Becoming a Certified B Corporation: Method's Journey

This post is part of a series where co-founder Steven Korner discusses various topics, from design to engineering sustainable products.

Have you heard of Certified B Corporations, or B Corps? It's a declaration of interdependence, a global community of organizations that use their business for good. At a time when we face challenges like COVID-19, climate change, discrimination, and poor working conditions, it's crucial to celebrate B Corp month and the movement to transform business practices.

The increasing number of Certified B Corporations worldwide signifies a shift in business, moving away from traditional shareholder perspectives towards purpose-driven businesses that benefit all stakeholders—people, place, and profit. Meaning the B Corp certification is trustworthy.

The certification process is intensive. Our sustainability team spent weeks completing the online questionnaire and assessing our practices across all business aspects. They formalized existing processes and developed plans for areas needing improvement.

One area we identified was a gap between our well-established sustainability practices at our Wellington HQ and those of our remote teams. Our HQ has been operational for several years, with most of our team working there, so systems and processes were already in place. For our remote workers, this was more challenging, and it's something we continue to improve, especially considering the increased remote work due to COVID-19.

We became certified in November of last year and were proud to achieve a score of 93.4 on our first certification. More importantly, B Corp is central to our growth and will continue to be a tool for improving our impact.

In my opinion, the best part of becoming a B Corp is joining a local and global community of like-minded businesses and the positive change we can create together.

Collaboration and Shared Purpose

We are excited to participate in a webinar about using business as a force for good with other purpose-driven Kiwi businesses—Sharesies, Springload, Dignity, Redvespa, CoGo, and Carbon South. Although we operate in different industries and methods, we share a core belief: our businesses exist to do more than just make money.

Sustainable Business Practices: Good for Business

If you're considering certification for your business, learn more about what a B Corp is and how it could benefit your organization. We believe sustainable business practices are simply good business. This is evident in the growing number of consumers whose purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by an organization's and product's sustainability. Similarly, a growing workforce seeks purpose-driven organizations. We're fortunate to have a dedicated and hardworking team committed to our purpose.

If you're considering B Corp for your organization, explore the B Impact Assessment; it's free and non-committal. Alternatively, feel free to contact us, and a member of our sustainability team will gladly assist you. Happy B Corp month!

About Steven Korner

Steven Korner graduated from the University of Canterbury with first-class honors in Mechanical Engineering. After leading the neonatal care product design team at Fisher and Paykel and inspired by Total Bins, he and his wife India founded their own company and product. Steven took an analytical approach with Method—spending weeks researching, prototyping, and gathering customer insights to determine what could truly impact the waste market. As co-founder and CEO, he has spearheaded Method's innovative product research, development, and design, and created Method's award-winning 60L Office Recycling Bin.