Our B Corp journey so far…
B Corps exist to use business as a force for good; and B Corp certified businesses pledge to balance profit with people and planet. This notion has been core to the brand we have been building at houseof for the last 4 years. Simple things (to us!) like saying no to non-recyclable plastic in our packaging, offsetting our production emissions, and supporting local charities have given us the framework to join hundreds of other B Corp-certified businesses in a global movement towards equity and inclusivity that benefits all stakeholders (that is: customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and investors - not just those in charge!).
houseof x Emma Gurner capsule collection at Clerkenwell Design Week
houseof and B Corp
Becoming a certified B Corp is the best measure of whether a business cares just as much about people and planet, as it does about profit. B Corps must meet rigorous social and environmental standards: including transparency, accountability, and a focus on creating positive impact for employees, communities, and the environment. B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders, and to regularly report on their social and environmental performance.
houseof’s vision is a world lit with absolute climate neutrality and our mission is to create sustainable lighting without compromise. Our 3 values are: Planet, Product and People, and we break down barriers to mass market sustainability by being green for our customers without ever compromising on the design, aesthetic, quality or value of the products we sell. Gaining our B-Corp certification will validate us as a mission-driven brand. It guides our decision-making to ensure we continue to progress, do better, and reduce our impact on the planet.
Our B Corp journey so far…
August 2022
Kick off meeting! Our founders Helen and Michael and our Buyer Mel sat down to work through the requirements of the B Corp assessment. The first step was to complete the B Impact Assessment online. It covers 5 key areas:
Governance - how the business is run, including its mission and ethics
Workers - how employees are paid and treated
Community - how the wider community is supported
Environment - the impact the business has on the environment
Customers - how customers, including suppliers, are treated
We need a score of at least 80 to pass (on average, non B Corps score around 50 points and highest global B Corp score each year is around 160 points), and Helen, Michael and Mel gathered the evidence to back up our answers. As a young business, it was really important to formalise many of the processes and positive practices we are already doing.
January 2023
We submitted our application! We then joined the evaluation queue, where a B Lab Evaluation Team analyst would review our B Impact Assessment and determine our eligibility for B Corp Certification.
May 2023
We are assigned a B Corp assessor! They will evaluate our business in some of the following ways:
Analyse the ownership and the structure of our company
A Preliminary Scoring Screening following a review of our Impact Business Model e.g. the ways that a business is designed to create a specific positive benefit/outcome for one of its stakeholders (may be based on their product, a particular process or activity, or the structure of the business)
A final check to make sure that our company is on the appropriate path for certification before entering the verification queue
houseof x Emma Gurner capsule collection at Clerkenwell Design Week