply declare we have done the job. While there are successes and milestones to celebrate along the way, our sustainability journey is continuous. It’s energising to join forces with other purpose-driven businesses to help make a positive difference in society, but it’s a steep learning curve and we never stop learning.
The knowledge we’ve gained during our two B Corp certifications has been invaluable to our work to make MAPP a more responsible business. The B Impact Assessment is one of the most credible metrics available to a business like ours for measuring our multi-faceted impact. As a result of completing the assessment, we gained access to comprehensive, benchmarked data – this enables us to confidently focus on areas to improve.
B Corp also serves as important calling card and currency to open up conversations about what positive change looks like with all sorts of companies. People are genuinely curious and want to find out more about it and how it serves our business. It’s a conversation we are always more than happy to have, whether across a boardroom or dinner table.
Over the past four years, MAPP’s B Corp status has been a source of pride and a brilliant way to demonstrate our commitment to being a force for good. We are equally proud of being part of a growing collective of B Corps – particularly as early adopters – that are taking a long-term approach to sustainable growth.
Jonathan Gill is chief of staff at MAPP
