As the B Corp campaign month is coming to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect and ponder over the evolution of this certification – Is it still a legit badge of honour? Or, has the certification become a hollow-status symbol? With the ongoing debates about the upcoming due diligence legislation, we, as Moyee Coffee, think it is time to reclaim what B Corp once was: a community of trailblazers.
First off, what is a B Corp? Essentially, it’s a certification given to companies that meet standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. It’s kind of like a badge of honour for companies that want to prove they’re not just in it for the profits. Companies are assessed and assigned a score on five impact categories: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
We were once a real trailblazer in the Netherlands, proudly holding the 6th spot as a B Corp certified company in 2014 and now have an overall B Impact Score of 100.6 points. Our aim for this year is to reach 116 and 140 in 2024. To put that into perspective: B Corps have to have a minimum of 80 points and “ordinary” businesses have a median score of 50.9. Plus, we are proud to say that our business model that centres around our farmers has been awarded with being “Best for the world” in the “Community” category for four years.
In recent years, the B Corp certification has gained popularity as a symbol of ethical and socially responsible business practices (there are 6,200 B corps as of March 2023). However, as the certification becomes more mainstream, there are concerns that its value is being diluted, also in the coffee industry. Indeed, in the past, being recognized as a B corp was valuable because it meant that the company was a pioneer in sustainable business. But now that every Joe, John, and Nespresso is jumping on the B Corp bandwagon, it’s starting to feel like just another box to check off on the corporate responsibility checklist.
Nespresso can claim to be a B Corp, but let’s not forget that they have a history of shady environmental practices, including creating mountains of single-use coffee pods that end up in landfills. And yet, they are waving the B Corp flag like they’re the poster child for sustainability. Not only our founder Guido van Staveren, has voiced his concerns in a B Corp “town hall meeting” when the entry of Nespresso at B Corp was discussed, but many other early B Corp adopters, like Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters and Cafédirect, have raised concerns about this recent shift.
So what to do now that the B Corp family is expanding at a fast rate and becoming a mainstream marketing tool? We don’t believe in too much pondering or pouty-ing, but instead we believe in opportunities. As the new due diligence legislation approaches, businesses are being held accountable for the negative impacts of their supply chains on human rights and the environment. This presents a significant challenge for companies, but also a unique opportunity for B Corps to play a critical role. The proposed due diligence legislation is lacking on three important aspects: 1. Clear indicators on which companies are expected to report, in other words: cherry-pick-reporting is lurking. 2. Low-cost tooling that allows for small companies to join the due diligence wave: risk of them losing their playing field position to the big guys and girls. 3. A clear way of how we can audit and compare due diligence processes: leaving consumers to fight through fancy impact reports and judge what is green (washed).
The B Corp certification can step up and show the world what it’s made of. The B Corp certification is a powerful tool that provides a comprehensive framework for companies to assess their impact and make improvements using science-based indicators. One of the key benefits of the B Corp certification is its ability to offer a holistic approach to comparing companies on their sustainability journey (aka no more cherry picking). Moreover, the B Corp certification offers a low-cost DIY tool that enables businesses to assess themselves against the certification’s rigorous standards. This tool provides a step-by-step guide that helps companies understand what they need to do to meet the certification’s requirements and provides a roadmap for improvement. By making this tool available at a low cost, the B Corp certification is democratising sustainability and making it accessible to businesses of all sizes and types, exactly what due diligence should be all about. The B Corp scoring process has a strong commitment to transparency and accountability and ensures that certified companies are on track to meet their goals and leads to a more sustainable, equitable future. Not only does this help to audit companies on what they actually do (or not do) to make their supply chain good for the planet and the people on it, it will also lay bare which companies are actually intrinsically motivated to do good and those who are good at saying they do.
As the debate on the future of due diligence legislation is still unfolding, so should critical conversations about the potential of the B Corp movement. Moyee Coffee is calling out other companies to unite, team up, and support B Lab to push the bar as high as possible.
Abel Ketema, Digitalization and Data Manager at FairChain, provides an update on the latest coffee harvest, the progress of digitalization, and the future of coffee farming in Ethiopia.
Sander gives us some insider information about the biocompost project. That means: more sustainability, better soil health and less CO2!
Tess gives us a New Year’s update from our roastery in Nairobi, Kenya. Think factory challenges, a new café and personal accomplishments!
