B CORPS NZ: GoodSense in Auckland re-certified with increased performance score

Milestone in the international B Corp-community: 1 million jobs have now been created globally – Image: B Corps Global

B Corp companies around the world have now created one million jobs globally. These jobs are spread across 10,000 B Corps in 160 industries, operating on six continents, according to Sarah Schwimmer of B Lab Global.

“They are united by a shared commitment to creating more equitable, inclusive, and purpose-driven workplaces. At a time when worker protections are under threat, leaders in our community are showing that good job practices aren’t just nice to have—they’re the right thing to do”, says Schwimmer as the current B Lab Global Head of External Affairs. B Lab Global is the umbrella organisation for the international B Corps community.

The B Corp movement in New Zealand is growing rapidly with now over 170 certified B Corps in the country. This number represents businesses that have met specific standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

In Auckland NZ, one company has recently been re-certified. What that means for her business, for her customers and how to conduct business, writes Katherine Dewar of GoodSense ethical marketing.

Team members at GoodSense Ethical Marketing in Auckland, New Zealand (from left): Gabrielle, Kath, Lani and Jo – Image GoodSense

We re-certified – so what?

In the small business I founded, we just opened up our business to outside scrutiny.  My fellow Director and I shared reports and examples of work, financials and evidence we had done things we claim to have done. It’s the kind of rigour few companies go through unless they are listing on a stock exchange. And we did it all for a black badge, a B Corp Certification.

This was our first renewal as a Certified B Corp, three years after first certifying.

After the rigorous independent review process, we received the official thumbs up from our B Corp assessors. We had successfully recertified, with an increased performance score.

But why do we did we do all that for a badge?  Why should you care? And might third party certification be right for your business?

Why does having a third party certification matter?

#1 Certification builds confidence for customers to buy

Every individual purchase or business procurement is a complex weave of emotional and functional decisions.  In business procurement process, several people, often with different roles and priorities, are usually involved in the purchase decision.

Credibility is essential to any type of buying.

One way of helping build credibility for your business is having others sing your praises.  It’s why things like ratings, and customer reviews help you sell.

Third party certifications, like B Corp, take the idea of having someone else vouch for you to a more formal level. It is particularly important for purchases where:

• The sector you trade in may have many potential providers
• Many providers in the industry have low standards or poor behaviours
• Sales processes can be slick and compelling on the surface
• Time or expertise for due diligence by buyers is short
• The risks of customers getting their supplier wrong are high
• Buyers have their own internal procurement standards or ethics to honour

When it comes to sustainability, third party certification also helps you distance your business and your claims from ‘greenwash’. ‘Greenwash’ is when companies try to make themselves look or sound better than they are for nature or humans.

The more committed to sustainability your audience, the more likely they are to value Certification.

If you are selling to the public, it’s important to know over 80% of people globally want governments to do more to cut climate harm – and they want businesses to do their share.

If you sell to other businesses, certification is particularly important if your clients have certifications themselves.

In the three years since GoodSense first Certified, we’ve been fortunate to work with other B Corps including; Method Recycling, NZ Native Honey, Pathfinder, Talent Nation and a few companies who Certified as B Corps later including Cultivating Leadership and PeopleEx.  They all preferred to buy services from a fellow B Corp.

And of course, if you’re not certified your competitors might become so.

#2 Certification places you into a community

Most certification providers bring together their certified companies in one way or another. This can help you connect with likeminded businesses who have similar high standards to your own. It creates ways to learn from each other or to trade with each other or to collaborate on marketing. This could range from an Instagram co-lab to a shared trade show exhibition.

As a Certified B Corp, our business is part of a strongly growing cohort of certified businesses around the world.

#3 Certification gives direction and focus for improvement

All certifications are partly about what you record or measure, as well as about what you do. Certification bodies have well tested frameworks for evaluating performance. By using one of these existing frameworks it can make the world of compliance – or of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and sustainability easier to navigate.

Third party certifications can give a framework, clarity and a process for improvement. They help you shape your to-do list.

As GoodSense Directors, we marked our B Corp recertification with a ‘what next’ planning meeting.

GoodSense-Directors Katherine Dewar and Jo Patterson in New Zealand – Image: GoodSense

Might third party certification be right for your business?

We chose B Corp because of its international credibility, when we have an increasingly international team at GoodSense.  We also chose B Corp because it has a holistic focus that integrates the social and environmental aspects of sustainability.  It might not be the right certification for you.

The first decision to make is a strategic one.  How would a third party certification enhance your operations – or make it easier for your target audience to choose you?

Understanding your audience, what drives their purchasing or procurement, is a marketing challenge. So is choosing the certification that will be most useful for that target audience.

How can GoodSense – a Certified B Corp – help your business?

As a sustainability marketing and ethical communications team, we can help you with that audience understanding. We can also help you decide which certification to choose.

We’ve worked directly with some of the top certification providers, as clients as well as consultants who can support you getting certified should you decide to go ahead.

We can also deliver brand and communications strategy, facilitate your decision making, implement your marketing for you or train your team to do marketing and communications better.

At GoodSense, we only use marketing and communications as a force for good. So, if your products or services benefit nature or people, as well as your shareholders, we’d love to help you have more impact with your work.

We’ve decades of experience in making it easier for all kinds of businesses to run marketing that gets results. And of course, our Certified B Corp status means you can trust we meet rigorous social, environmental and governance standards in how we work.

Let us know if you’d like a confidential no obligation video-call about our B Corp experiences, certifications generally, or any marketing challenges you’re facing.  Find out more at www.goodsense.co.nz or call +64 9 973 0960.

About the Author: Katherine Dewar

Katherine Dewar (FCIM) is the inspiring thought-leader who founded GoodSense. A marketer with over 30 years’ experience and a business-owner since 2001, Kath is a Fellow of the UK-based Chartered Institute of Marketing and an award-winning international marketer. She currently serves on the Board of the Sustainable Business Network. (NAN/GoodSense 15-08-25)

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