We are proud to announce that Manoverboard is now a Certified B Corporation.
Certified B Corporations are a new type of company that uses the power of business for good and meets rigorous standards of overall social and environmental performance. We are in good stead. Other “conscious capitalists” that have earned B Corporation Certification include Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, and Etsy. As of this writing, there are currently more than 775 Certified B Corporations globally (with 74 in Canada) across 60 industries and 25 countries, unified by the common goal of redefining success in business.
By becoming the first Certified B Corporation in the Province of Manitoba, we align our own values with an organization that brings together like-minded companies to help change the world. We actually changed our legal status at the provincial level so that our articles of incorporation reflect this and to ensure that our values are baked in to the corporate DNA. As well, we created a publicly available Code of Ethics and made other corporate changes–with many more to come.
It’s a big deal for us. In some ways, becoming a B Corporation is about as close as we could get to being a non-profit while still running a company. As I noted in one of our press releases:
Our individual lives on the planet are short, but our collective impact is long. As a company of designers, communicators, and technologists, it’s our responsibility to work for organizations that advocate for people without voices, and for the environment that sustains us. We partner with those who invest in the future and care about how their message gets delivered.
It is an honor to be in such good company. As the organization states, “B Corps inspire all businesses to compete not only to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world.” If you’re interested, you can see our listing on the B Corporation website and review our Impact Report which shows how we scored under the rubrics of governance, workers, community, and environment.
Many thanks to everyone who helped directly to get us here, including Sarah Zaharia of New Media Manitoba, Adam Herstein at PitBlado Law, my colleagues at Manoverboard, and, not least, my family.